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Let’s slip away to France, shall we?
And more specifically, to a small French restaurant just outside of Lyon in the village of Ouches, Troisgros. For three generations, le famille de Troisgros has been sharing their delicious expertise in the kitchen, and along the way, they earned three Michelin stars.
Speaking of Michelin stars, it was this very dish, l’escalope de saumon à l’oseille (salmon cutlets with sorrel sauce) made in the 1960s that earned them their first Michelin star, and it is a very simple dish to make. The key to its deliciousness are the ingredients, of which there are very few.
Beginning with fresh sorrel from the garden, an herb I have talked about many times before and will explain in detail why and how to grow it in your garden as well as share multiple ideas for using it in your cooking, to the pepper you use, and of course, how we prepare the salmon so that it cooks evenly while retaining its tender goodness, I will talk it about it all and demonstrate how you can easily welcome this dish into your regular cooking repertoire.
Let’s talk about pepper for a minute. What type of pepper do you have and use in your kitchen? Well, be sure to tune in to today’s episode as I will share the best for flavor and the difference between black pepper and white pepper, and believe it or not, what I will recommend will save you money. 🙂
But now, let’s get to the episode, shall we?
Oh! One other bit of information I will share in this episode is how to season your cast iron pans. So simple to do and makes using cast iron a pleasure to use in the kitchen. Okay, allons-y!
~NOTE to readers who cannot see a video below: Be sure to turn off your ad-blocker if you use one as you will not be able to see a video at all if the ad-blocker is in use. Once you turn off your ad-blocker, you will need to restart your device to view the video.
Links shared during the episode:
- Visit Maison Troisgros’s website, a restaurant and hotel
- White Peppermill from Peugeot
- Peppermill for black pepper, 9″, Peugeot
- Sorrel seeds, from Johnny’s Seeds
Click here to watch the current generation of Le Troisgros family make this dish.
~Cook & Share! I would love to share your Simply Luxurious Kitchen inspired experiences from your kitchen. Tag me on Instagram with @thesimplyluxuriouslife #tslkitchen (or directly tag @tsllcookingshow) and your post could appear on my Instagram feed as well as on a future Show Notes post (see readers’ pics below). Many readers have already shared their meals inspired by recipes from TSLKitchen. Check out TSLL’s IG Story Highlights – titled, Viewers’ Recipes. Below are a few readers that have shared recipes and pics that caught their eye (and tastebuds ?) since last season concluded. Thank you to everyone who has shared!
Digital Cookbooks for Each Season of the Show are available (and they are free to everyone!). If you are looking for all of the recipes for each previous season in one easy to find place without having to click through each episode for each season, I now have available a Digital Cookbook for Seasons 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5. Shop here. Season 6’s cookbook will be available at the end of this season (end of November).
L’escalope de Saumon à l’oseille (salmon cutlet with creamy sorrel)
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb fresh salmon servings, 4 ounces each skin and bones removed
- 1 handful of fresh sorrel leaves (stems removed) a generous handful, more is always better
- 16 oz or 1/2 quart of fish stock if you don't have fish stock, it's okay! Don't substitute anything, just leave it out.
- 6 Tbsp Chablis or Sancerre (the dry white wine of your choice)
- 2 Tbsp Nouilly Prat (French vermouth) optional
- 1 Tbsp shallots (finely chopped)
- 3/4 cup creme fraiche substitute – heavy cream
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- flaky sea salt (Maldon salt is my favorite flaky sea salt)
- white pepper, finely freshly ground
Instructions
- Prepare the salmon by removing the skin and bones (I place the salmon draped over a small mixing bowl, making the bones easier to see and pull them out with my fingers or tweezers). Then to create an even thickness throughout the salmon, (head-end cuts are best), slice horizontally creating the two pieces. Then place between wax paper and gently using a mallet (flat side), ensure the entire serving of salmon has equal thickness throughout for even cooking.
- Prepare the Salmon by seasoning with freshly ground white pepper (which is better for fish, reserving black pepper for meats – pork and beef).
- Have the sorrel de-stemmed and ready to add to the sauce (washed and patted dry with a cloth or papertowel). Destem just as you would a spinach leaf (as they look similar), by folding the leave hotdog style and pulling the stem from the thickest end back toward the tip of the leaf of sorrel.
The Sauce
- In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, add the liquids and the chopped shallots for the sauce – fish stock, white wine, and nouilly prat. If you don't have vermouth or fish stock, just leave them out and use the white wine which is most traditionally to this dish anyway. Cook over near high heat until the wine has been reduce the liquid by approximately a 1/3. Then add the creme fraiche (or heavy cream) and reduce a bit further. Initially when you add the cream, it will cool the sauce down. Let it come back to medium heat, still stirring and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Season the sauce with freshly ground white pepper, flaky sea salt and 1-2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice. Then add the unsalted butter. Let it melt and combine. Add the sorrel into the sauce. It will 'melt' into the sauce quickly, turning a medium brown color. Stir for 1-2 minutes and then it is ready to plate with the salmon.
Cooking the Salmon
- Over medium heat, in a dry pan, add the seasoned salmon. As it is thin, it will only need to be cooked for 1 minute at the most on each side, maybe even 30 seconds, so stay at the stovetop. Season the second side while the first is cooking, and then flip to cook the second side for 30 seconds. If the salmon doesn't look entirely cooked, you have done it perfectly! The salmon will continue to cook after being removed from the skillet.
Plating
- On a round plate, add the sauce to cover the bottom of the plate with a thin layer. Add the salmon. For an extra luxurious touch, have your plates already warmed (place in an oven on a low heat). Serve the dish immediately and enjoy a three-Michelin-starred restaurant's favorite dish.
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Looks lovely. I have seen a similar recipe from Jaques Pepin. Will take your advice and plant sorrel seeds in April. It is very hard to find, as you say. Bravo Shannon.
Thank you for watching Nancy. 🙂 I think you will be glad you added sorrel to your garden. It is a very hardy plant as well. Enjoy!
I had this exact dish one year ago at Troisgros – they still serve it! Of course it is quite different from their current cooking style, but a classic that is definitely worth it; just scrumptious!
Hanna,
How amazing! What a delicious and special experience that must have been. Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Oh Wow! What a wonderful recipe. I even had sorrel in the garden.
Thank you for reigniting my love of cooking.
Deborah,
That is wonderful! Enjoy the dish and thank you for sharing that you too have sorrel in your garden! A must for homecooks! 🙂
Is your apron from the August MFCH box? Love the idea of planting sorrel from seeds! I will have to try it this spring.
Tara,
You have a good eye! Yep! Here is a direct link. I believe it is $30 – https://myfrenchcountryhomebox.com/product/gingham-apron/style/Shannon/?campaign=ginghamapron
This dish looks amazing! I need to plant some sorrel seeds. Love your apron Shannon.
Karen,
I think you will love having sorrel in your garden. 🙂 Thank you for your compliment about the apron – it was in Sharon Santoni’s August My French Country Box (here is a direct link 🙂 and linen at that! Love it. 🙂 Have a delicious week.
https://myfrenchcountryhomebox.com/product/gingham-apron/style/Shannon/?campaign=ginghamapron
This looks absolutely delicious, Shannon, and I’m going to make it this week at some point. Living on the west coast means having ready access to fresh salmon & I’m always looking for new ways to prepare it. I’ve never cooked with sorrel before in my life, so am looking forward to that, too — the people we buy our eggs from have it for sale (along with dozens of other fresh herbs), & I’ve also added it to my seed shopping list for next year’s garden. Merci!
Thank you for introducing Sorrel to my herb potager! I grew it from seed last spring and have been using it all season…especially for Salmon and Chicken ?. I believe you mentioned that it will winter over? I live in a climate similar to Bend. Do you just cut it back and await for it to regrow next spring?
Thank you~
A winner. Hang on to it. Sadly mo longer on the menu as I discovered at their newly refurbished establishment. (Les Bois sans Feuilles). Amazingly they’re now fourth generation.
Very nice, thank you, Shannon! 🙂
This is truly a simple and sophisticate dish, and as such it fits TSLL to a T… 😉
I want to cook this – sadly no sorrel to be seen around here. Perhaps I shall try to grown some on my little garden next spring/ summer.
The little sous-chefs would have liked to try a bite, too, I bet… 🙂
Anytime a recipe has called for white pepper I always use black because, “pepper is pepper” right? Oh, I’m so embarrassed! Thank you for bringing us a beautiful dish and the educational component as well. I can’t wait to give this a try.