French Truite au Bleu Recipe
Truite au bleu is a French delicacy of poached blue trout, served whole. The fish is gutted and poached in a court bouillon and served with accompaniments like sauce, lemon wedges or potatoes. It is eaten as a main dish.
A court bouillon is a poaching mixture, typically used for fish. It is made with water, wine, vegetables and seasonings. A bouillon is a broth. Court is the French word for short.
The liquid is heated very briefly as it cooks the fish, sometimes less than 10 minutes. The court bouillon is not served or eaten.
‘Truite au bleu’ means blue trout in English. The trout itself does not turn blue until it is poached. For this to happen, the fish must be freshly killed, just seconds before poaching.
The reaction between the vinegar and the mucus still surrounding the fresh fish results in the bluish hue. This mucus surrounds the fish when alive and quickly dries up once the fish is dead, even if it is iced or refrigerated immediately.
Controversially, some opt for not killing the fish first but rather knocking it out then poaching.
Origin and Significance
France gets the most credit for this dish however some dispute that it has Swiss origins. Though a delicacy that is rarely found and usually isolated to the French alps, it is also enjoyed in some parts of Germany.
French Truite au Bleu Recipe
Truite au bleu is a French delicacy of poached blue trout served whole. The fish is gutted and poached in a court bouillon and served with accompaniments like a sauce, lemon wedges or potatoes.
Ingredients
- Onions - 7 oz
- Carrots - 7 oz
- White wine - 3.5
- Peppercorns - 5 g
- Bouquet garni - 1
- Trout (8 ounces each, alive) - 4
- Fine salt - to taste
- Coarse salt - to taste
- Cayenne pepper - to taste
- White vinegar - 3.5 oz
Instructions
- Peel and wash the vegetables.
- Cut the onions and carrots into rings.
- In a poissonnière or aluminum pan, put 2 liters of water, carrots, white wine and coarse salt.
- Bring to a boil and add the onions, a few peppercorns and the bouquet garni.
- Cook for 15 min.
- Dispatch the trout,
- Cut them open, remove the gills, carefully remove the blood clots under a stream of water. Do this quickly. (Do not wash the outside)
- Season the inside of the trout with fine salt and cayenne pepper.
- Drizzle the vinegar evenly over the entire trout.
- Immediately plunge them into the boiling mixture for 8 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 273Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 46mgSodium: 372mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 3gSugar: 5gProtein: 18g
Nutrition is provided and calculated by Nutritionix. It is for general information purposes and is only a rough estimation.
