French cuisine · Fish & Seafood

Pike Quenelles

Light dumplings of pike mousseline and choux pastry, poached and gratinated golden under a creamy crayfish sauce.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 500 g pike fillet (or pikeperch/zander fillet)
• 125 ml water
• 60 g butter
• 75 g flour
• 4 eggs
• 300 g shell-on prawns
• 300 ml cream
• 200 ml fish stock
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 3 cl cognac
• 50 g Gruyère
• Salt, pepper, nutmeg

Instructions

1. For the panade, bring the water, 40 g butter and a pinch of salt to the boil, stir in the flour all at once and stir for 2 min until a smooth ball comes away from the base of the pan; let cool completely.
2. Bone the pike fillet, dice it and process in a food processor with the cooled panade and the eggs into a fine mousseline; season generously with salt, pepper and nutmeg and chill for 60 min.
3. Peel the prawns, fry the shells in the remaining butter for 3 min, add the tomato paste and cognac, pour in the fish stock and cream and reduce uncovered for 15 min until the sauce lightly thickens; strain through a fine sieve.
4. Shape the mousseline into oval dumplings using two tablespoons and poach in barely simmering salted water for 10–12 min until they rise to the surface and feel firm.
5. Drain the quenelles, arrange side by side in a baking dish, scatter the peeled prawn tails between them and pour the hot sauce over everything.
6. Sprinkle with grated Gruyère and gratinate in the oven preheated to 220 °C for 12–15 min until the sauce bubbles and the quenelles puff up golden brown; serve immediately.