There was none in all of Munich on the day after New Year’s cod. After the fourth fish deal I gave up. It was not available either at the Viktualienmarkt or at the Frischeparadies near the slaughterhouse. I let myself be persuaded to go to Stonebiter. Not quite as firm, but also a fine fish. And I really wanted fish. I hadn’t eaten fish for weeks. Now I felt like it.
I prefer to eat fish by the sea, but it’s not exactly around the corner from Bavaria. I will never forget the fish in Iceland, arctic char in one Beurre Blancso simple and so outstandingly good. Anyone who has eaten this once is screwed up for the rest of their life. The bar has been raised so high that every additional fish has to be measured against it. Admittedly, in France by the sea they do it quite well.
The fish actually smelled of absolutely nothing when I took it out of the fridge. Best sign for Freshness. If fish doesn’t need to be steamed, I’m still a big fan of flouring it. This is the only way it gets a slightly golden brown crust when it is fried in butter. In general – butter – anyone who has ever noticed how shamelessly butter is used in professional kitchens (a lot of taste) must be aware that 3 – 4 tablespoons of butter for this dish is almost an ascetic amount. When a chef in Norway prepared fish for me, he added no less than 4 tablespoons of butter to the pan. Mind you, for a single piece of fish. What can I say? It tasted great. So anyone who enjoyed butter cookies over the holidays shouldn’t even flinch at this quantity. Unforgettable scene from the film Julie & Juliaas Julia Childs comments on the first meal in France. The word “butter” has probably never been pronounced more sensually.
Fish fillet in lemon-honey butter with tarragon
For two
400 g triplets or other firm, small potatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt
300 – 400 g firm fish fillet (cod, halibut or wolffish)
Sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
some flour for dusting
1 small shallot, finely chopped
3 x 1 tbsp butter
30 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
0.5 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp pine honey
3 – 4 sprigs of tarragon, the leaves picked and roughly chopped
Preheat the oven to 200°C top/bottom heat.
Line an ovenproof dish with baking paper. First cut the potatoes in half lengthwise, then again crosswise. Place in a bowl and mix with olive oil and salt. Spread out in a single layer on the baking paper and roast on the middle rack for 25 – 30 minutes.
Portion the fish fillet – if this has not already been done. Salt, pepper and dredge in flour.
Heat the oil in a coated pan and fry the fish pieces on one side for 6 minutes at a medium temperature, without turning them. Only turn over when one side is browned and only cook briefly (30 seconds) on the second side. Remove from the heat and keep warm.
Add the shallot to the pan along with 2 tablespoons of butter and sauté a little. Add lemon juice, honey, mustard and 60 ml water. Stir well and bring to the boil once.
Remove from the heat and stir in the last tablespoon of butter until the sauce emulsifies. If necessary, season again with a little salt.
Place the fish on preheated plates, serve with the sauce and sprinkle with the tarragon.
Serve with the potatoes.
