Pike quenelles with Nantua sauce

Ingredients

• 400 g skinless and boneless pike fillet
• 500 ml whole milk
• 105 g all-purpose flour
• 250 g unsalted butter
• 2 pieces fresh eggs
• 600 g whole raw crayfish
• 300 ml fish stock
• 200 ml heavy cream
• 80 g carrot
• 60 g shallot
• 20 g tomato paste
• 100 ml dry white wine
• 40 ml Cognac
• 12 g fine salt
• 2 pinches ground white pepper
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• 0.25 bunches fresh chives

Method

1. Ideally the day before, carefully check the pike fillet with your fingers and remove any remaining bones. Cut it into pieces, spread them on a baking sheet, and refrigerate so they are perfectly cold.
2. Prepare the quenelle panada. Bring part of the milk to a simmer with a small amount of the butter and salt. Off the heat, pour in most of the flour all at once and stir vigorously with a spatula.
3. Return the saucepan to low heat and dry out the panada, stirring continuously. It should form a smooth ball, pull away from the sides, and leave a thin film on the bottom of the pan.
4. Transfer the panada to a bowl and let it cool slightly. Gradually beat in the eggs until you have a smooth, firm, and pliable paste. Cover with plastic wrap directly touching the surface and cool completely.
5. Blend the cold pike fillet very finely. Add the cold panada in batches, then gradually blend in another portion of the softened butter. Season with salt, white pepper, and nutmeg.
6. Pass the filling through a fine sieve, pushing it with a bowl scraper or spatula. This step is essential to remove fibers and achieve the characteristic smooth texture of quenelles. Cover with plastic wrap directly touching the surface and chill in the refrigerator, ideally overnight.
7. Prepare the crayfish. Melt a little butter in a sauté pan and sweat the carrot and shallot without letting them color too much. Add the crayfish and sauté them briskly until the shells turn red.
8. Add the tomato paste, stir, then pour in the Cognac. Flambé carefully or let the alcohol evaporate completely. Add the white wine and fish stock, then simmer gently until the crayfish are just cooked.
9. Remove the crayfish. Shell the tails and chill them. Return the heads and shells to the sauté pan, crush them thoroughly, and continue infusing them in the cooking liquid until it is highly aromatic.
10. Strain the crayfish juice through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing moderately on the shells. Reduce it gently to concentrate the flavor without making it overly salty.
11. Prepare the crayfish butter. Pound or blend the drained shells with some of the softened butter until you get an orange-red paste. Melt this paste very gently without letting it fry, then strain it through a cheesecloth or a very fine sieve. Set the colored butter aside.
12. Shape the quenelles using two large wet spoons, molding two even, elongated pieces per person. The surface should be smooth and the ends slightly rounded.
13. Bring a large pot of salted water to a bare simmer. Carefully drop in the quenelles and poach them without bringing to a rolling boil. Flip them when they float to the surface, then continue cooking until they are puffed and firm. Drain them on a clean kitchen towel.
14. Prepare the Nantua sauce base. Melt some of the butter in a saucepan, add the remaining flour, and cook the roux gently without browning. Gradually whisk in the remaining hot milk, then add the reduced crayfish juice.
15. Cook the sauce over low heat, stirring regularly, until it is smooth, coats the back of a spoon, and has no raw flour taste. Add the heavy cream and reduce gently. The sauce should generously coat a spoon while remaining pourable.
16. Off the heat, gradually whisk in the crayfish butter without letting it boil. Adjust the seasoning, then add the reserved crayfish tails. Keep a few whole tails for the garnish.
17. Lightly butter an individual or family-sized baking dish suitable for four portions. Arrange the quenelles without crowding them and coat them generously with the Nantua sauce.
18. Bake in a very hot oven until the quenelles puff up significantly and the sauce bubbles around the edges. Finish briefly under the broiler for a very light browning, without drying out the sauce.
19. Serve immediately, allowing two quenelles per person, with the sauce and crayfish tails. Garnish very sparingly with chives.

Nutrition

Per serving

Energy

1012.1 kcal

Protein

39.42 g

Carbohydrate

32.96 g

Fat

76.29 g

Fibre

1.79 g

Calcium

246.12 mg

Iron

3.43 mg

Magnesium

71.94 mg