John Dory basquaise style, delicate tarragon piperade

Ingredients

• 360 g skin-on John Dory fillets, very fresh
• 1 piece red bell pepper
• 1 piece yellow bell pepper
• 300 g ripe tomatoes such as vine or beefsteak
• 1 piece red onion
• 2 cloves fresh garlic
• 4 sprigs fresh tarragon
• 3 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
• 1 pinch ground cayenne pepper
• 120 ml light chicken stock
• 1 tsp white balsamic vinegar
• 20 g unsalted butter
• to taste fine salt
• to taste freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Remove the John Dory fillets from the refrigerator and let them rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. Pat them thoroughly dry with paper towels, then season lightly with salt on both the flesh and skin sides: this ensures more even cooking and helps crisp the skin.
2. Prepare the delicate piperade: core, seed, and remove the white ribs from the bell peppers, then cut them into thin strips 3 to 4 mm wide. Thinly slice the red onion. Mince the garlic. If the tomatoes have thick skins, blanch them in boiling water for 30 seconds, cool them in cold water, peel, and finely dice, keeping their juices.
3. Heat a saute pan over medium heat (around 285 °F / 140 °C) with a portion of the olive oil for 1 minute. Add the red onion and a pinch of salt. Sweat for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft, glossy, and translucent, without letting it brown.
4. Add the bell peppers. Cook over medium-low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring regularly, until the strips are tender, silky, and slightly collapsed.
5. Add the garlic, sweet smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper. Saute over low heat for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until the spices become fragrant in the oil and the garlic releases its aroma without browning.
6. Add the diced tomatoes and their juices. Cook over medium heat for 6 to 7 minutes until the liquid reduces by half and the mixture reaches a glossy, melt-in-your-mouth compote consistency.
7. Pour in the light chicken stock and simmer gently over low heat (around 195 °F / 90 °C) for 5 minutes, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Stir in the white balsamic vinegar, season with black pepper, and adjust the salt to taste. Turn off the heat, stir in half of the picked tarragon leaves, and let steep off the heat.
8. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat with the remaining olive oil until it reaches about 340 °F / 170 °C (the oil should shimmer gently but not smoke). Place the John Dory fillets skin-side down. Press down gently with a spatula during the first 30 seconds to prevent curling, then cook undisturbed for 3 minutes, until the skin is golden and crisp and the flesh turns opaque two-thirds of the way up.
9. Lower the heat to low, add the butter, and let it foam for 30 seconds until it turns a light hazelnut brown. Spoon the butter continuously over the fillets for 1 minute, then flip flesh-side down and cook for an additional 45 seconds to 1 minute, until an instant-read thermometer reads 118 to 122 °F (48 to 50 °C) at the center. Transfer to a warm plate and let rest for 2 minutes.
10. Reheat the piperade over low heat for 1 minute if needed. Spoon a bed of piperade into the center of warm plates and place a John Dory fillet on top, crispy skin-side up. Garnish with the remaining tarragon, flat-leaf parsley, a turn of freshly ground black pepper, and a drizzle of the pan butter.
11. Serve immediately while the fish is warm and pearlescent at the center and the piperade is steaming hot.

Nutrition

Per serving

Energy

502.6 kcal

Protein

36.54 g

Carbohydrate

15.8 g

Fat

33.02 g

Fibre

5.48 g

Calcium

22.29 mg

Iron

1 mg

Magnesium

18.93 mg