A celebrated culinary treasure from the Dombes lakes, where whole tench is packed with a savory stuffing of seasoned pork, milk-soaked breadcrumbs, and fresh herbs, then gently baked over shallots and white wine before finishing with rich Bresse cream.
Ingredients
- 2 pieces Fresh whole tench
- 250 g Ground pork (20% fat)
- 60 g Stale rustic country bread, crust removed
- 80 ml Pasteurized whole milk (3.5% fat)
- 1 piece Large free-range egg
- 2 pieces Yellow storage onion
- 3 pieces Traditional shallot
- 2 cloves Garlic clove
- 50 g Unsalted churned butter (82% fat)
- 0.5 bunches Fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 25 cl Dry white wine, such as Bugey Chardonnay
- 150 g Crème fraîche or heavy cream, preferably Bresse (36% fat)
- 2 sprigs Fresh thyme
- 1 leaf Dried bay leaf
- 1 tsp Fine sea salt
- 1/2 tsp Freshly ground black peppercorns
- 1 pinch Whole nutmeg
Method
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C) with convection. Tear the stale rustic country bread into a bowl and pour the pasteurized whole milk over it. Let it soak for a few minutes until fully absorbed, then mash the breadcrumbs with a fork into a smooth panade.
- Peel and finely slice the yellow onions and shallots. Mince the garlic cloves, and rinse, dry, and chop the fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves.
- Melt a portion of the unsalted butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add half of the sliced onions and half of the shallots, then sweat gently for about 5 minutes without browning until soft and translucent. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground pork, the milk panade, the cooled sautéed onions and shallots, the minced garlic, the whole egg, and half of the chopped parsley. Season with fine sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and freshly grated nutmeg. Mix thoroughly by hand until you have a smooth, cohesive stuffing.
- Gently pat the whole fresh tench dry with paper towels, both inside the cavity and on the skin. Season the cavity lightly with fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Generously fill the cavity of each fish with the seasoned pork stuffing, pressing it in gently so you do not tear the sides. Sew the opening closed with a trussing needle and clean kitchen twine, or secure the seam tightly with small skewers.
- Spread the remaining sliced yellow onions and shallots across the bottom of a large baking dish to form an even aromatic bed. Scatter the fresh thyme sprigs and the dried bay leaf on top.
- Set the stuffed tench on the bed of aromatics. Dot the tops of the fish with the remaining unsalted butter cut into small pieces. Carefully pour the dry white wine into the bottom of the dish around the fish, without pouring it over the skin.
- Bake on the middle rack for 35 to 40 minutes. Baste the fish two to three times during cooking with the white wine juices from the bottom of the pan, until the flesh is opaque all the way to the bone and the skin is lightly golden.
- Remove the dish from the oven. Carefully transfer the stuffed fish to a warm serving platter and tent with foil to keep warm while finishing the sauce.
- Set the baking dish directly over very low heat (or transfer all the pan drippings, aromatics, and juices to a saucepan). Whisk in the Bresse heavy cream and simmer gently for 2 to 3 minutes to reduce and thicken the sauce until it coats the back of a spoon. Taste and adjust the seasoning with fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Carefully remove the kitchen twine or skewers from the fish. Generously spoon the velvety Bresse cream sauce over the tench, scatter the remaining fresh chopped parsley on top, and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 531.6 kcal
- Protein
- 26.09 g
- Carbohydrate
- 17.52 g
- Fat
- 34.29 g
- Fibre
- 2.47 g
- Calcium
- 78.41 mg
- Iron
- 1.16 mg
- Magnesium
- 27.38 mg
