Aromatic Shellfish Sauce

🛒Ingredients (Grocery List)

Fish Stock

  • 1 pound Fish Heads, Bones, and Shellfish Shells, rinsed

  • 2 Onions, each stuck with 1 Whole Clove

  • 1 Garlic Clove, crushed

  • 1 Bouquet Garni, made with Parsley, Thyme, and Bay Leaf

  • Salt

  • Black Peppercorns

Sauce

  • 2 tbsp Butter

  • 1 Onion, finely chopped

  • 2 Shallots, finely chopped

  • Mixed, finely chopped Parsley and Tarragon leaves

  • 1/4 cup Cognac

  • 3/4 cup Dry White Wine

  • 2 tbsp Tomato Paste

  • 1 Garlic Clove, crushed

  • 1 or 2 pinches of Cayenne Pepper

  • 3 tbsp Crème Fraîche or Heavy Cream

  • 1 tbsp all-purpose Flour


🍴Serves: 4

⏰Prep Time: 15 min

⏱️Cook Time: 1 hour 15 min


🥣Instructions

1. Make the Fish Stock: In a large pot, combine the Fish Heads, Bones, and Shells with the Onions, Garlic, Bouquet Garni, Salt, Peppercorns, and 4 cups of Water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low and cook at a bare simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour. Strain into a large glass measuring cup.

2. Make the sauce: In a large saucepan, melt the Butter over medium heat. Add the Onion, Shallots, Parsley and Tarragon, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook until softened. Add the Cognac and bring to a boil, then tilt the pan and carefully ignite. When the flames subside, add the Wine, 2 cups of the Fish Stock, the Tomato Paste and the Garlic. Season with Cayenne and Pepper. Increase the heat to medium, bring to a simmer, and cook at a gentle boil, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

3. In a cup, blend the Crème Fraîche with the Flour. Remove the pan from the heat and gradually whisk in the paste. Return the pan to the heat and bring to a simmer, whisking, serve.

💡Tips

Ask you fishmonger for fish heads, bones, and lobster shells. Pick up a few blue crabs, which will deepen the flavor of your stock enormously.