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Fish with White Wine Sauce

Fish with White Wine Sauce

Fish with White Wine Sauce is a classic dish featuring a glossy, satiny sauce made with cold butter and white wine, perfect for pan-fried fish.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 17 minutes
Course Fish, Main
Cuisine French-ish, Western
Servings 4 servings
Calories 533 kcal

Equipment

  • large non-stick skillet
  • oven
  • sieve

Ingredients
  

Pan seared fish

  • 4 fillets white fish skinless, boneless (I used snapper)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

White wine sauce

  • 1 small eshalot finely chopped (∼1 ½ tbs)
  • 1 ¼ cups white wine dry, not sweet or too woody (chardonnay is especially good)
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice (sub white wine vinegar)
  • 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar (sub more lemon)
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 1 pinch pepper
  • 1 pinch white sugar
  • 1 cup thickened/heavy cream
  • 30 g unsalted butter cold, cut into 1cm / ⅓" cubes

Garnish, optional

  • 2 teaspoon finely chopped parsley (or chives)

Instructions
 

Cook fish

  • Preheat oven to 50°C/120°F. Place rack over a tray.
  • Season fish: Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper.
  • Cook fish: Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook fish in two batches until golden, 2 minutes on each side, or until the internal temperature is 55°C/131°F.
  • Keep warm: Place fish on rack, and place in the oven to keep warm.

White wine sauce

  • Discard oil: Tip out excess oil from the skillet but don't wipe clean.
  • Reduce wine: Add eschalot, white wine, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar to the pan. Bring to simmer and reduce by half (∼3 minutes).
  • Simmer cream: Add cream, simmer for 2 minutes.
  • Finish with COLD butter: Turn heat to low and add cold butter one cube at a time while mixing with wooden spoon. Once all the butter is incorporated, the sauce should be thickened, satiny and beautifully glossy.
  • Optional strain: Strain the sauce through a sieve (discard eschalot), then pour it back into the pan.
  • Fish in sauce: Place fish back into the pan in the sauce. Spoon some sauce over the fish, leave for 30 seconds.
  • Serve: Transfer fish onto serving plates. Spoon sauce over each fish, sprinkled with parsley if desired.

Notes

This recipe is suitable for any white fish fillet suitable for pan frying, or salmon and trout. Avoid fish that dries out easily or oily fish with strong flavors.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 533kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 32gFat: 38gSaturated Fat: 19gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 173mgSodium: 470mgPotassium: 578mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 1067IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 66mgIron: 1mg
Keyword creamy sauce for fish, creamy wine sauce, white wine sauce, white wine sauce for fish
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