Sandre sur peau – zander fillet in red-wine butter

Crisply fried skin, beneath it snow-white, silky zander flesh — and with it not a classic white but a deep-red butter sauce of reduced red wine. A quiet break with the rule that reconciles river and vine on one plate.

Fish & Seafood Category

20 MIN Prep time

20 MIN Cook time

4 people Servings

Sandre sur peau – zander fillet in red-wine butter

Preparation

Prepare the fish

Rinse the zander fillets under cold water and pat them very thoroughly dry — especially the skin, or it won't crisp. Salt the skin side and chill until the sauce is ready.

Reduce the red wine

Bring the shallots to the boil with the red wine, red wine vinegar and bay leaf in a small pan and reduce over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes down to about four tablespoons of syrupy liquid. Remove the bay leaf.

Mount the butter

Draw the reduction down to the lowest heat and whisk in the cold butter piece by piece without letting the sauce boil. A glossy, deep-red emulsion forms. Season with a pinch of sugar and salt and keep warm without bringing it back to the boil.

Fry the zander skin-side down

Heat the olive oil in a non-stick pan. Lay in the fillets skin-side down and press them lightly with a spatula so they stay flat. Over medium to high heat, fry for 4 to 5 minutes until the skin is golden brown and crisp. Add the butter, turn the fish and let it finish for just 1 minute on the flesh side. Season with pepper.

Plate up

Spoon a mirror of beurre rouge onto warmed plates, set the zander on top with the crisp skin facing up and scatter with chives. Simply steamed spinach or a potato purée goes well with it.

Why this wine?

The Gigue is in the sauce and returns in the glass: its dark berry fruit and fine tannin frame the crisp skin and the silky flesh, while the acidity of the butter keeps the wine round and juicy.

Good to know

Tips & insights

Pat the pikeperch fillets dry and lay them skin-side down in the hot pan, this gives a crisp skin.
Cook the fillets about ninety percent on the skin and turn them only briefly, so the flesh stays silky.
For the beurre rouge reduce the red wine with shallots vigorously before the cold butter goes in.
Whisk in the cold butter off the strong heat, piece by piece, otherwise the sauce splits.
Use the same Gigue for cooking and for the glass, this keeps sauce and wine in harmony.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which wine goes with Sandre sur peau?

A red with dark berry fruit and fine tannin that frames the red butter and the silky fish flesh without crushing the pikeperch. We drink our Gigue from LaSuite aux Conseillans with it, a Merlot-driven red that ages mostly in concrete and amphora. It is already in the beurre rouge.

How does the skin turn really crisp?

Pat the fillets very dry and lay them skin-side down in sufficiently hot fat. Press them down lightly in the first seconds so they do not curl. Cook the fish almost fully on the skin and turn it only briefly right at the end.

How does the beurre rouge succeed?

Reduce red wine, shallots and vinegar vigorously until only a little liquid remains. Take the pan off the strong heat and whisk in cold butter cubes piece by piece. As long as the sauce stays below simmering point it turns glossy and smooth rather than oily.

Which side dish goes with it?

A fine potato purée or boiled potatoes take up the red butter well. Braised leek or young spinach also suit the pikeperch. Keep the side restrained, so the crisp skin and the glossy beurre rouge stay at the centre of the plate.

The wine to pair