St. Pierre, fennel, mushrooms and saffron broth

This recipe by Alexis Coÿne, chef at Balafenn restaurant in Perros-Guirec, is taken from the special issue of Gault&Millau magazine, in which you can discover 109 chefs' recipes. These chefs have opened their establishments in the last 18 months and shared their favorite recipes with us. Discover the ingredients and preparation steps to make it easy.

Serves 6
Preparation time: 50 min
Cooking time: 2 h

Ingredients for Alexis Coÿne's St. Pierre

• 700 g white fish fillet (in this case saint-pierre)
• 1 kg fennel
• 300 g button mushrooms
• 100 g fresh mushrooms (here, oyster mushrooms)
• 1 onion (or shallot)
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 bunch tarragon
• 1 large pineapple tomato
• Aromatic garnish (green leek, celery, onion, garlic, fennel)
• 50 cl dry white wine
• 4 egg whites
• 4-5 saffron pistils
• Star anise (optional)
• Fennel flowers
• Butter
• Olive oil
• Espelette pepper
• Salt

Steps for Alexis Coÿne's saint-pierre

1. Fish: Lift the fillets and make 6 portions (or ask your fishmonger to remove the bones).
2. Fish stock: Coarsely crush the bones, then place them in a pot with two-thirds of the aromatic garnish and the white wine. Cover with water and reduce.
3. Fennel purée: In the meantime, coarsely chop the fennels, removing any stringy parts (you can put these in the fumet). Steam for 15-20 min, then blend with a little olive oil, saffron, salt and Espelette pepper to make a purée.
4. Mushroom duxelles: coarsely chop the button mushrooms and sauté in a little oil with the minced onion or shallot and garlic. Once the mushrooms have rendered their water, blend them and add a little chopped tarragon.
5. Saffron broth: Filter the stock to recover only the broth to be clarified. To clarify it, coarsely blend the remaining aromatic garnish with the egg whites, then pour this mixture into the stock. Whisk, then gently heat again. As they coagulate, the egg whites will form a cap over the stock, removing any impurities. Carefully ladle the stock through a fine sieve fitted with a clean tea towel (or coffee filter) to remove the last impurities. Then add the saffron to infuse, along with a few stalks of tarragon and a little star anise.
6. Sauté the oyster mushrooms in butter, then add the remaining chopped tarragon. Cut the tomato into thin slices or quarters and pan-fry briefly. Season to taste.
7. Finishing: Keep purée, duxelles, mushrooms and stock warm. Season the fish with salt, Espelette pepper or pepper. Heat a little oil and, when it just begins to smoke, place the fish skin-side down in the pan to sear. Lower the heat slightly and add a little butter. Once the skin side is nicely colored, turn the fish over to the flesh side to finish cooking (for saint-pierre, you can turn off the heat at this point).
8. Presentation: Place a small amount of purée at the bottom of the plate, add a slice of tomato and place the fish on top. Make a quenelle of mushroom duxelles, then arrange the fresh mushrooms on top. Garnish with a few fennel flowers. Finally, pour the stock over the fish.

Chef's comments: The saffron brings its delicacy to the aniseed flavor of the fennel, enhanced by the powerful taste of the fennel flowers.

Has this recipe inspired you to discover Alexis Coÿne's cuisine? Read the Gault&Millau review of Balafenn.

This article is taken from 109, Le Sang Neuf de la gastronomie française. Find this special issue on newsstands or in our online store.