Chef Daniel Boulud’s Loup de Mer Recipe

Daniel Boulud's fish recipe
Master Chef of France Daniel Boulud shares one of his favorite recipes, Loup de Mer…which harkens back to his days with MOF Chef Roger Vergé at the Moulin de Mougins in the French Riviera

Daniel Boulud, a native of Lyon, France, is today considered one of America’s leading culinary authorities and one of the most revered French chefs in New York, the city he has called home since 1982. Daniel is chef-owner of Bar Boulud, Boulud Sud, Café Boulud, db Bistro Moderne, DBGB Kitchen and Bar, Épicerie Boulud, Maison Boulud and is probably best known for the exquisitely refined DANIEL, the three Michelin-star Relais & Châteaux restaurant. Outside of New York, Chef’s seasonal French-American cooking is found in Florida, Las Vegas, London, Singapore, Montréal and Toronto. In late 2014 Daniel opens a third Bar Boulud location in Boston at Mandarin Oriental, Boston and a second DBGB location in Washington D.C. Daniel Boulud is the author of eight cookbooks, including the most recent DANIEL: My French Cuisine (Grand Central Publishing, October 2013), the recipient of multiple James Beard Foundation awards including “Outstanding Chef” and “Outstanding Restaurateur,” and was named a Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur by the French government. He is a generous supporter and Co-President of Citymeals-on-Wheels and is also Chairman of the Bocuse d’Or USA Foundation.

When asked what it means to be a Maître Cuisinier de France, Chef Boulud answers “I chose to become a member of MCF because I believe it is important to carry on French culinary traditions. Furthermore it is necessary to communicate on the evolution and innovations surrounding that cuisine, in order to continue to inspire young professionals from around the world.”

About his Loup de Mer recipe, he states: “In my twenties, I worked for the great MOF Chef Roger Vergé at the Moulin de Mougins in the French Riviera. We often made Loup de Mer with a fennel-salt crust. We would wrap the fish in olive oil-coated parchment paper to protect the filets from the salt, while still allowing the essence of the fennel seed to penetrate. This recipe is inspired by that dish. It differs slightly because I use a little citrus zest in the salt, and rather than wrapping it around the fish, I simply bake the filets on top of it along with some slices of fennel. I serve it with a grape sauce vierge, which is also a nod to Vergé since he often used grapes or raisins in savory cuisine. One of his signature dishes was Filet Mignon Mathurini which is beef filet with golden raisin sauce. This recipe is easy to make at home, and it brings me back to my days on the French Riviera.”

LOUP DE MER:
4 cups (880g) kosher salt, plus more for cooking the fennel
3 fennel bulbs, with their stalks
Olive oil
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
Piment d’Espelette
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (38g) dried herbes de Provence spice blend
2 (3- (1.4kg) to 4-pound (1.8kg)) loups de mer, scaled and gutted
4 lemons, sliced
4 limes, sliced

GRAPE SAUCE VIERGE:
1 pint (0.5L) cherry tomatoes
1/3 cup (43g) minced shallot
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 cup (70g) yellow raisins
1 small bunch baby white grapes, or quartered large white grapes
Juice of 2 lemons
Juice of 2 limes
2 tablespoons (4g) chopped chervil
2 tablespoons (4g) thinly sliced chives
2 tablespoons (4g) chopped parsley
2 tablespoons (11g) piment d’Espelette
1 tablespoon (6g) cracked black pepper
1 cup (240ml) olive oil
Salt to taste

SERVES 4

FOR THE LOUP DE MER:
Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C). Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Trim the stalks from the fennel and set aside. Peel the bulbs and cut each one, root to tip, into 4 even slices. Boil the fennel slices for 4 minutes, or until just cooked; strain and pat dry (you can reserve the boiling water for the cherry tomatoes). In a bowl, toss the fennel with olive oil to coat and season with salt, pepper, piment d’Espelette, and 1 tablespoon (6.25g) of the herbes de Provence.
Score the skin of each fish fillet 3 to 4 times and season them on both sides and in the cavities with salt, pepper, piment d’Espelette, and 1 tablespoon (6.25g) herbes de Provence.
Stuff each fish with the reserved fennel stalks, half of the sliced lemon, and half of the sliced lime.
In the bottom of a baking or roasting dish large enough to hold the fish, combine the 4 cups (880g) kosher salt, the remaining 1/4 cup (25g) herbes de Provence, the sliced lemons and limes, and 1/2 cup (120ml) water. Top the salt mixture with a sheet of parchment paper and poke it several times with a knife. Line the fennel around the outer edges of the dish and nestle the fish into the middle with their bellies facing in. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until the thickest parts of the fish fillets reach 120°F (49°C). Remove from the oven and rest for 5 minutes before carving off the fillets.

FOR THE GRAPE SAUCE VIERGE:
Score the bottoms of the cherry tomatoes with an X and boil for 5 seconds. Rinse with cold water and peel the skins. Halve the tomatoes and put in a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients.

TO FINISH:
Serve the fish fillets with the fennel and drizzle grape sauce vierge on top.Chef Daniel Boulud’s renowned restaurant delights the senses with elegant ambiance, gracious service and delectable menus in the heart of Manhattan’s Upper East Side. This Relais & Châteaux member’s award winning contemporary French cuisine is inspired by the seasons and accompanied by world class wines. The distinctive setting boasts contemporary furnishings and finishes atop the restaurant’s grand neo classical architecture. DANIEL offers the Bellecour Room for private dining and a warm and welcoming Bar & Lounge where guests enjoy creative cocktails, à la carte dining and sumptuous late night desserts. The restaurant is also a distinctive destination for weddings and rehearsal dinners, and is one of the few Manhattan restaurants to have a coveted three-star Michelin rating.

Chef Daniel Boulud’s renowned restaurant delights the senses with elegant ambiance, gracious service and delectable menus in the heart of Manhattan’s Upper East Side. This Relais & Châteaux member’s award winning contemporary French cuisine is inspired by the seasons and accompanied by world class wines. The distinctive setting boasts contemporary furnishings and finishes atop the restaurant’s grand neo classical architecture. DANIEL offers the Bellecour Room for private dining and a warm and welcoming Bar & Lounge where guests enjoy creative cocktails, à la carte dining and sumptuous late night desserts. The restaurant is also a distinctive destination for weddings and rehearsal dinners, and is one of the few Manhattan restaurants to have a coveted three-star Michelin rating.

DANIEL
60 East 65th Street
New York, NY 10065
USA

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