EAT ME: The Pantry Dropper recipe
White fish with beurre monté
Words: Elizabeth McDonald
Cook: Seb De Meza
Photos: Lila Theodoros
Some clichés persist for a reason. Being surprised with flowers will always be romantic. Bad luck comes in threes. And we all have a tried and tested recipe for the first time we cook for a lover.
A chef I used to fuck dubbed it ‘the panty-dropper’ recipe. And while the expression is problematic in so many ways, the sentiment rang true (and how!).
After lightly dusting our freshly caught flathead in seasoned flour and pan-frying until the flesh was just set, he told me to look away, as if there were something too naughty for my delicate sensibilities happening in the kitchen.
As it turned out, there was. I snuck a peek over his shoulder and watched in awe as he whisked an entire pack of butter into the deglazed fish pan, deftly transforming water and fat into something completely novel.
Beurre monté literally translates to “mounted butter”. If that isn’t a clear sign that you should add this to your panty-dropper repertoire, I don’t know what is. The silky, rich sauce is a testament to the magic of chemistry – a melted butter that remains emulsified at sizzling temperatures, much higher than when butter usually splits.
The chef poured the pale yellow sauce over the flathead fillets, and we licked the plates clean, as I was overwhelmed by the sheer liberation of consuming such simple excess.
He poured me another glass of Champagne and led me to the balcony of his oceanside apartment, where I sipped it while he gave me my dessert course – an orgasm under the stars with bubbles dancing on my tongue, the smell of sea salt and butter swirling around my brain.
For this recipe, I used barramundi fillets, but you can use any white fish you have access to.
Recipe coming >
White fish with beurre monté
Durga kills the buffalo demon. Gouache painting, 1800s.
Beurre monté
METHOD
Pat dry fish fillets and very lightly dust in seasoned flour, tapping off the excess. Heat olive oil in a heavy-based pan on medium-high and fry fish for approximately three minutes per side until cooked through (depending on thickness of the fillets). Set aside in a warm place.
Lower the heat and deglaze pan with white wine until reduced by half.
Add water to the pan and heat until it just begins to simmer. At this stage, begin whisking your cubes of butter in, one at a time until emulsified. Finish with salt and white pepper, and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Serve immediately over fish with a salad.
TIPS FOR BUTTER
* Butter needs to be chilled and cubed.
** use a low–medium heat.
*** keep whisking and take off heat once emulsion complete.
SOUNDTRACK
To Cook:
Mating Dance
by Flako
To Eat:
Les Etoiles
by Melody Gardot
