Redfish with sauerkraut, apple & Mustard butter

Gently pan-fried redfish on braised sauerkraut with apple: fresh and tangy, lightly sweet and beautifully balanced. A mustard butter that melts over the fish finishes it off, with a subtle touch of caraway for that Alsatian nod.

Serves: 4
Preparation: approx. 15 minutes
Cooking: approx. 20 minutes
Total time: approx. 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 redfish fillets with skin (approx. 150 g each)
• salt
• white pepper
• 20 g butter for frying
• 500 g sauerkraut
• 1 firm apple (preferably Elstar or Goudreinet)
• 20 g butter
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp caraway seeds, to taste
• approx. 3 tbsp dry white wine
• extra salt and white pepper, if needed
• 40 g cold butter, cut into small cubes
• 2 tbsp capers, drained
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 tbsp dry white wine
• 2 tbsp chervil, finely chopped

Preparation

• Taste the sauerkraut. Rinse it briefly under cold water only if it is very sour.
• Then squeeze the sauerkraut out well.
• Peel the apple, remove the core and cut the apple into small cubes.
• Pat the redfish fillets dry with kitchen paper.
• Let the fillets come briefly to room temperature, covered.
• Season the fillets lightly with salt and white pepper on both sides just before frying.
• Cut the 40 g cold butter into small cubes and put it back in the fridge.
• Drain the capers.
• Finely chop the chervil.

Method

1. Braise the sauerkraut with apple
   Melt 20 g butter in a large pan over a moderately low heat. Add the squeezed-out sauerkraut, along with the bay leaf and caraway seeds. Pour in approx. 3 tbsp dry white wine, bring gently to the boil and turn the heat low. Braise the sauerkraut, covered, for approx. 10–12 minutes. After about 5 minutes, add the apple cubes and braise until the sauerkraut is soft but still has some texture. Remove the bay leaf. Taste and season if necessary with a little salt and white pepper (go easy on the salt: the sauerkraut is already salted). Keep the sauerkraut gently warm on the lowest heat or under a lid.
2. Pan-fry the redfish fillets
   Heat a frying pan with 20 g butter over a medium-high heat until the butter foams and just starts to colour. Place the redfish fillets in the pan skin-side down. Fry the fillets for 3–4 minutes on the skin side, until the flesh on top is almost cooked through and the edges are white and firm. Carefully turn the fillets and fry the other side for about 1 minute more, until the fish is just cooked and still very slightly translucent inside. Remove the fillets from the pan and place them on a warm serving dish. Cover loosely with aluminium foil while you make the sauce.
3. Make the mustard butter sauce
   Return the pan with the cooking fat to a low heat. Deglaze the pan with 3 tbsp dry white wine and use a wooden spoon to loosen the browned bits. Let the wine reduce slightly. Add the Dijon mustard and lemon juice and stir well until smooth. Remove the pan from the heat. Now, off the heat, whisk in the cold butter cubes a little at a time into the warm liquid until you have a lightly thickened, glossy sauce. The sauce must not boil now; this prevents it from splitting. Finally, stir the capers into the sauce. Taste and season if needed with a pinch of salt and white pepper (bear in mind the saltiness of the capers).
4. Serve the dish
   Divide the warm sauerkraut with apple among four pre-warmed plates. Place a redfish fillet on each plate. Spoon some of the mustard butter sauce over the fish and, if you like, a little around it. Sprinkle with the finely chopped chervil. Serve immediately, preferably with steamed or boiled potatoes or a simple mashed potato.