R E C I P E S
Fish Pâté
[Editor’s note: To understand the place of fish pâtés in French cooking, see the introduction to Fish Quenelles.] The main ingredient in a fish pâté is the farce mousseline, a delicate creamy purée of raw fish, which is also a major component of Fish Quenelles and the sole ingredient of Fish Mousselines. But fish mousseline, if it is served not hot but cold, as a fish pâté, has a slight graininess that can be countered by adding some starch in the form of a panade — 25 percent of the weight of the fish — to the other ingredients. Remember that the fish must be kept as cold as possible throughout the process and that, before the cream is added, the fish-and-egg-white mixture must be completely smooth. The fish pâté can be served warm or cold. Like the mousselines, it’s pretty boring without a sauce. If not the Crayfish or Lobster Coulis, then make a beurre blanc flavored with saffron or the recipe for mouclade in a small amount so that there is enough liquid to make some sauce and a few mussels to garnish each serving. If served cold, then accompany the pâté with a mayonnaise or, better yet, cucumbers in sour cream with dill.
for the panade
½ cup (125 ml) milk
3 tablespoons (45 gr) unsalted butter
5/8 cup (85 gr) all-purpose flour
1 large egg
for the farce mousseline
14 ounces (400 gr) extremely fresh fish, traditionally pike or pickerel (alternatively very firm sole or flounder, or salmon), without bones, skin, or dark fatty bits
egg whites from 5 large eggs (150 ml whites)
1¼ cups (300 ml) heavy cream
1½ teaspoons (10 gr) salt
¾ teaspoon (2 gr) white pepper, freshly ground
to assemble the pâté
14 ounces (400 gr) fish, for garnish — such as a mix of about 4 ounces (100 gr) of salmon, 5 ounces (150 gr) of shrimp, and 5 ounces (150 gr) of scallops
First, make the panade. Combine the milk and butter in a small pot; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from the flame, stir in the flour, and return to the flame, continuing to stir until the mixture forms a ball. Put this into a food processor; wait a minute while it cools slightly. Add the egg and process until smooth. Spread the mixture on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until completely chilled. (It’s difficult to make less than the full amount, but you will need only about a third of it.)
Cut the fish into roughly ½-inch (1-cm) cubes. Transfer to a plate and place in the freezer until the edges begin to freeze, about 20 minutes.
Put about ½ cup (100 gr) of the chilled panade in the food processor, add the chilled fish, and reduce the combination to a fairly smooth purée, processing for about 90 seconds. With the machine running, add the egg whites a little at a time, taking about 90 seconds to do so — don’t add them too quickly or chunks of fish may remain in the purée. At the end, if the mixture is no longer ice-cold, put it, still in the bowl of the food processor, into the freezer for a few minutes.
With the bowl of purée back in place, turn on the machine, and add the cream in a thin stream; turn off the machine as soon as the cream is incorporated. Especially in warm weather, overprocessing may curdle it. Season with salt and white pepper, and process very briefly. (White peppercorns aren’t as aromatic as black, but they can be pretty good, and in these pale sauces, they’re conventional. Better, however, to use black or no pepper at all than preground white.)
To assemble the pâté, cut the fish and seafood garnish either by hand into ¼-inch (5-mm) cubes or pulse large pieces in the food processor with a cup or so of the purée to make pea-sized pieces. (Too much fish or pieces that are too big will make the pâté taste dry.) Mix the pieces evenly with the purée.
Set the oven to 325° F (165° C), and bring a pot or kettle of water to a boil. Put the pâté mixture into a large buttered mold or divide it among 10 buttered ramekins (a nonreactive muffin tin will work). Place the mold or ramekins in a roasting pan, surround with boiling water, cover with foil, and transfer to the oven. Poach to an internal temperature of 165° F (72° to 75° C), about 10 minutes. With the pâté, it is especially important not to exceed an internal temperature of 165° F (72° to 75° C); ramekins take about 10 minutes and a loaf about 45 minutes. Once cooked, the pâté will hold in a warm place for a couple of hours. Serves 10 with the Crayfish or Lobster Coulis or another sauce.
From The Art of Eating Cookbook
