Saumon du Rhin poché, sauce verte aux herbes (poached Rhine salmon with green herb sauce)
A fine piece of salmon poached gently in a court-bouillon of Rhine wine, topped with a fresh green herb sauce bound with breadcrumbs and vinegar. The festive dish of the riverine bourgeoisie.
A fine piece of salmon poached gently in a court-bouillon of Rhine wine, topped with a fresh green herb sauce bound with breadcrumbs and vinegar. The festive dish of the riverine bourgeoisie.
When I had to entertain properly, I had a fine salmon pulled from the river — God knows there were plenty in our Rhine back then. It was barely poached, in clear wine from our hillsides, so that its flesh remained pink and melting. Then my household would pound all the green herbs from the garden in a mortar, bound with a dash of vinegar and breadcrumbs: that sauce, fresh and tangy, delights the eye as much as the palate. Believe me, such a dish was well worth a notary's signature.
- •Rhine salmon steak — one per guest (main piece)
- •Rhine white wine — a chopine (court-bouillon)
- •Green herbs (parsley, chervil, salad burnet, sorrel) — a large bunch (sauce)
- •Breadcrumbs — a handful (sauce binder)
- •Wine vinegar — a dash (acidity)
- •Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Saumon du Rhin poché, sauce verte aux herbes (poached Rhine salmon with green herb sauce)
A fine piece of salmon poached gently in a court-bouillon of Rhine wine, topped with a fresh green herb sauce bound with breadcrumbs and vinegar. The festive dish of the riverine bourgeoisie.
Why this dish? The Rhine, Gutenberg's river, once teemed with salmon so abundant they fed rich and poor. For a baptism, a guild feast, or the conclusion of a contract — like the one that bound him to the lender Johann Fust — the noble fish of the river was a must on the table.
When I had to entertain properly, I had a fine salmon pulled from the river — God knows there were plenty in our Rhine back then. It was barely poached, in clear wine from our hillsides, so that its flesh remained pink and melting. Then my household would pound all the green herbs from the garden in a mortar, bound with a dash of vinegar and breadcrumbs: that sauce, fresh and tangy, delights the eye as much as the palate. Believe me, such a dish was well worth a notary's signature.
Ingredients (period version)
- Rhine salmon steak — one per guest (main piece)
- Rhine white wine — a chopine (court-bouillon)
- Green herbs (parsley, chervil, salad burnet, sorrel) — a large bunch (sauce)
- Breadcrumbs — a handful (sauce binder)
- Wine vinegar — a dash (acidity)
- Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Salmon fillets — 4 (about 150 g each) (main piece)
- Dry white wine (Riesling) — 30 cl (court-bouillon)
- Water — 30 cl (court-bouillon)
- Parsley, chervil, chives, sorrel — 1 large mixed bunch (sauce)
- Stale breadcrumbs — 40 g (binder)
- White wine vinegar — 1 tbsp (acidity)
- Oil (mild flaxseed or walnut) — 3 tbsp (sauce emulsion)
- Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Method
- Prepare a court-bouillon: bring wine and salted water to a simmer, never boil.
- Slide in the salmon fillets and poach for 8 to 10 minutes over very low heat, the liquid just trembling. The flesh should remain pearly.
- For the sauce: soak the breadcrumbs in vinegar, then pound or blend with all the chopped herbs and oil until a thick green sauce forms. Season with salt.
- Drain the salmon, serve warm, and generously coat with the green sauce.
How it was made : Until the 19th century, salmon was so common in the Rhine that servants are said to have sometimes demanded not to eat it too often. Green sauces made from pounded herbs, ancestors of the famous *Grüne Soße* of the Frankfurt region, are attested in medieval Germanic cuisines. They were bound with breadcrumbs rather than raw egg.
The contemporary twist : Plated on slate with a swoosh of green sauce and a few chive flowers, this ancient dish becomes a plate of riverine bistronomy.
Gutenberg · Charactorium