FISH TERRINE IN FEUILLE DE CHOU*

*feuille de chou = cabbage leaf

I tried to create a cross between stuffed cabbage and fish terrine...

Ingredients for 4 individual terrines :
- some cabbage leaves
- 300 gr cleaned fish (remove skins and bones)
- 150 gr cream
- 2 egg-whites

- herbs you like (parsley, coriander, dill, etc...)

- 12~16 cooked shrimps.

- salt, ground pepper and spices (curry, saffron etc...)

Blanch the cabbage leaves in hot salted water for 5 minutes. Remove immediately the leaves from the water and place them in cold water (to stop the cooking). Drain and dry them. reserve.

Mix finely the fish and salt in a blender, add the egg-whites, mix again quite quickly, then add the cream and mix once again but do not over mix. Remove this stuffing from the food processor and add the herbs and flavors you like (even a bit of tomato paste if you want to tint it), mix with a wooden spoon until well combined.

Arrange nicely the cabbage leaves in the bottom and sides of generously buttered ramekins. Half fill the ramekins with the fish mixture, place the roughly minced shrimps in the middle then pour more fish stuffing to cover completely, close with cabbage leaf.

Bake in bain-marie (water bath) for 30~40 minutes : place the ramekins in an oven-proof dish half filled with warm water, cover it with a buttered sheet of aluminum foil.

Remove from the ramekins. They can be eaten warm or cold with the sauce of your choice. Mayonnaise could be great if you eat it cold. If you eat it warm, why don't you try a "beurre blanc" sauce (a very classic sauce from French cuisine) ?!

Beurre Blanc Sauce :
- 100 gr cold butter cut in pieces
- 8 cl dry white wine
- 2 shallots
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp water
- salt

Chop finely the shallots and place them in a saucepan with the wine and the lemon juice. Heat up (medium heat) and reduce until almost completely evaporated (leave a bit of liquid like 1 or 2 tbsp). Then pour the water (you also can use cream instead) bring to a simmer and add gradually the cold butter whipping to create the due emulsion. When all the butter is melted, boil the sauce a last time and sieve it. Serve without any delay (otherwise you might keep it warm over a water bath).