Sheepshead Fillet Marguery






Ingredients:
• 2 quarts water or enough to cover fish
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 lemon, sliced
• 12 whole peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 6 6-ounce sheepshead fillets, skinned

Marguery Sauce
• 1 stick salted butter
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 cups reserved poaching liquor
• 1 pint raw fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 pound small raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

Method:
Pour the water into a wide, shallow skillet. Add the onion, lemon, peppercorns, salt, bay leaves, and thyme. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Lay in the sheepshead fillets and poach at a low simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, or until they are opaque all the way through. Carefully remove the fillets and place them on a warm platter with a little of the poaching liquor. Cover and keep warm. Strain the remaining poaching liquor and reserve 2 cups.

Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour, and cook together for 2 minutes to make a roux, allowing the mixture to foam up and cook out the raw flour aroma. Add the green onions, white wine, and reserved poaching liquor. Ring to a boil and add all remaining ingredients, except the shrimp and the poached sheepshead fillets. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Fold the shrimp into the sauce, bring back to a simmer and remove from the heat. The shrimp will cook and pinken in only moments. Adjust the seasoning if desired.

Transfer the sheepshead fillets to warm dinner plates and spoon the Marguery over them.

Notes:
I had a Sheepshead and two White Grunts for this recipe. Both fish tasted about the same.

I liked the poaching liquid seasoning and aroma, but not sure how much it affected the flavor of the fish.

The Marguery Sauce was nice, but just a bit spicy on the seasoning. I’d reduce the white pepper by half. The mushrooms held up nicely and the shrimp were great in the sauce!