Turbot with White Wine Sauce
Turbot with white wine sauce is a restaurant-style fish dinner you can have on the table in 25 minutes. The firm, meaty fillets are pan-fried in butter until just opaque, then served in a silky sauce of shallot, dry white wine and double cream. Boiled new potatoes and green beans are all it needs on the side.
- Total
- 25 min
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Serves
- 4
- Per serving
- 500kcal
Choosing the right cut for turbot with white wine sauce
Turbot is a firm, meaty flatfish with a clean flavour, so it stands up to a creamy sauce without disappearing. Ask your fishmonger for thick fillets of about 2cm, cut from a larger fish, as thin tail pieces cook too quickly. Skinless fillets are easiest for this dish.
Turbot is expensive. Brill, halibut or plaice cook in much the same way, and plaice fillet with parsley sauce shows how well a gentle sauce suits a thinner flatfish.
How to prepare turbot with white wine sauce
Tap a time to start a timer.
- Prepare Pat the fillets dry with kitchen paper and season both sides with the salt and some pepper. Finely chop the shallot and squeeze the juice from half the lemon.
- Soften the shallot Melt half the butter in a small saucepan over a medium-low heat. Add the shallot and cook for until soft and translucent, without letting it colour.
- Reduce the wine Pour in the wine, turn the heat up and boil for until it has reduced by about half.
- Cook the fish While the wine reduces, heat the oil and the remaining butter in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the fillets and cook for without moving them, then turn and cook for more, until the flesh is opaque and flakes easily at the thickest part.
- Finish the sauce Lower the heat under the saucepan, stir in the cream and simmer gently for until the sauce lightly coats the back of a spoon. Add the lemon juice and taste for seasoning.
- Serve Lift the fillets onto warm plates, spoon the sauce over and scatter with chives or parsley. Serve with lemon wedges.
Serving and what to drink
Small boiled new potatoes tossed in butter, plus a green vegetable, make a classic plate. The lemon wedges matter, as a little acidity cuts through the cream. The same dry white wine you cooked with is the obvious thing to pour, such as a Chablis or an unoaked Chardonnay.
For a hands-off alternative that skips the pan, baked turbot cooks the fish in the oven instead.
Common problems and fixes for turbot with White Wine Sauce
- The sauce is thin and watery.
- The wine was not reduced enough before the cream went in. Simmer the sauce for 2–3 minutes longer, uncovered, until it coats a spoon.
- The sauce looks split or oily.
- It boiled hard after the cream was added. Keep it at a gentle simmer, and if it does split, whisk in a splash of cold cream or milk off the heat.
- The fish is dry and the fillets break up.
- The pan was too cool or the fish was cooked too long. Heat the pan properly first, leave the fillets alone while they colour, and take them off as soon as they flake at the thickest part.
Frequently asked questions about turbot with White Wine Sauce
Can I use frozen fish for turbot with white wine sauce?
Yes, but thaw it fully in the fridge overnight first. Pat the fillets very dry with kitchen paper before cooking, as any extra water will make the pan steam rather than brown the fish.
What should I serve with turbot in white wine sauce?
Boiled baby potatoes and steamed green beans, asparagus or tenderstem broccoli. The sauce is rich, so keep the sides simple.
How do you know when turbot is cooked?
The flesh turns from translucent to opaque white and flakes easily when pressed with a fork at the thickest part. A thermometer reading of about 58°C at the centre is a guide for juicy fish.
What can I use instead of white wine?
Fish stock with a tablespoon of lemon juice gives a similar sharpness without alcohol. Reduce it in the same way before adding the cream.
How did you like the recipe?
4.9 / 5 · 66 ratings
