Creamy Fish Velouté

1. Add fish stock to a medium saucepan and heat it over medium heat, and bring it to a simmer.
2. Lower the heat to the lowest flame so the stock remains hot.
3. Meanwhile, in another heavy bottomed saucepan, heat clarified butter over medium-high heat until it becomes frothy. Remember to keep an eye on it and not let it brown as it will change the flavour.
4. Start adding flour into the butter a little bit at a time, stirring the mixture constantly to avoid forming lumps, until all the flour is fully incorporated. The mixture should resemble a pale yellow paste, called a roux.
5. Heat his roux for another minute to cook off the raw flavour of the flour.
6. Add the warm fish stock into the roux in a gentle, steady stream, while vigorously whisking the sauce to make sure the sauce doesn’t coagulate into lumps.
7. After all the stock is incorporated in the roux, let the sauce simmer for 30 minutes, or until it has reduced by about one third of the total volume.
8. While the sauce is simmering, stir it frequently to make sure it doesn’t scorch the bottom of the pan.
9. If any impurities rise to the top while the sauce is cooking, use a ladle to skim them off.
10. The end result should be a thick and smooth sauce with a velvety sheen to it.
11. If the sauce is too thick, whisk a bit more of warm fish stick into the sauce until it reaches the consistency where it’s thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
12. If you require a smoother consistency then filter the velouté through cheesecloth.
13. Keep the velouté covered until you are ready to use it.

Trivia

Velouté sauce is listed as one of the 5 main types of sauces used in Classical French cuisine by the chef-extraordinaire Auguste Escoffier in the 19^th century. It’s named velouté after its texture, which means velvety in French.