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Dinner · Fish

Fish Bonne Femme

White fish fillets poached on a bed of shallots and mushrooms, then coated with the pan juices made into a creamy sauce. Escoffier’s “good wife’s” sole, for any mild white fish.

⏱ 30 min (10 min prep, 20 min cooking) 🍽 Serves 4 · 1 fillet with sauce quick gluten free
📅 Add to my plan

ContainsMilk, Fish. Check the labels on what you buy; brands differ.

Ingredients

Make 4 servings
  • 2 tbsp Butter, unsalted
  • 2 Shallot, minced
  • 6 oz White mushrooms, thinly sliced
  • 2 tbsp Fresh parsley, chopped, divided
  • 4 fillet Cod fillets, about 6 oz each, or sole, flounder or tilapia
  • ½ tsp Table salt
  • ⅛ tsp Ground black pepper
  • ¾ cup Vegetable broth, or fish stock
  • 1 tbsp Lemon juice (bottled)
  • ⅓ cup Heavy cream

Make it yourself

Make the butter yourself → Make the vegetable stock yourself →

In the planner, Make it on the shopping list swaps the store item for these ingredients and puts the work on your prep day.

Nutrition

Nutrition coming: the USDA numbers for these ingredients are being added.

📜 Where it comes from

Auguste Escoffier (1846–1935), the Savoy (1890–1898) and Carlton (1899–1919) hotels, London.

A Guide to Modern Cookery (London: William Heinemann, 1907; the English edition of Le Guide culinaire, Paris, 1903), No. 862, p. 291: “Sole Bonne Femme”.

“Butter the bottom of the dish intended for the sole, and besprinkle it with two chopped shallots, one pinch of parsley, and one and one-half oz. of raw minced mushrooms. Lay the sole upon this garnish, moisten with one-quarter pint of white wine and as much fish fumet, and poach gently.”

The original text, quoted as printed; it is in the public domain.

“Bonne femme” means “good wife,” the French name for simple home-style dishes. Escoffier used a whole sole.

What we changed: We use fillets of any mild white fish, broth and lemon instead of white wine and fish fumet, and cream in place of his fish velouté.

Escoffier did this work in London before Michelin gave out its first stars (1926), so no star ratings apply.

Internet Archive scan (Cornell University Library)Project Gutenberg textLe Guide culinaire, 1903 (Internet Archive)Auguste EscoffierMore from the great kitchens →

Steps

You’ll need: large skillet with a lid, wide spatula, instant-read thermometer.

  1. Butter the skillet with 1 tablespoon of the butter and scatter the shallots, mushrooms and half the parsley over the bottom.
  2. Season the fish with the salt and pepper and lay it on the vegetables. Pour in the broth and lemon juice.
  3. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, cover, and poach gently 6 to 10 minutes, until the fish flakes and reaches 145°F in the thickest part. Lift the fish to warm plates with the spatula.
  4. Turn the heat to high and boil the pan juices and mushrooms until reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Add the cream and boil 2 minutes more, until it coats a spoon. Swirl in the rest of the butter.
  5. Spoon the sauce over the fish and sprinkle with the rest of the parsley.

🌡 Safe temperaturesFish 145°F. Check the thickest part with a food thermometer (USDA). More on food safety.

↺ LeftoversRefrigerate within 2 hours and eat within 2 days, reheated gently to 165°F.
🧒 With kidsMild white fish in a creamy sauce is a good start for kids new to fish.
Dairy-free swapLeave out the cream and finish the sauce with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
Glazed top swapFor Escoffier’s finish, set the plates under a hot broiler for a minute to glaze the sauce.

Good to know

Cooking Fats Compared Salted vs. unsalted butter Fresh vs. dried herbs Table salt vs. kosher salt vs. sea salt Stock vs. broth Heavy cream vs. half-and-half Food Safety Basics

Our own adaptation of a public-domain recipe, in our own words. Nutrition is estimated from USDA FoodData Central and changes with brands and portions.