Five classic seafood recipes from Claude Bosi's new bistro

[Celerity]

Trout, Dover sole, fish soup, crab salad … At his latest London opening, Claude Bosi celebrates the best of Parisian cooking

https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/food-drink/article/seafood-recipes-claude-bosi-3qgd2rfrx

https://archive.ph/nIG81

Claude Bosi is known for his Michelin-starred cooking at Bibendum and Brooklands at the Peninsula, but it is his love of the more rustic food he knew as a child in France that informs his cooking. “The question we ask at all our restaurants is, ‘Is it delicious?’ ” the 52-year-old chef says. It’s an approach exemplified by Josephine bistro in Fulham, which he launched last year with his wife, Lucy, where gratin dauphinois, onion soup and cheese soufflé are never off the menu. “There’s something deeply satisfying in watching people enjoying a simple dish such as steak au poivre, and we’ve sold nearly 10,000 soufflés since we opened,” Bosi says.

Being born in Lyons, a city synonymous with rich, meaty food, it was obvious that his first bistro should highlight the dishes that he grew up with, but with a second Josephine, which the couple opened this month in Marylebone, looks to the brasseries of Paris for inspiration. “We wanted to keep much of what people say they like about Josephine — the look and feel, the £16.50 plat du jour, the ruler that allows you to measure how much house wine you have drunk — but also to showcase the great seafood you will find in Paris.”

Josephine, 6-8 Blandford Street, London W1 (https://josephinebistro.com/)

Moules marinière



Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1.5kg fresh mussels
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 80g unsalted butter
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small mild chilli, finely chopped
• 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 200ml good quality white wine
• 1 handful of fresh parsley, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method

1. Scrub the mussels under cold running water, removing any beards. Discard any mussels that are open and do not close when tapped.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter, shallots, garlic and chilli and cook for 2-3 minutes until softened and fragrant.
3. Add the fresh thyme and bay leaves, and pour in the white wine. Bring to a boil, allowing the wine to reduce for a couple of minutes.
4. Add the mussels to the pot, cover with a lid, and cook for 4-5 minutes, shaking the pot continuously until they begin to open. Add the parsley, season and serve hot.

Trout beurre rouge



Serves 4

Ingredients

• 50g finely chopped banana shallots
• 500ml full-bodied red wine
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• 4 nice portions of fresh trout
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 200g cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• Fresh parsley, finely chopped, to garnish

Method

1. Add the chopped shallot, red wine and thyme to a small saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce by half, then pass through a fine sieve into a clean pan.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 170C fan/gas 5. Season the trout fillets with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the trout fillets, skin-side down, and cook for a couple of minutes, then place the pan in the oven for a further 4-5 minutes depending on the size of the fish. The skin should be golden brown and the fish just cooked, still pink in the middle. Remove the fillets from the pan and set aside.
3. Bring the sauce back to a simmer. Whisk in the cold butter, one cube at a time, until the sauce becomes smooth and glossy. Don’t add the butter too fast and don’t make it simmer too high. Add a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten the flavour and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper before serving with the trout.

snip