Matelote à la Canotière (Freshwater Fish Stew with Carp and Eel)

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg carp and eel (mixed)
• 1 L white wine
• 100 mL cognac
• 200 g butter (beurre manié / kneaded butter)
• 30 g flour
• 200 g butter (finishing / montée au beurre)
• 200 g mushrooms (champignons)
• 12 count small glazed pearl onions (petits oignons glacés au beurre)
• 12 count small gudgeons, breaded and fried in manchon style (petits goujons panés en manchons et frits)
• 8 count crayfish (écrevisses) cooked in court-bouillon

Instructions

1. Clean and section the carp and eel as appropriate. Place the fish sections in a sauté pan with the white wine.
2. Bring to a boil, then add the cognac and ignite to flame. Cover the pan and finish cooking to doneness, adjusting timing so that the eel (which cooks faster) is added after the carp has begun cooking.
3. When the fish is cooked through, carefully transfer the sections to a clean pot or serving vessel.
4. Strain the cooking liquid (court-bouillon) into a saucepan. Reduce the liquid by two-thirds over moderate heat.
5. Prepare a beurre manié (kneaded butter) by working together the flour and 200 grams of butter until they form a smooth paste. Whisk this into the reduced cooking liquid a little at a time, stirring constantly to avoid lumps, until the sauce is smooth and lightly thickened.
6. Finish the sauce by whisking in 200 grams of butter per litre of cooking liquid (montée au beurre), stirring until fully incorporated and the sauce is glossy.
7. Arrange the fish sections on the serving dish. Pour the sauce over and around them.
8. Garnish with the cooked mushrooms, glazed pearl onions, fried breaded gudgeons, and crayfish. Serve at once.