Victory = Fish Soufflé

Perhaps the day that both our teams (Manchester United & Philadelphia Eagles) won unlikely decisive victories in the realm of competitive sports, is the best day to dwell on the recent personal glory of our seafood soufflés staying up. However – even if (quite sensibly) you don’t give a rat’s ass about sports – anyone who has tried making them before knows the all-too-brief satisfaction of the fully puffed soufflé, and, though, we’ve experienced the saddening deflation of failure, we now also know the pride and joy that is a fully erect soufflé.

And, lest you think that we traded our heroes for ghosts, this was none other than a snorting, full-on multi-fish and cheese souffle that not only satisfied our desire for classic French cookery, but provided much-needed stomach-lining on a day that required some serious daytime drinking.

Even if you’re not planning on a full day of sports-related drinking, these souffles are a fantastically light, yet rich, first course, or a great light main with bread and an arugula side-salad, not to sound all non-contact-sports metrosexual on you.

We’d like to thank Taste With the Eyes whose comté soufflé gave us inspiration for this dish. 

Mixed Fish & Gruyere Soufflé with Parsley Sauce (serves 4)

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup (6oz) milk
  • 3 eggs, separated
  • 1 cup grated Gruyere cheese (Emmentaler or Comté would also work well)
  • 1 cup assorted cooked shellfish (shrimp, scallops, mussels, + white fish, if you like)
  • 1 bunch flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, chopped
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1 good pinch salt

Recipe

  • Cook off your chosen seafood and allow to cool. Drain of as much cooking fat as possible.
  • In a high-sided saucepan make a bechamel sauce with butter, flour and milk.
  • Remove pan from heat and beat in egg yolks, one at time.
  • Stir in grated cheese until fully combined, then stir in fish. Allow to cool.
  • In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until until soft peaks are achieved.
  • Gently fold in 1/3 egg whites into bechamel and continue adding beaten egg whites until completely combined.
  • Pour mixture into buttered soufflé dishes until 3/4 full.
  • Cook immediately for 20 minutes at 400F (210C), then increase to 450F (230C) for 8-10 minutes or until fully-risen and browned on top.
  • Add parsley, water, oil and salt to blender. Blitz until consistency of vinaigrette. Pour into squeezy bottle and squirt gaily over your fish soufflé.

35 thoughts on “Victory = Fish Soufflé

  1. JdV – we’d always done likewise because not only did they seem fussy, but just too damn “restauranty” for home cooking. However, we were wrong, and we’re now of the mind-set that any dish that’s good would make a great souffle too. Check back here soon for roast pork tamale souffles!!

  2. Funny, last night I had decided to make my cheese soufflé this weekend. I love it and I love making it. Adding seafood to a cheese soufflé sounds divine – the sons won’t go near it, but more for me, I say! And Yay Philadelphia Eagles!

  3. I have never been great at soufflé’s and as great as this looks ill be passing the recipe onto a friend of mine that does a better job at making them. Love the recipe thanks

  4. Ya know, Philly and Manchester have similarities (both working class cities), down to earth folks.

    These look very good, whoever took the pics (you rock) and beyond timing, souffles aren’t that hard, are they?

  5. I’ve always been afraid of souffles but your recipe doesn’t look that daunting. Looks to me like they came out perfectly and I love the addition of the parsley sauce.

  6. Heather/Kim- souffles were surprisingly easy, though keeping them up (as it were) was the tricky bit. We made several batches before we learned to be gentle enough folding in the egg whites. I’m sure a good, reliably-heat-distributing oven is another key here.

    Joan – i love a good parsley sauce. it’s the forgotten man (or woman) of herb sauces. not only is it grassy and fragrant, but it’s super-green and makes for good pictures! must be good for you too, all that chlorophyll, right?

    Lo – souffles (in my experience) can either be terribly impressive or terribly disappointing. Timing and a light-touch with the egg-whites, as Peter said, is everything.

  7. Hi Guys! Thanks so much for mentioning Taste With The Eyes! Your soufflés look fantastic. I absolutely love the seafood addition, and parsley sauce, yes parsley is under-rated I think. Well, you are inspiring me right back. Father Adam is coming to visit next month, I think we will add another soufflé´to our repertoire, including a nice sauce to be squirted gaily! We’ll have fun with that one!
    LL

  8. eeeeeerect????
    sssssooouffffle?

    oh my! I love those two words (separated or together hehe) and you also gave me the savoury high from the fish…

    oooh lala!

  9. Your pictures are so enticing… I grew up eating souffle but I never making of it for some reason. I’ll have to mark this one down to try really soon.

  10. Fantastic job chicos!!! It looks more than lovely! I’ve never tried with souffle… but I will leave it for smart guys like you for the moment ;D
    I’m sorry I didn’t come to visit earlier… still trying to get back in the routine track…

  11. Hi, there, found you through your comment on my Frangelico post (thank you!) & wanted to say this looks great, especially as I’ve been thinking I need to do something with all the scallops in my freezer, but haven’t been quite brave enough to attempt a souffle…

  12. Souffles are pretty intimidating, and I can only imagine how much more difficult when it involves fish. I would have never imagined the uncommon combination but anything is possible in the culinary world. If we can have bacon ice cream, why can’t we have fish souffle? Congratulations on this victory! 🙂

  13. Congratulations on non-deflation. They look lovely.

    This post made me smile. I am a rabid basketball fan and I know how great a day it can be when your team wins, especially unexpectedly. Glad yours both did that day. 🙂

  14. Oh yum! I haven’t had (or made) a fish souffle in ages. I remember participating in the making of sea urchin souffle when i was an apprentice at Le crillon in Paris, and that was fantastic. I must go back to making fish souffles, thanks for the inspiration. 🙂

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