Dorade Royale

Name: Dorade Royale
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons olive oil; 6 branches fresh cilantro; One 3-to-4-pound whole dorade royale (gilt-head bream), snapper, or grouper, or 2 1/2 pounds fillets; 1 heaping tablespoon tamarind paste, or 1 teaspoon tamarind concentrate; 2 tablespoons brown sugar; 2 teaspoons soy sauce; 1/4 cup white wine; One 6-inch knob of ginger, half peeled and grated, half cut in 2 pieces; 1 1/2 preserved lemons (recipe follows), diced; 8 lemons (about 1 1/2 pounds); About 1/2 cup kosher salt; 1 cup fresh lemon juice, plus more if necessary; 2 tablespoons olive oil

December 9, 2011

While in Nice, I had lunch with Irene and Michel Weil at their charming house, with fig trees growing in their garden and nasturtiums on their deck. Although Irene quietly confessed to me that she wasn’t much of a cook, she treated us to a delectable and creative meal. It began with the last tomatoes from their garden served with a little olive oil, sea salt, and a sprinkling of fresh herbs, including mint, basil, and cilantro, from her garden; then we had a Mediterranean dorade royale (sea bream) with preserved lemons, tamarind, and ginger. Comté cheese brought from Michel’s native Besançon, fresh pomegranate seeds from the yellow pomegranates growing in their garden, raspberries, and fresh walnuts in the shell finished the meal, all attractively presented as only the French can do. When I asked about the seasonings for the dorade, Irene said that she loves the flavor contrasts of the preserved lemon, tamarind, and ginger.

Recipe notes

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