Ingredients:
For the broth:
- 500 g of sea bream or any other fish of your choice
- 2 branches of thyme
- 1 teaspoon of salt
For the white sauce :
- 20 g of butter
- 1 clove of garlic, chopped
- 1 small onion cut into small cubes
- 300 ml of milk
- 300 ml of fish broth that you will reserve
- 15 g of cornflour + 2 tablespoons of cold milk
- 1 teaspoon of chopped thyme
- 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley
- 20 g of panko or breadcrumbs of your choice
- 10 g of grated Parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper
Preparation:
Scrape, empty and wash the sea bream (or ask your fishmonger to prepare it for you). Put the sea bream in a large pot with the 2 branches of thyme and salt. Cover with cold water and cook on low heat for 30 minutes. The goal is to have a fish just poached and not boiled to avoid having a dry flesh.
Once the 30 minutes are over remove the fish from the broth and let cool a little. Filter and reserve 300 ml of fish broth that will be used for the sauce. Once the fish has cool a little, crumble and remove all the fish bones. Reserve.
In a saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chopped garlic and onions. Brown for 2-3 minutes. Add the milk and fish broth. As soon as it starts to boil add salt and pepper. Mix. Add the cornstarch diluted in the cold milk. Mix well to avoid lumps. As soon as the sauce begins to boil turn down the heat to low and continue stirring until you have a thick sauce but not compact (it takes about 20 minutes).
Once the white sauce has the right consistency add the parsley and the fish crumbs. Mix gently, taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Butter a dish or skillet that can go to the oven. Pour the white sauce fish into your dish. Mix together the panko, parmesan and chopped thyme. Pour this mixture over the white sauce fish. Put your dish in the oven on the grill mode and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, keep watching to prevent it from burning.
Once your white sauce fish is golden brown, remove from the oven and enjoy hot with a salad and bread.