Celebrating Julia Child – Part III

julia child loup de mer

“Simca, Paul, Patricia, and I… penetrated into this beautiful courtyard and were seated at a little white table beneath a leafy trellis.

It was a splendid lunch, moving from apéritifs to pâté of fresh duck livers and truffles, thick slices of pain brioche, a timbale, tomatoes and a green salad. But the real reason we were there was for the loup de mer.

If you’ve been cooking for a long time, you can usually guess how a dish is made. Simca and I studied every detail of this remarkable loup, and tried to deduce its secrets.

The waiter appeared, and I asked him a few questions, which he was only too happy to answer. It’s delicious, we agreed, as we polished off our lunch. And it really shouldn’t be too difficult to make.”  -Julia Child, My Life in France

Loup de Mer à la Provençale Recipe

loup de mer julia child

Loup de Mer (Crispy Skin Mediterranean Sea Bass)
Provence-Style Salad with Anchovy
Roquette, Green Bell Pepper, Red Onion, Tomato, Cucumber, Olive
Herb Garlic Vinaigrette

Salade à la Provençale, anchovy salad

Salade à la Provençale

Salad

  • Roquette (arugula)
  • Green bell pepper, thin wheels
  • Red onion, thin wheels
  • Tomato, small wedges
  • Cucumber, thin slices
  • Olives, assorted
  • Anchovy fillets

Herb Garlic Vinaigrette

  • Fresh basil, chopped
  • Dried oregano
  • Garlic, minced
  • Olive oil
  • Red wine vinegar
  • Salt & pepper

Lightly toss roquette with vinaigrette. Place roquette in a small mound on a plate. Arrange onion, cucumber, and bell pepper over the roquette. Surround with tomato and olives. Place anchovy fillets over the salad. Spoon vinaigrette over the top.

Loup de Mer

whole fish, mediterranean sea bass, branzino fresh image

Fresh loup de mer. Its character is delicate and unique. The meat is moist and buttery, flaky yet smooth, firm yet tender, silky and velvety, like nothing else really. The skin is thin and delicious especially when sautéed to a crisp, or charred over a fire. Loup de mer is equally delightful served as boneless fillets or presented as the whole fish.

Method

The fishmonger de-scales and guts the whole fresh fish. With a sharp knife, I make a perpendicular cut just behind the pectoral fin. Then starting near the head, make a one inch incision all the way down the back to the tail, as close to the backbone as possible. Using the tip of the knife, in a smooth motion, continue to cut the flesh away from the bones all the way to the belly of the fish.  Slice the flesh away from the tail fin. Flip the fish over and fillet the other side.

loup de mer fillets, loup de mer

The fillets are rinsed and patted dry. Both sides are seasoned with salt and pepper then the skin side is dusted with Wondra (fine-milled) flour.

how to cook loup de mer

Let the fillets come close to room temperature before cooking. Heat a non-stick pan over high heat. Add olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the fillets, skin-side down. Turn the heat to medium high to prevent the oil from smoking. Press the flesh of the fish with the back of a spatula to keep the fish from curling. Continue to press down with the spatula, squeezing out any air pockets between the skin and the flesh.

how to cook crispy skin loup de mer

When the skin side is nice and crisp, turn the fillets over and briefly cook the other side.

julia child loup de mer provence

To serve, place the fish over the salad, crispy skin-side up. Spoon a bit more vinaigrette over the fish.

Joyeux Anniversaire Julia Child

julia child photo
Original Photo by Paul Child


Merci Beaucoup
Toujours Bon Appétit

This post on Loup de Mer is Part III in a series: Celebrating Julia Child. Today would have been Julia’s 101st birthday. Please join me in honoring this chef, mentor, heroine, author, television icon, inspiration, nonagenarian, friend. Let’s raise a toast to Julia as we remember her words, “The pleasures of the table, and of life, are infinite – toujours bon appetit!”

Part I – Julia Child’s First Meal in France

Part II – In Julia Child’s KItchen

15 thoughts on “Celebrating Julia Child – Part III”

  1. So simple really if you just have the understanding and love and a little bit of patience . . .

    off topic, in a way, but . . . just went to my kitchen library for a few books for after I come home later – ‘Simca’s Cuisine’ and ‘Marcella’s Kitchen’ . . . lovely to go to sleep holding those 🙂 !

  2. Hello — just found your blog. On my gosh, what wonderful recipes and stories! I remember that except from Julia’s book. I have watched all of Julia’s tv shows & read her cookbooks. She is really the first food star on tv. I am looking forward to making the salade a la Provencale — such a wonderful recipe for the summer.

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