Turbot is one of my favorite kinds of fish. It has a great texture and delicate flavor. In this simple preparation it is served with a mint sauce, inspired by Biba Caggiano. I made the fish stock for the sauce with the head and bones of the turbot itself. The fish stock is important, as it will give body to the sauce. It is also important to use good quality white wine vinegar and a good dry white wine. If the wine is bad, it will only get worse if reduced as in this recipe. This doesn’t mean you should use a great white wine, as any delicate aromas will be lost in the cooking. You could use this recipe for other types of flatfish like sole, flounder, or plaice.
Ingredients
For 2 servings
fillets of 1 turbot, about 300 grams (.66 lb)
120 ml (1/2 cup) dry white wine
1 Tbsp minced fresh mint leaves
1 garlic clove
1 Tbsp good quality white wine vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
250 ml (1 cup) fish stock
flour, for dusting
Instructions
Heat 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan. Add the garlic clove, peeled and halved, and tilt the pan to flavor the oil with the garlic. Discard the garlic as soon as it is golden.
Add the fish stock…
…the white wine…
…and the vinegar.
Allow to reduce over medium heat.
In the meantime, season the fish with salt and dust with flour on both sides.
Heat olive oil in a non-stick pan. Cook the fish in the hot oil until golden on both sides and just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes per side.
In the meantime, the sauce should be reduced. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Add the mint…
…and stir to incorporate.
Serve the fish on preheated plates with the sauce.
Flashback
This butternut squash risotto is simple but tasty.
Stefan's Gourmet Blog 
Sounds delicious. If people knew just how good homemade stock is compared to store bought, they would never buy it again, there is just no comparison.
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I spent the last couple of days cooking and reducing down beef stock. In less than two ice cube trays, I have the equivalent of 4 liters of great beef stock. So worth the effort.
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Stefan, that is indeed a lovely looking plate of food. The sheen on the sauce is excellent.
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I absolutely love Turbot.
This one looks great, although I would prefer chives or Italian parsley for herbs. But we all have different tastes, as well as one day with chives, one day with mint, one day with…………:-)
Life is Good !
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Fascinating ! Mint is one of the most popular herbs in Australia but traditionally served with lamb: mint sauce or jelly . . . I have never used it with fish but am dying to try . . . .
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Very good. It’s easy to fish in winter
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I’ve never had turbot and the mint sauce looks intriguing; here it’s only served with lamb.
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I’ve never had a mint sauce with fish. Sounds interesting.
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Hello Stefan,
I discovered your wonderful site today, while doing a bit of research – I’m intending to prepare an Italian cena for some friends next week. I’m not a bad cook, but I am a bad multi-tasker, hence the need for careful planning in advance, to avoid being overwhelmed in the moment. 🙂
At the moment I’m considering this pan-fried turbot (or whichever flatfish I can get here in Finland) as the secondi, since it seems relatively simple to prepare. I’ve also earmarked your ciambotta alla cilentana as a contorni (since it looks suitable for preparing a bit in advance).
I imagine the two dishes should complement each other nicely enough, but thought there’d be no harm in asking your opinion on that. And while I’m at it, do you have any thoughts on wine pairings for this combo?
Many thanks in advance!
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Hi Ian, I am so sorry I’ve only noticed your comment now. How did the dinner go? I do think that the turbot and ciambotta would go together well.
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