from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com
Sea Bream, Common Pandora, becker
https://www.flickr.com/photos/haynes/167222436/
The sea bream family is very large, and certainly, one or more of the popular members from the Mediterranean or Atlantic will be on most French fish restaurant menus. Pageot or Pagre is the Common Pandora, Pandora Bream, Becker or King of the Breams. The other bream family members often seen on restaurant menus is the Pageot Rose or Dorade Rose, the Common Sea Bream, Black Spotted Sea Bream or Red Bream. Another preferred member of the sea bream family is the Daurade or Daurade Royale, the Gilthead or Gilthead Sea Bream and it has its own post.
The Pageot, Pagre, Pageot Commune
Common Pandora. Pandora Bream, Becker, King of the Breams.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/a-culinary-photo-journal/8106844097/
The Common Pandora, Becker or King of the Breams is a tasty and much-appreciated member of the sea bream family. Caught in the wild, the fish may weigh up to 2 kilos (4.4 lbs), and nearly all Pandora breams on French menus come from the Mediterranean, though fish may also come from fish farms.
The Pandora Bream on French Menus:
Filet de Pageot Rôti au Romarin – Filet of Pandora
roasted with rosemary
Friture de Petits Pageots (selon saison) – A fry-up of baby Pandora Bream (depending on the season). A friture indicates tiny fish that may be eaten from head to tail.
Filets de Pageot de Méditerranée à la Planxa, Sauce au Banyuls et Mousseline d'Amandes – Filets of Pandora bream from the Mediterranean cooked on the Planxa, served with a sauce made with the sweet Banyuls wine and an almond moose. The wine comes from Banyuls sur Mer on the Mediterranean coast in Languedoc-Roussillon.
Sea bream, Jerusalem artichokes, and Caviar
Photograph courtesy of Inspirational Food
Pavé de Pageot Sauvage, Vierge de Légumes et Riz Vénéré – A large cut of wild Pandora served with raw vegetables and the black Venere rice from the Po Valley in Italy.
Salade Variée + Filet De Pageot à la Sauce au Bisque de Homard + Garniture – A mixed salad accompanying a fried filet of Pandora accompanied by vegetables and served with a lobster bisque sauce.
The Pandora in the languages of France’s neighbors:
(Catalan - pagell), (Dutch - zeebrasem), (German - rotbrasse), (Italian - pagello fragolino), (Spanish - pajel), (Laton - pagellus erythrinus).
Street name on Fish Island in Tower Hamlets, London E3.
Pageot Rose, Dorade Rose
Common Sea Bream, Black Spotted Sea Bream, Red Bream on French menus:
This relatively bony fish is delicious. Some consider it to be the best of the bream family, and it is one of the larger members. Like most bream, it will be on the menu grilled or pan-fried, but with the larger fish baked and served as filets, the bones present no problem.
Aiguillettes de Dorade Rose Sauvage, Crème de Ciboulette – Slices of wild black spotted sea bream served with a cream of chive sauce. This is a wild fish and noted on this menu listing to make sure the diner realizes that this is not a farmed fish. The diner should expect a better-tasting fish that will cost more. Fish are very much what they eat, and fish caught in the wild eat well.
Dorade Rose Entière Farcie au Gingembre et Crevettes Roses – A whole black spotted sea bream stuffed with ginger and pink shrimps.
Dorade Rose, Ecrasé De Pommes De Terre, Ciboulette, Black-spotted sea bream, mashed potatoes, and chives.
Pageot Rose, Dorade Rose
Nems de Crevettes et Dorade Rose Sauce Aigre Douce, Cœur de Laitue, Menthe Fraîche – Spring rolls with shrimps and black spotted sea bream served with a sweet and sour sauce, lettuce heart and fresh mint.
Pageot Rose, Asperges Vertes et Sauvages - Black spotted sea bream served with green and wild asparagus.
Tartare de Dorade Rose, Tourteau et Avocat – A Tartar of black spotted sea bream, made with the meat of the brown edible crab and served with avocado.
The black spotted sea bream in the languages of France’s neighbors.
(Catalan - besuc de la piga), (Dutch - zeebrasem), (German – graubarsch, meerbrasse, seekarpfen), (Italian – rovello, pagro), (Spanish- barazo, goraz and vorazo), (Latin - pagellus bogaraveo)
Other members of the Sea Bream family may be on the menu, and both of the fish noted below are smaller and usually caught when under one kilo (2.2 lbs).
Pageot Acarne, Pageot Blanc or Acarne– Axillary sea bream, auxiliary sea bream
(Catalan - besuc blanc), (Dutch - spaanse zeebrasem ), (German – achselfleckbrasse ), (Italian – pagello, pagello bastardo), (Spanish - aligote, besugo, pancho picudo), (Latin -pagellus acarne).
Griset, Brême de Mer. - Black Bream. Black Sea Bream.
(Catalan – càntera), (Dutch - zeekarper), (German - streifenbrasse ), (Italian - tanuta), (Spanish Choupa), (Latin - spondyliosoma cantharus).
A good catch.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/78720675@N02/14634688455/
With thanks to www.fishbaser.org for help in translations: courtesy of Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2015. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version (10/2015).
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