Behind the French Menu

from

Bryan G. Newman
Updated January 2022.

The Dusky Grouper
Photograph courtesy of Mal B.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mal-b/9686800207/

The groupers on French mainland menus will nearly always be one of three members of the family. The White Grouper, the Dusky Grouper or the Mottled Grouper.

In the South of France the dusky grouper, which is found all over the Mediterranean, is the most likely family member to be on the menu. Their names are rarely on the menu as, when cooked, their size, taste and texture are very similar with a firm, mild, white flesh. Grouper will be on the menu as a filet, a steak, grilled or fried, or baked and served with a sauce.

Mérou Bronze, Mérou Blanc or Thiof – The white grouper on France's mainland menus come from the Southern Mediterranean. This grouper is the smallest of the three and rarely seen over 10 kilos (22 lbs).

It may be more expensive than a restaurant;
however, in France, you may hire a boat and catch your own.

Kylie & Rob (and Helen)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/hell28k/5590952769/

Mérou Noir - The dusky grouper; sometimes called the dusky sea perch. This is the most common grouper in the Mediterranean. This grouper is found all over the Mediterranean and can be over 25 kilos (55 lbs).

Mérou Royal, Badèche Rouge – The Mottled Grouper or Comb Grouper; prepared in a similar manner to the white and dusky grouper. This grouper may be caught off France's Atlantic coast and can weigh over 25 kilos (55 lbs).

The Mottled Grouper.

Biodiversity Heritage Library

https://www.flickr.com/photos/biodivlibrary/20741271528/

Grouper on French Menus:

Bourride de Lotte et de Mérou – Provenance’s famous garlicky monkfish soup/stew made with plenty of aioli, the garlicky mayonnaise that is so popular along the whole of France's Mediterranean coast. Here, to the traditional monkfish, called Lotte in French and Baudroie in Provencal, has been added grouper.

Grouper

with black truffle spaetzel.

Photograph courtesy of c.windus

https://www.flickr.com/photos/27699493@N07/3228550071/ FF

Carpaccio de Mérou Avec Crevettes, Sauce aux Fruits de la Passion et Mouse de Pommes De Terre – A grouper Carpaccio served with shrimp, a sauce made from passion fruits and a potato mousse.

Croustillant de Filet de Mérou en Chemise d' Algue Japonaise – A crispy filet of grouper cooked inside Japanese seaweed. Since France grows lots of seaweed for export to Japan, and with increasing demand for its home market, the seaweed chosen could be one of many. The seaweed most often used with sushi is called nori in Japanese and it is grown in France under its French name porphyre. Also, the French grow Fougère de Mer, that is the Japanese Wakamé seaweed and they also the Varech, Kelp in English, all are exported and sold locally. Now is the time to check your waiter’s knowledge and find out which seaweed is being used with this dish. Do not ignore seaweed, like other vegetables there are many tastes and textures, and in this dish, they will make a very interesting change.

Escalope de Mérou au Citron – A cutlet, meaning a filet, of grouper served flavored with lemon.

Grouper.

Squash, basil, sweet onions, cherry tomatoes, and dill-lemon beurre blanc

Photograph courtesy of Ralph Daily

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ralphandjenny/7623700860/

Filet de Mérou Braisé au Gingembre – A braised filet of grouper flavored with ginger.

Filet de Mérou au Fenouil et Oignons Rouges Marinés, Riz. A Filet of grouper prepared with fennel, marinated red onions and served with rice.

Filet de Mérou Mariné et Cuit Au Four, Pomme de Terre Braisée Avec de la Sauce Crémeuse aux Coquillages - A filet of marinated grouper baked in the oven and served with braised potatoes and a creamy sauce made from shrimps and other crustaceans.

Dusky Grouper

Photograph courtesy of Philippe Guillaume

https://www.flickr.com/photos/philippeguillaume/3933249101/ FF

Filet de Mérou Poêllé à la Concassée de Tomate aux Courgettes et Poivrons Rouges. – Lightly fried filet of grouper prepared with courgettes, zucchini in the USA, and sweet red peppers.

Tartare de Mérou et Espadon Fumé – A Tartar prepared with grouper and smoked swordfish.

None of these grouper will be anything like the giant grouper seen on National Geographic. The giant grouper from the Indian Ocean and Australia’s Great Barrier Reef Grouper has been landed at over 400 kgs (880 lbs), but the groupers on your menu will rarely be over 25 kilos (55 lbs).

The White Grouper in the languages of France’s neighbors:

(Catalan - anfós blanc), (Dutch - witte zaagbaars), (German – zackenbarsch), (Italian - cernia bronzina, cernia bianca), (Spanish – cherna, cerna de ley), (Latin - epinephelus aeneus).

Grouper

Delicious!

Photograph courtesy of stu_spivack

https://www.flickr.com/photos/stuart_spivack/2493271454/

The Dusky Grouper in the languages of France’s neighbors:

(Catalan - anfós, conegut, amfòs, rei, gerna), (Dutch - bruine tandbaars), (German - riesen-zackenbarsch), (Italian – cernia, cernia bruna), (Spanish – mero, mero moreno), (Latin - epinephelus marginetus).

The Mottled Grouper in the languages of France’s neighbors:

(Catalan - anfós jueu, mero rosat), (Dutch - koninklijke zaagbaars), (Germany - gefleckter zackenbarsch, roter zackenbarsch ), (Italy - cernia rossa), (Spanish – cuna negra), (Latin - mycteroperca rubra).

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French menus?

Just add the word, words, or phrase that you are searching for to the words "Behind the French Menu" and search with Google. Behind the French Menu’s links include hundreds of words, names, and phrases that are seen on French menus. There are over 400 articles that include over 3,000 French dishes with English translations and explanations.

Bryan G. Newman

Behind the French Menu

For information on the unpublished book behind this blog contact Bryan Newman

behinthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

Lemon Sole Meunier.
Lemon sole prepared with a Meunière sauce. See below.

Photograph courtesy of Herry Lawford

Sole Limande in France.

Sole Limande - Lemon Sole or Lemon Dab. A member of the flounder family with a fine texture. Tasty they may be; nevertheless, they take second place to the European Dover sole, the common sole; on the other hand lemon sole is less expensive than Dover sole. Smaller fish will be grilled or fried in individual portions and the larger fish baked or fileted and fried. Lemon sole will often be offered with recipes originally created for Dover Sole.

Lemon Sole on French Menus:

Papillote de Sole Limande et Julienne de Poireaux Anisée - Lemon sole cooked in baking parchment paper, (grease-proof paper in the UK), or aluminum foil. The fish is prepared together with finely cut leeks, using a cut that is called Julienne in France and lightly flavored with aniseed. When the fish is ready it be opened in front of the diners so that they may savor the aromas of the fish and the herbs.

Lemon Sole on sale in the UK.

Photograph courtesy of Abi Skipp

https://www.flickr.com/photos/9557815@N05/12291222293/ FF

Sole de Limande Meunière – Lemon sole prepared with a Meunière sauce. This is simple but tasty butter sauce, my favorite for Dover Sole. It is made with lemon juice and parsley added to melted butter. (in a restaurant that will be clarified butter). Meunière is a miller wife and the sauce is served with dishes a la meunière, sole prepared in the manner of a miller’s wife

Sole Limande au Beurre d'Orange et Amandes, Tomates et Confit de Fenouil – Lemon sole made with orange flavoured butter and almonds and served with tomatoes confit flavored with fennel. Vegetable confits and or a confit de fruit are vegetables or fruits slowly cooked with wine, wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar and sometimes added brown sugar. The fruits and vegetables do not need to be stored to achieve unique flavors; they will be offered as sweet jams, condiments or garnishes.

Join these early morning amateur fishermen.

In France on the Atlantic coast in the winter with the temperatures between 1-3° C. you may catch lemon sole close to the shore.

Photograph courtesy of quelquepartsurlaterre

https://www.flickr.com/photos/quelquepartsurlaterre/2117764456/

Tartare de Limande Sole aux Algues et Citron Confit – Lemon Sole Tartar prepared with seaweed and a lemon confit, practically a lemon jam.

Sole Limande Entière, Citron Confit et Beurre Noisette. Here a small lemon sole, for a single person will be fried, or grilled. A brown butter sauce, noisette is a hazelnut, and that is the color achieved by cooking butter to a light brown. The dish is served with a citron confit.

Lemon Sole is not to be confused with:

Limande, (not Limande Sole) on French menus. This is a small flounder called Common Dab in the UK and Dab in the USA.

or the

Limande à Queue Jaune. This is another smaller flounder called the Yellowtail Flounder in the USA and Mud Dab in the UK. These two smaller flounders with their confusing names are mostly smaller than the Lemon Sole and they may be daily specials on some menus.

Lemon Sole in the languages of France’s neighbors:

(Catalan - palaia groga), (Dutch – tongschar), (German - limande), (Italian - sogliola limanda ), (Spanish - mendo limón).

Lemon Sole in other languages:

(Chinese (Mandarin)- 小头油鲽), (Danish - rødtunge), (Estonian - harilik väikesuulest),(Finnish - pikkupääkampela), (Hebrew - לימון בלעדי), (Icelandic - Þykkvalúra),(Norwegian – lombe),(Polish - zlocica europejska), (Portugues - solha-limao),(Russian - камбала малоротая, malorotaja kambala),(Swedish –Bergskädda), (Latin - microstomus kitt).

Connected Posts:

Algue or Algue de Mer Seaweed, Edible Seaweed. Algue or Algue de Mer on French Menus.

Amande or Almondine – The almond, the nut, in French cuisine.

Beurre - Butter in French. French Butter in French Cuisine.

Citron – The lemon; the fruit behind many of France’s culinary successes. Also the Citron Vert - Lime, the Cedrat – the Citron, the Combava – the kaffir lime and the Chadec - the Pomelo.

Fenouil - Fennel, the Herb, and the Vegetable.

Parsley in French Cuisine.

Sole Française. Dover Sole or Sole Française on French Menus. Dover Sole in France may be on your menu as Sole Française. The Fish are the Same, They Just Have Different Passports!

Tartare, Tartar, on French Menus: Steak Tartar, Fish Tartar and Vegetable Tartar. Tartare on Your French Menu?

What is a Confit? All About That Confit on Your French Menu.