Haddock Oscar En Croute

What makes a dish ‘Oscar’?  Well it comes from the Swedish dish, Veal Oscar, which was named for King Oscar of Sweden and refers to a meat prepared with crabmeat, asparagus and Bearnaise sauce.  It’s no wonder the flavor combination has become a classic around the world – it is delicious!  My contribution to the classic concept is this recipe that has a fresh fillet of haddock stuffed with a lump crabmeat filling,  nestled on a bed of sauteed asparagus and wrapped in a delicate layer of puff pastry served on a bed of rich and frothy Bearnaise sauce.  Sound good?   It is!  In fact I think the fish sets off the crab/asparagus/bearnaise combo even more perfectly than a beef or chicken.  The flavoring is delicate, with each element holding it’s own but joining together to make a dish that succeeds in  upholding  the notion that something done Oscar Style is special and elegant.

En Croûte refers to any food that is wrapped in pastry and then baked, which is a nice touch to finish off many, many dishes.  Some of the more well-known foods found en croûte include:  Pate, Brie cheese, Filet Mignon and Salmon.  It provides a protective layer for delicate or partially cooked foods, allowing them to cook gently and has the added benefit of a buttery bit of pastry that’s great to eat with any sauces or juices from the dish.

While my Haddock Oscar En Croûte is a special occasion dish for sure, it’s also one that’s quite easy to accomplish once you get over the fact you need to make a fresh Bearnaise sauce.  Don’t worry about that aspect, it’s just a variation of a Hollandaise sauce and something that’s very, very useful to know how to do and not nearly as difficult as you may think.  A good bearnaise makes this dish complete, and without you have a beautiful bundle of deliciousness, but  a naked one!

 Ingredients for Haddock Oscar En Croute:  (serves four)

• 1 sheet  puff pastry dough brought to room temperature
• 4  fresh, skinless Haddock fillets, 4 to 5 ounces each
• 20 pencil sized spears fresh asparagus, trimmed and lightly peeled
• Crabmeat Stuffing
• Bearnaise Sauce
• 1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp. water for egg wash

Begin by making the crab stuffing:

Crabmeat Stuffing Recipe

Next, make the Bearnaise sauce:

Bearnaise Sauce Recipe

Once the crab filling and Bearnaise sauce are done, pan saute the asparagus:

To prepare the puff pastry dough:

To prepare the haddock:

Fresh haddock fillets will usually come with a thin tail section and thicker top section.  Cut the fillet into approx. 5 ounce portions, and if you have a thick section, simply butterfly it: Cut lengthwise from the side, cutting to but not through the back of the fillet.  Flatten and you have your haddock piece ready to stuff.  The thinner tail sections can be used as is.

Put the Haddock Oscar En Croute together:

Preheat an oven to 375°

 Lightly season both sides of the four haddock fillets with salt and pepper.

Place 1/4 of the crabmeat stuffing in the center of a fillet and fold the ends over the top of the crabmeat stuffing.

Repeat for all four haddock fillets. Turn over and place seam side down on a cutting board.

Place a rolled-out section section of the puff pastry on a cutting board.  Place 8 to 10 half pieces of asparagus in the center of the pastry dough.

Place a stuffed haddock fillet, seam side down on top of the asparagus.

Fold one corner of the pastry on to the top of the stuffed fish. Brush the very sides with some of the prepared egg wash.

Fold up another corner of the pastry, sealing the side on top of the previous egg-washed side to seal.

Repeat until all corners of the pastry are encasing the bundle and are sealed with the egg wash.

Brush a coating of the egg wash on top of the bundle.

• Bake the wrapped fish bundles on a parchment paper lined  or a non-stick cookie sheet in the preheated 375° oven for 25 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Serve on a pool of bearnaise sauce, about 1 tablespoon per serving.  Serve any additional bearnaise sauce on the side.

ENJOY!