Poisson À L'Huile (Salmon With Sauternes And Olive Oil) Recipe

I was taken by the addition of Sauternes in the cooking broth and the specification of olive oil from Lucca in the vinaigrette—long before the age of competitive ingredient fetishes. In the recipe’s defense, it is such a simple dish that you really do need the character of a great olive oil. But, of course, it’s fine if yours comes from Liguria or Catalonia or even California, as long as its flavor pleases you.The writer of this recipe had come across this dish at a party. Having sought out the hostess who ushered him to the buffet, he described how “she showed me a superb salmon, stretched at length on a silver platter, where in quiet repose it seemed as real as if it were a live fish on an argent wave. Just then, I might have been on the eve of declaring my love, either for the lady or for the salmon, but it was the fish which fascinated me.”Soon enough he was in the kitchen, asking the chef how to prepare the fish. “Believe me, sir,” the chef is quoted as saying, “this method is the best, the simplest; and at a ball, after dancing, there is nothing so recuperating."This recipe was originally published on October 11, 1874: “How to Dress Fish: Leaves from a Sentimental Cookbook.”Adapted from "The Essential New York Times Cookbook" by Amanda Hesser.