Family Recipe, Food and wine pairings

In the Bourgeois family, salmon à la Bellevue is the dish for special occasions: it kicks off the meal at Easter, at family weddings, and at summer gatherings that bring together several generations around the same buffet. Jean-Marie Bourgeois prepares it just as his mother did before him—a whole fish, poached and then glazed with jelly, garnished with whatever the garden is yielding at that time of year.

This recipe continues our “Family Recipe” series: in each article, a member of the Bourgeois family shares a dish they prepare to pair with one of our vintages.

Serves 6 · Prep 45 min · Cook 25 min · Overnight rest

Ingredients

For the salmon:

• 1 whole salmon, gutted
• 1 carrot and 1 leek (cut into chunks)
• 1 bouquet garni
• Fine salt and black peppercorns

For the aspic:

• 2 gelatine leaves (or 2 g agar-agar)
• 10 cl hot stock

For the mayonnaise:

• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon mustard
• 20 cl sunflower oil
• Salt and pepper

For the "Bellevue" decoration:

• Cherry tomatoes
• Hard-boiled eggs
• Carrots
• Lamb's lettuce (mâche)
• Fresh herbs (parsley, dill)

Make the stock (the day before)

In a saucepan, cover the carrot, leek and bouquet garni with water. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the vegetables are tender.

Keep the stock: it will be used both for poaching the salmon and for the aspic.

Cook the salmon (the day before)

In a fish kettle or a large pot, pour in the hot stock, then add the salmon.

Cook for 20 to 30 minutes depending on the size of the fish, turning it halfway through.

Remove the salmon, let it drain, remove the skin, then wrap it in cling film.

Let it cool in the fridge overnight.

Make the aspic (the next day)

Soften the gelatine in cold water, then dissolve it in 10 cl of hot stock.

Unwrap the salmon, place it on its serving dish and remove any foam with a paper towel.

Brush the salmon with the jellied stock.

Season with salt and pepper and let it set for 30 minutes in the fridge.

Make the mayonnaise

In a bowl, mix the egg yolk and mustard. Gradually pour in the oil to form the mayonnaise.

Season and keep chilled.

Assemble "Bellevue" style

While the aspic sets, prepare all the decoration elements: cherry tomatoes halved, jellied carrot sticks, quartered hard-boiled eggs, mâche leaves and fresh herbs.

Arrange them harmoniously around and on top of the salmon before serving, with the homemade mayonnaise on the side.

Pouilly-Fumé "En Travertin" grows on limestone clay, the same family of soil that gives our estate's roundest Sancerres. This terroir produces a wine with more density and richness on the palate than a classic Sancerre.

That's exactly what's needed to accompany a homemade mayonnaise and a cold fish in aspic: the wine has enough body to hold its own against the richness of the preparation, without ever being overwhelmed by it. It also keeps enough freshness to avoid weighing the dish down — a precious balance for a summer buffet, where several dishes are often served at once.

Serving note: serve chilled, with your wine cool (10°C).

Jean-Marie's Tip

For a finer, more distinctly wine-country mayonnaise, replace half the oil with 10 cl of grapeseed oil.

Wine

Pouilly-Fumé "En Travertin" is available in our shop, online and at the estate. It's the cuvée Jean-Marie chooses for big family buffets — enough body to stand up to a rich dish, enough freshness to stay enjoyable throughout the meal.

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