My first attempt to be cool like Daniel Boulud.

For as big of a foodie as I consider myself, I am a bit behind the times on the new up and coming chefs in the industry. I’m sure it is partly because I’m not a restaurant chef, but also because I don’t really eat out and try new places. I read as much as I can and am always interested in new culinary flavors and trends, I just couldn’t tell you much about the It chefs of the previous years. On the flip side, chefs like Eric Ripert, Thomas Keller and Daniel Boulud are legends in my mind. True pioneers of the culinary world and as revered to me as Frank Gehry is to my architect boyfriend.

Daniel Boulud is my subject of interest today, and the aforementioned boyfriend recently gave me an article about one of the chef’s most famous dishes, sea bass paupiette, or sea bass wrapped in potatoes. It is a classic at Le Cirque in New York and still made by special request at his restaurant Daniel. I’ve always wanted to try it and looking over the recipe, thought that I could easily bang it out in a night’s work. It’s basically a fillet of sea bass encased in long strips of very thin potato, then cooked in clarified butter to a crisp golden brown with perfect, meltingly tender fish on the inside. Doesn’t sound too challenging right?

My first step afoul was the potato I choose. Granted, it was the largest one I could find, but it still wasn’t long enough to wrap the entire fillet. So I had to double up on the strips, which of course wouldn’t allow me to create an enclosed package of potato goodness. I figured I would just wing it, and try my best to hold them shut over a pan of sizzling butter. That would be step 2 afoul, and the nice oil burn on the inside of my left wrist can attest to that. Step 3 afoul was something I cannot fix, that being that I have an electric stove, and I think this recipe really is only made for the even heat of a gas flame. And last step afoul was the fact that my non stick pan, while top notch, is a circulon and has a spiral patter on the bottom to promote even heat. This has the side effect of producing a spiral pattern on the potato layer. So all in all, the experiment proved slightly more difficult then I was imagining, but that being said, the end result was freaking delicious. I decided to share the recipe just in case there are any others out there who feel like emulating a legend. Plus, you will Really impress with this dish. I served it with a slight variation of the sauteed leeks that usually accompany the dish, and made creamed leeks.



Next time around, I will search high and low for a potato that is long enough, conduct the experiment with a gas flame and succeed! I am a determined lady, and one day I will be able to produce sea bass paupiette, and therefore be cool, like Daniel Boulud.

Sea Bass Paupiette, by Daniel Boulud

4 skinless sea bass fillets, no belly meat and each around 6-7 ounces and rectangular
2 Very long Idaho baking potatoes, peeled
4 Tbs clarified butter (instructions below)
Kosher salt



Using a mandolin, slice each potato into very thin slices. Do not rinse them, the starch is supposed to help them stay on the fish. Place one slice on the cutting board and overlap it slightly on one side with another slice. Repeat until you have reached the length of the fillet and then repeat with remaining potatoes until you have four potato packets. Season each fillet liberally with kosher salt and lay perpendicularly on each potato packet. Fold the edges of the potatoes over to enclose and brush the entire thing with 1 tsp clarified butter.

Pour the remaining clarified butter into a large non-stick pan set over high medium heat. Sauté the paupiettes until golden brown on all sides, about 2-3 minutes on each of the four sides.

How to clarify butter:

In a small saucepan over very low heat, add one stick on unsalted butter. Heat for around 10 minutes, until butter has melted and the white solids have sank to the bottom and a layer has formed on the surface. Carefully remove from heat and spoon off layer from surface. Pour the golden liquid into a separate pan, being careful not to pour the white solids as well. I have found using a damp coffee filter to strain works well, or just stop pouring before the milky solids are reached. Ta Da, clarified butter.