Filets de Saint Jacques et Crevettes Nantua (Fillet of John Dory and Prawns in Nantua Sauce)

Nantua sauce is a rich sauce from the eponymous town  in France’s Ain region, roughly half way between Mâcon and Geneva. It is a type of béchamel sauce, flavoured with bisque of the  high quality  crayfish for which Nantua is famous.    It is commonly served with quenelles de brochet (pike, a delicious freshwater fish)

Filets de Sole Véronique (Fillets of Sole in White Wine, Cream and Grape Sauce)

Sole Véronique was invented by renowned chef August Escoffier to celebrate the new eponymous Operetta by André Messager in London in 1904. It’s so retro that you never see it these days  even in France, but it is an elegant and very tasty way to eat Dover Sole.  Sole is not found in the oceans

Fillets de Saint Jacques à la Meunière (John Dory Fillets in Lemon and Parsley Sauce)

This classic fish recipe is a mainstay of French bistros and brasseries, where it is served as an elegant lunch or dinner.  It is more commonly made with fillets of Dover Sole, but John Dory makes a very good substitute with its delicately flavoured firm white flesh.   Dredging  the fillets in flour (“à la

Seiche à la Sètoise (Sète style Squid with Tomatoes and Olives)

This dish comes from Sète, in the Occitanie region of the South of France, where the Canal du Midi joins the Mediterranean Sea. Usually made with cuttlefish (“seiche”), its close cousin squid (“encornet” ) can be easier to  find and tastes just as   good.  As always with squid, make sure you buy fresh whole