Melt-in-your-mouth salmon trout, creamy cauliflower mash, and an intense caper beurre blanc – a dish full of balance, depth, and delicate flavors. Step by step, we'll show you how to implement Michelin-star techniques at home. Precise. Clear. Focusing on the essentials. Let’s cook!
Together with Elias, chef at the 2-Michelin-star restaurant Speisemeisterei in Stuttgart, we'll show you a dish that focuses on a few, clear flavors.
The star is capers: intense, salty, full of character. Not just as a subtle addition, but deliberately used as a main ingredient.
Accompanied by: precise techniques and tips straight from the professional kitchen.
The planning
Before the first pot hits the stove, this dish is created in your imagination. How long should the salmon trout marinate? When is the right moment to emulsify the butter into the beurre blanc? Planning isn't a side step here – it's the foundation.
For professional chefs, this moment begins with the shopping. Opt for fresh vegetables from your trusted grocer – preferably organic.
Tip from 2-star Michelin kitchens:
Reach for baby cauliflower. It's more aromatic and has a more concentrated flavor. Large cauliflower is often watery – and that's exactly what you want to avoid on your plate.
The Preparation
Now you prepare everything. This dish requires calm and a clean mise en place. When the salmon trout is cooking in the oven and the sauce is being mounted, your timing is crucial. Everything that is prepared gives you confidence.
Mise en Place in 5 Steps:
Optional: Temper butter or oil in the oven at 55 °C – this way everything is ready when the fish is placed inside.
Preparation is complete? Let's cook! Your feel for heat and timing is called for. You work with concentration. Step by step. Nothing is rushed, every move is deliberate.
The sauce demands attention, the salmon trout patience. Textures emerge, flavors combine. You remain calm – and confidently guide the dish through its crucial phase. Now your craft is revealed.
75 min
Total Time
40 min
Cooking Time
35 min
Preperation Time
| CLARIFIED BUTTERMILK (FOR THE BEURRE BLANC): | |
| 250 g | Buttermilk |
| WHITE WINE REDUCTION (FOR THE BEURRE BLANC): | |
| 150 g | White wine |
| 1 | Shallot, finely chopped |
| 1 | Bay leaf |
| BUTTERMILK-CAPER BEURRE-BLANC: | |
| 150 g | clarified buttermilk |
| 125 g | White wine reduction |
| 25 g | Caper water |
| 125 g | cold butter, cubed |
| FRIED CAPERS: | |
| Capers | |
| Oil for deep-frying | |
| PICKLED CAULIFLOWER: | |
| 5 | small cauliflower florets |
| Caper water (from the caper jar) | |
| MASHED CAULIFLOWER: | |
| 500 g | Cauliflower |
| 50 g | Cream |
| 50 g | Butter |
| 2 tsp | white miso |
| CONFECTED FISH: | |
| 400 g | Fish fillet (e.g. salmon trout) |
| Brine (5%) | |
| Oil for confit |
Step 1 of 7:
Clarify buttermilk: Place buttermilk in a pot and heat until it boils and the protein and whey separate. Strain the whey through a fine sieve or cheesecloth. Use the drained whey (= clarified buttermilk) for the sauce, discard the solid residue.
Step 2 of 7:
For the white wine reduction: Reduce white wine, shallot, and bay leaf in a pot by about half. Strain through a fine sieve and set the reduction aside for the sauce.
Step 3 of 7:
Prepare Beurre Blanc: Combine clarified buttermilk, white wine reduction, and caper water in a pot, season, and bring to a boil once. Then remove the pot from the heat. Incorporate the cold butter with an immersion blender until a stable emulsion forms. Optional: For more binding, mix some cornstarch with cold water, stir it in, and briefly bring to a boil, then blend in the butter. Keep the sauce warm only, do not boil again, otherwise the emulsion will separate.
Step 4 of 7:
Fry capers: First, thoroughly pat the capers dry. Heat the oil in a small, tall pot to 160–180 °C. Fry the capers until they pop open and are crispy. Drain on paper towels.
Step 5 of 7:
For the cauliflower mash, divide the cauliflower into florets (set some aside for pickling). Cook the remaining cauliflower in salted water until soft, drain well. Roughly mash with cream and butter (do not puree). Season with salt and miso. For serving, gently fold in finely chopped chives.
Step 6 of 7:
Confit salmon: For the brine, bring water with 5% salt to a boil once, let it cool completely. Cover the fish completely with the cold brine and let it steep for approx. 15 minutes, depending on thickness. Remove, rinse briefly, and pat dry. Preheat oil in a suitable dish in the oven to 55 °C. Cover the fish completely with oil and confit at 55 °C for 10–15 minutes. Doneness test: Insert a thin skewer – if it glides through without resistance, the fish is perfect. Neither undercooked nor overcooked.
Step 7 of 7:
Plating: Place the cauliflower mash in the center, arrange the confit fish on top or next to it. Add chives and caviar (optional) to the buttermilk-caper beurre blanc and pour onto the plate. Distribute pickled cauliflower florets and fried capers over the fish. Enjoy your meal!
Configure correctly
Pierce the thickest part of the fish with a thin skewer. If it slides in without resistance, the core is perfect. Don't go by time. Go by feel.
Save the sauce
Is your beurre blanc separating?
A tablespoon of cold water or an ice cube can help re-stabilize the emulsion.
This video guides you through preparing the recipe – clear, focused, and to the point. You'll see how the fish is cured, how confiting at 55°C is achieved, and what really matters for timing and temperature.
Observe the processes, pay attention to the details, and bring professional-level results to your kitchen.
The presentation
Now what you've created becomes visible. Plating isn't an ending – it's your statement. In this phase, you translate your skill into a visual presentation, because we eat with our eyes.
Pro Tips:
Tip from 2-star Michelin kitchens:
Add chives everywhere it fits. They bring freshness and color to the plate.
The Cleanup
Before you can relax, this step is part of it. Tidying up creates order – and completes your moment. The stove is off, the plates are served. Now, peace sets in.
You clean knives and pots, wipe the countertop, and bring order back to your kitchen. Without rushing. With the good feeling of having created a culinary experience.
Pro Tips:
