Of fish and fowl...

November 22, 2005 8:45 PM

Any ideas for a sauce (or gravy) that would go well with both turkey and fish?

We're probably talking trout, tilapia, salmon, mahi mahi, or tuna for the fish. I'm willing to let the gravy lead.

I have to serve diverse interests at dinner this year. Ideally the sauce would not use anything meatier than, say, chicken stock as my fish person doesn't eat any other meat. The more veggie-based the better. Citrus of some kind would be nice, but I'm not having a very creative nice -- non-citrus might be the way to go.

posted by ontic to Food & Drink (20 answers total)

How are you cooking the fish? I'd probably do two simple veloute (roux-based) sauces, using stock from each source. The method would be identical: create the roux (preferably using any fond/fat from the cooking of the bird/fish, but butter would work for either), then whisk in the appropriate stock and reduce to the desired consistency. Is there a reason to have one sauce for the two dishes?
posted by trip and a half at 8:57 PM on November 22, 2005

I was just thinking it would be nice to share the sauce. I'm mostly intrigued by the idea of making some kind of veggie gravy for the turkey that would go well with fish. But I'm going to be sauteing the fish, so I guess I could do a quick pan sauce for each.
posted by ontic at 9:05 PM on November 22, 2005

Pesto?
posted by gyc at 9:11 PM on November 22, 2005

I would have to say something like a mango/jalapeno salsa or chutney. Something citrusy will work with both the turkey and a fish that is grilled or possibly pan seared. This will work best with the mahi mahi, tuna or tilapia. The salmon and trout, being stronger (salmon) and oilier (trout) will have problems with a citrus based sauce. It may be possible to work up a cranberry/port wine based sauce that has enough sweetness and depth to work with both turkey and fish, but again the salmon and the trout may have problems. I'd suggest sticking with tuna, mahi or tilapia if your are going to try to swing this.
posted by spicynuts at 9:12 PM on November 22, 2005

Anything tomato-based would probably be good for both.
posted by interrobang at 9:13 PM on November 22, 2005

Christ..I have trouble reading the more inside after midnight - the attention span suffers. Sorry about the citrus recs. I'm going to go with a port wine/cranberry based sauce then.
posted by spicynuts at 9:15 PM on November 22, 2005

In that case, I suppose you could use a butter-based roux, and then use a seasonally (maybe thyme?) seasoned vegetable stock. It might work out okay if you seasoned it correctly, but I'm just thinking 'bland'. Maybe that would work for your crowd, though? (Also, it seems like this plan would be wasting a lot of good stuff from both your bird and your fish!)

Citrus might be something that could work, as well.
posted by trip and a half at 9:16 PM on November 22, 2005

I'm thinking citrus might be inevitable -- very helpful, spicynuts. The question itself was ambivalent.
posted by ontic at 9:23 PM on November 22, 2005

If you're sauteing the fish anyway, I'd really suggest just having some nice lemon wedges around, and maybe some mayonnaise and capers. Don't try to use turkey gravy on fish. (Just my opinion.)

Happy Thanksgiving!
posted by trip and a half at 9:57 PM on November 22, 2005

Tarragon is excellent with poultry and seafood. Might be worth exploring.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 10:00 PM on November 22, 2005

Fresh tarragon only, please.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 10:01 PM on November 22, 2005

Could mushroom be an option? I think that a good shittake mushroom-herb-butter sauce might go well with both.
posted by spinifex23 at 10:44 PM on November 22, 2005

Mushroom gravy would work.
Here's some other ideas.
Ginger Beurre Blanc
Toasted pumpkin seed vinagrette
Oven-dried Tomatoes with Red Onion Cilantro Relish
Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette
posted by raaka at 1:48 AM on November 23, 2005

Poultry likes fruit, especially tangy fruit. Apricot, cranberry, and orange go well with turkey.

But beurre blanc or herbed butter would be fantastic. Here's the transcript from a Good Eats episode that includes recipes for both.
posted by plinth at 5:42 AM on November 23, 2005

What about oyster stuffing?
posted by Pollomacho at 7:04 AM on November 23, 2005

opting for the tuna helps considerably, since that's the "meatiest" of the fishies that you list and i recognise.

i've had both tuna and turkey with soya and fruit-based sauces.
posted by andrew cooke at 7:14 AM on November 23, 2005

White sauce with parsley and a touch of lemon zest would work for both turkey and fish.

Equal weights of butter and flour mixed to a paste in a saucepan, and cooked on a medium heat for two minutes. Then very slowly add milk, stirring continuously to remove lumps. Bring to the boil, still stirring, and simmer for a few minutes until the sauce thickens. Then stir in parsley, freshly-ground black pepper and some lemon zest. Let simmer for another minute to let the flavours mix, then serve.
posted by talitha_kumi at 7:20 AM on November 23, 2005

Ontic, here is a link to a recipe in today's NY Times for a Tomato-Onion Marmalade. The recipe accompanies an article about halibut, however, I think from looking at the recipe this could be a sauce that would work for ALL of your needs, including salmon or trout. It's a very light sauce meant to allow the flavors of the meat to shine throught, so if you are looking for something to hide a poorly cooked turkey or fish, this is not your answer. But if your turkey or fish will be cooked to perfection, this could be the icing on the cake so to speak - light and aromatic as a compliment to the meat flavor.

If you can't log in to the article, email me and I will send you my log in.
posted by spicynuts at 7:21 AM on November 23, 2005

You want cider cream.

Reduce a half gallon fresh apple cider to 2 cups, skimming foam as it boils. Lower the heat as you get closer to 2 cups; it'll get syrupy and you don't want it to burn.

Add 1 cup cream, whisking to incorporate. Salt and pepper to taste.

People will love you.

There are more complicated versions; I usually deglaze a pan with dark rum and flambe it, and add a handful of soft, sweet roasted garlic cloves (peeled, of course). And a bit of bacon.

But it's still remarkable without the meat product.
posted by sacre_bleu at 8:04 AM on November 23, 2005

Here's a fat-free, vegetarian recipe for bêchamel sauce. It should marry well with either, but would be safe for cautious palates. (Second having premade chutneys, citrus wedges, marmalades on the side.)
posted by rob511 at 5:08 PM on November 23, 2005