Normandy-Style Fish with Cider
You don't need a complicated technique to cook fish beautifully. 
This is one of those recipes that perfectly sums up the Normandy kitchen - simple ingredients, an easy technique, and a result that surprises you with how good it tastes. The region is blessed with an extraordinary coastline, and the locals know better than to overthink the seafood they have on hand. A few shallots, some dry apple cider in place of white wine, a splash of cream, and you've got a dish that feels both rustic and elegant at the same time.
What I love about this recipe is how it teaches you something important: you don't need a complicated technique to cook fish beautifully. Here, we're essentially poaching the fish in a covered baking dish in the oven (somewhere between a braise and a steam) and the cooking juices become the base for a quick cream sauce. Two steps, one pan for the sauce, and dinner is on the table in under 30 minutes.
INGREDIENTS
Serves 42
10 g (¾ tbsp) salted butter, for the dish
2 shallots, 60 g (2 oz) total, thinly diced
2 salmon fillets (or firm white fish), approximately 180 g (6 oz) each, skin removed
250 ml (1 cup) dry apple cider
Salt and pepper
150–200 ml (⅔–¾ cup) double cream
A few drops of fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
MISE EN PLACE
Preheat your oven to 200°C (390°F), fan-forced.
If your fish fillets have the skin on, remove it using a long, thin flexible knife. Lay the fillet skin-side down on the board, make a small incision at one end, then slide the blade along between the flesh and the skin, pressing the blade down flat as you go.
Lightly butter a baking dish — one that fits your fillets snugly without too much extra space. Have a sheet of baking paper ready to cover the dish.
Method
Scatter half the diced shallots across the base of the buttered dish. Lay the fish fillets on top, then scatter the remaining shallots over the fish. Season generously with salt and pepper.
Pour the cider around the fish — you want the liquid to come about three-quarters of the way up the fillets, not fully submerge them. Cover the dish tightly with the baking paper, pressing it down so the steam stays in, but leave a small opening for a little steam to escape. Place in the oven for approximately 15 minutes, or until the fish is just cooked through. The exact time will depend on the thickness of your fillets — check at 12 minutes.
As soon as the fish is ready, carefully transfer the fillets to a tray or plate. Spoon a little of the cooking juices over them to keep them moist, cover loosely, and keep warm in the oven at around 50–60°C (120–140°F) — or simply leave the oven door ajar if your oven is still warm from cooking.
Pour all the remaining cooking juices into a wide sauté pan. Bring to a brisk boil over medium-high heat and reduce the liquid for a couple of minutes — you want to concentrate the flavour before adding the cream. This step is important: if there is too much liquid when you add the cream, the sauce can struggle to thicken properly.
Add the cream, stir to combine, and continue to reduce over high heat for around 3–5 minutes, or until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. At this point the flavour will be delicate — a creamy sauce with a subtle apple note in the background. Add a few drops of lemon juice to lift the acidity and stir in the chopped parsley. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
To serve, place the fish fillets in a warm serving dish or individual plates and spoon the sauce generously over the top. A little extra parsley to finish. Serve with steamed rice or a simple potato side.
Tip
For a more refined, restaurant-style presentation, strain the sauce through a fine sieve before serving to remove the shallots. If you're keeping things rustic (which is perfectly in the spirit of this dish) leave them in. They add texture and flavour, and in my experience, nobody complains.
Salmon works well here because most people are comfortable with it and it holds its shape beautifully, but this is genuinely a recipe you can use with any firm white fish fillet too.