Bordelaise fish fillet from the Thermomix® is our go-to rescue recipe when guests arrive and we have very little time. 30 minutes from start to finish, with 20 of those in the oven.
The recipe works like a modular system: fish, a tomato and onion base, and a herb butter breadcrumb topping. The butter binds the breadcrumbs together and makes them crispy in the oven. Without butter the crumbs fall apart, and with too little they stay dry.
Bordelaise Fish Fillet in the Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 10 ✓
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 day-old bread rolls
- 2 onions
- 100 g butter
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 2 tsp dried herbes de Provence
- 400 g tomatoes
- 1/2 lemon
- 4 slices pollock fish fillets alternatively cod
Instructions 0 / 8
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1
Preheat the oven.
Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
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2
Chop the garlic and bread rolls.
Peel the garlic, place it in the mixing bowl together with the bread rolls broken into pieces, and grate for 20 sec / speed 7. Set aside.
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3
Chop the onions.
Place the onions in the mixing bowl, chop for 5 sec / speed 5, and spread evenly in a baking dish.
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4
Melt the butter.
Place the butter in the mixing bowl and melt for 3 min / 70 °C / speed 1.
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5
Mix the breadcrumb topping.
Add the breadcrumbs, salt, pepper and herbs, and mix for 5 sec / speed 4.
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6
Slice the tomatoes.
Slice the tomatoes and arrange them on top of the onions in the baking dish.
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7
Marinate the fish.
Squeeze the lemon, rub the juice over the fish fillets, and place them in the baking dish.
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8
Bake.
Spread the breadcrumb mixture over the fillets, place in the oven, and bake for 20 minutes.
Tip: Boiled potatoes or a crusty baguette go beautifully alongside. If you like, peel the potatoes, cut them into wedges, and place them in the baking dish with the fish to cook at the same time.
Video
Nutrition per serving
Pollock or cod
We usually use pollock because it is cheaper and has a milder flavour. Cod has more texture and a stronger taste of its own. Both fish can handle 20 minutes at 180 °C without drying out. The key is that the fillets are roughly the same thickness, otherwise part of the fish overcooks while another part stays underdone.
Frozen fillets work, but they must be fully thawed first. Putting them straight from the freezer into the oven releases too much water and the topping turns soggy instead of crispy.
The breadcrumb topping is mixed in the Thermomix®
The butter is melted at 70 °C on speed 1 for 3 minutes. That is the temperature at which butter stays liquid without turning brown. At 80 °C or above it begins to colour and takes on a nutty flavour, which does not suit this dish.
The breadcrumbs, salt, pepper and herbes de Provence then go straight into the melted butter. 5 seconds at speed 4 is enough to combine everything. The mixture looks like damp sand. If it seems too dry, more butter is needed. If it is too wet, it will clump together in the oven instead of forming an even crust.
Herbes de Provence are not just a garnish
The 2 teaspoons of dried herbs are the reason this recipe is called “Bordelaise”. Without them the fish tastes of butter and breadcrumbs. With them it tastes of the south of France. Thyme, rosemary, oregano and lavender form the base. Fresh herbs do not work here because they burn in the oven and turn bitter.
Tomatoes and onions as a base
The onions are chopped in the Thermomix® at speed 5 for 5 seconds and then spread across the baking dish. The sliced tomatoes go on top. This layer has two purposes: it stops the fish from sticking to the bottom of the dish, and it releases moisture that keeps the fish juicy.
The tomatoes are sliced outside the Thermomix®. We cut them into slices about 5 mm thick. Thinner slices disintegrate in the oven, while thicker ones do not release enough juice.
Lemon directly on the fish
Squeeze the half lemon and rub the juice directly over the fillets with your fingers. This neutralises any fishy smell and adds a gentle acidity that works well with the tomatoes and herbs. Without lemon the fish tastes flat.
20 minutes at 180 °C
The oven must be fully preheated to 180 °C. If you slide the dish into a cold oven, the topping will not crisp up properly because it stays in contact with the moisture from the tomatoes for too long.
After 20 minutes the fish is cooked through and the topping is golden brown. If the topping colours too quickly, the oven was too hot or the dish was placed too high up. The middle shelf is the right position.
Potatoes in the dish
We often add potatoes to the dish. Peel them, cut into wedges, and lay them on top of the tomatoes before placing the fish on top. The potatoes take the same 20 minutes as the fish and become tender from the tomato juices and butter.
Without potatoes in the dish, serve boiled potatoes or a baguette alongside for mopping up the tomato and onion mixture.
The recipe works in all Thermomix® models. The TM31 does not have a 70 °C setting, so use 60 °C and extend the butter melting time to 4 minutes.
More fish recipes: fish fingers, salmon fillet, fish cakes.
