History

The quenelle appeared in Lyon records from the 18th century as a way to stretch expensive river pike. Bouchon cooks refined the texture across generations until the version Eugenie Brazier served in the 1920s became the standard: three times the size of an egg, blond on the exterior, molten within. The sauce Nantua, made from ecrevisses of the Ain and Dombes, links the dish geographically to the rivers that drain into the Rhone east of the city. Today the quenelle carries AOC application status under the Label Bouchons Lyonnais programme.

Common allergens: Fish, Crustaceans, Eggs, Gluten, Dairy

Make it at home

Yield Serves 4Hands-on 45 minTotal 2 hrDifficulty Advanced

Ingredients

  • 500g boneless pike fillet, very cold
  • 3 egg whites
  • 200g cold unsalted butter, cubed
  • 200ml cold double cream
  • Salt, white pepper, nutmeg
  • For the Nantua sauce: 12 live freshwater crayfish (or 150g crayfish tails), 50g butter, 1 shallot, 100ml dry white wine, 200ml double cream, pinch cayenne

Method

  1. Blitz the pike in a food processor to a smooth paste. Pass through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl set over ice.
  2. Beat in the egg whites one at a time over the ice. Then beat in the cold butter cube by cube, then the cream in a thin stream. Season with salt, white pepper and nutmeg. The forcemeat should hold a gentle peak. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
  3. For the Nantua sauce: crush or halve the crayfish. Cook in butter with the shallot for 3 minutes. Deglaze with white wine, reduce by half, add cream and simmer 10 minutes. Pass through a fine sieve pressing hard, season with cayenne and salt.
  4. Shape the quenelles using two wet tablespoons, forming ovals about 8cm long. Lower into barely simmering salted water in batches; poach 12 to 15 minutes until firm and puffed. Remove with a slotted spoon.
  5. Transfer to a buttered ovenproof dish, spoon the Nantua sauce over and glaze under a hot grill for 3 minutes until the sauce bubbles and the quenelles colour lightly.

Tip from the editors. The forcemeat must stay cold at every stage or the quenelle will be dense; if it starts to split, return the bowl to ice and beat again before continuing.

This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.

Where to eat quenelle de brochet sauce nantua

Quenelle de brochet sauce Nantua in Lyon

Daniel et Denise Saint-Jean ★ 4.5

Lyonnais bouchon€€5e

Daniel et Denise Saint-Jean in Vieux Lyon is Joseph Viola's bouchon in the old town, where the pate en croute won the world championship and remains the starter to order.

Signature: Pate en croute, Quenelle

Order: The pate en croute as a starter, then the quenelle de brochet sauce Nantua.

Tip: Closed Sunday-Monday; book three days ahead; service can run long.

36 Rue Tramassac, 69005 Lyon

Le Garet ★ 4.5

Lyonnais bouchon€€1er

Le Garet on Rue du Garet in Lyon's 1er is the canonical bouchon, four blocks from the Opera, with a chalkboard menu that hasn't really changed in 30 years.

Signature: Tablier de sapeur, Quenelle de brochet

Order: Tablier de sapeur to start, then the quenelle de brochet with sauce Nantua.

Tip: Closed Sunday-Monday; book a fortnight ahead for the dinner service.

7 Rue du Garet, 69001 Lyon

Chez Paul ★ 4.3

Chez Paul in Lyon's 1er is the working bouchon on Rue du Major Martin where a set lunch runs under 22 EUR for two courses: saucisson chaud with potatoes and the quenelle.

Try: Saucisson chaud with potatoes

Order: The saucisson chaud with boiled potatoes; a pichet of cotes-du-rhone at 7 EUR.

Tip: Lunch is the value entry; closed Sunday-Monday.

11 Rue du Major Martin, 69001 Lyon

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