Wine with fish, the best pairings
See our advice on food and wine pairings
What you need to know about wine and fish pairings
Wine is a perfect accompaniment to better appreciate the different dishes. It is essential to choose the right wine to accompany it. It is important to point out that choosing the wine to accompany a meat is tricky, but the choice of wine for a fish dish is even more so .
Choose your wine according to the fish
With a wide variety of species, meats and origins, fish is quite difficult to pair with wine . The food and wine pairing requires a good study of the components and the recipe chosen for the preparation of the fish. Thus, for turbot, sole, sea bass or monkfish, for example, it will be necessary to opt for a fine wine .
Each fish has its own characteristics, and these have a delicate and at the same time tender flesh. To accompany this kind of fish, it is best to opt for white wines. The bottle should be chosen so that the wine can reveal the freshness and elegance of the fish, without distorting its structure. A small note of meaty sensation will work very well too.
Our white Bordeaux grew under the western sun and the sea air. It exudes freshness and lightness on the palate, perfect to pair with fish.
We will also opt for wines from Chablis, Burgundy (like Chassagne Montrachet) or Montlouis or Côtes de Provence for the fleshy side . In addition, it will also be necessary to choose the wine according to the method of cooking to be adopted.
Accompanied by smoked or grilled fish
Regardless of the fish chosen, trout, salmon or eel, we can denote a tasty, melting and quite fatty flesh. To go well with these dishes, as a starter or main course, it will be necessary to bet on a wine with good minerality and incisiveness .
One thinks here, for example, of a Pouilly-fumé or a Mâcon . The freshness of the wine will make it possible to attenuate the fat side of the fish and its minerality will tame the smoky character.
As for a grilled or fried fish dish, we tend to choose a fruity, lively and above all young white wine . In order to underline the tenderness of sea bream, for example, a Minervois will be perfect. Its roundness will bring a completely different aspect to this melting side.
Accompaniment of a cooked fish
As mentioned above, the choice of food and wine pairing also depends on the recipe used.
For pan- fried, baked or simply cooked fish, white wine is still in the spotlight . Here again, the choice of wines and vines is more than delicate.
For gilthead sea bream, pan-fried cod in white butter sauce or sea bass, you will need an expressive and creamy white wine . We will choose a Côtes de Provence or a white Hermitage , for example.
On the side, we will take a Meursault or a Pessac-léognan to accompany the sole . Its delicate texture is perfect for these aromatic, fresh and tender wines. If you want to cook a freshwater fish, you will opt for a fresher and finer wine, a white wine like a Touraine, among others. You can also go for a Sancerre from the Prieur et Fils estate, Saint Pierre.
Which wine to accompany salmon
There is no exact science when it comes to choosing the right wine to accompany a fish dish . It is quite possible that the same fish is approached in a different way, it all depends on its cooking.
If we take the case of salmon in particular, we can see that there are a thousand and one ways to cook it. It can be baked, smoked, browned in a pan, served in broth or steamed, for example. The implementation of the strategy to select the appropriate wine must therefore be well prepared.
Thus, for salmon, you can opt for an Alsace Pinot blanc, a Cassis blanc or a Monthélie blanc . In order not to make a mistake, it should be remembered that salmon is a fairly fatty fish. Therefore, it should not be accompanied by a wine with these same characteristics.
To accompany a smoked salmon, be careful not to opt for a wine that is too smoky . The reason is simple, we run the risk of crushing the smoked side of the salmon more than raising it.
Often, we talk about white wine to accompany fish, but what about red wine?
Choose a red wine with fish
Red wine is sometimes little appreciated as an accompaniment to a fish dish. This is not a bad idea, however, it is quite possible to marry them . But be careful, you should not choose just any red wine.
As the fish has a melting, delicate and slightly iodized flesh, it requires a fine wine . In order not to camouflage the light side of the fish, you should not choose wines that are too full-bodied.
Moreover, the choice of red wine will also depend on the cooking and not on the fish . Indeed, in theory, all fish can be accompanied with red wine. For an excellent pairing, it is best to opt for fish cooked on the barbecue or on the plancha. The different aromas that make it up will go well with red wine. Fruity red wines are best suited for fish. Wines from Burgundy or Alsace will be delicious .
If you want to accompany tuna with a tomato sauce, it is better to choose a full-bodied red wine with a few notes of spices and pepper. Tuna being a fish with a little denser flesh than most fish, an Alsace Pinot Noir Rouge will go perfectly.
If you want to accompany salmon with red wine, you should choose a wine that is not too tannic. For a salmon with foie gras, for example, a luxurious Châteauneuf-du-Pape will be perfect .
wines for seafood
For prawns, crabs, or a full seafood platter, the ideal accompaniment is white wine . Some seafood can have a slightly bland or sour side, such as prawns or crabs.
The ideal is therefore preferable to opt for a lively and aromatic wine. Among the choices that can be made are Chignin Bergeron or a Chardonnay .
When faced with a seafood platter, hesitation arises: which wine accompaniment should be favored?
A seafood platter is not only made up of prawns or crabs, it can also contain oysters, mussels or other products.
To accompany this great diversity, nothing beats a Pouilly Fumé or a Chablis . Prefer dry white wines with mineral, fruity or floral notes. One can include in the list of accompanying wines for seafood, Jurançon or Riesling . A Quincy can also do the trick.
We must not forget the Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine which can be accommodated with any fruit . It is one of the best selections of organic white wines from Oé.
Which wines to accompany mussels
Mussels are dishes originating in Belgium and which gradually conquered France. The dish has become over the ages a great French classic.
Mussels can be cooked in different ways, however you can still find wines to match your different recipes.
To accompany the dish of mussels, it is strongly advised not to choose red wine . Although red wine can be paired with a certain type of seafood, its pairing with mussels is impossible. The tannins present in red wines do not allow the fine flesh of the product and its subtly iodized fragrance to be appreciated.
Choosing white wines is the best option to accompany this dish of mussels .
Rather dry wines with a slight hint of fruity or mineral aroma are best suited.
Among the possible choices: a Pouilly-Fumé, a Pouilly Fuissé, a wine from Entre-Deux-Mers or even a Muscadet from the Loire or a white Riesling from Alsace.
Mussels can also go well with a Reuilly, Quincy, a Chablis or a Languedoc. These wines each have their own character, but go wonderfully with mussels.
Which wines to accompany oysters
Many are the types of oysters that can exist, however for the choice of the accompanying wine , it makes no difference. The flesh of the oyster has the particularity of being fleshy and glutinous.
As with mussels, red wines are not suitable. Choose white wine, preferably dry white .
However, other wines can also do the trick. For the choice of the wine, it will be necessary to take into account the vivacity and the minerality. In addition to Muscadet, you can also go for a Chablis or a dry Riesling .
The oyster can also go well with a Quincy or a Sancerre which are made from Sauvignon blanc and have a fruity note.
The choice of wine to pair with fish is quite wide, depending on everyone's preferences there may be other possible pairings. To facilitate the search for a wine, opt for Oé which offers the best organic wines from the French terroir.
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