How is nantua sauce eaten, what does it contain? Useful properties of the product and contraindications for use. Sauce recipes.
Nantua or Nantua sauce is an optimal addition to fish dishes and seafood. It is relatively simple to prepare, based on béchamel sauce. Refers to traditional French cuisine. Has a pronounced seafood flavor and an oily base. The sauce is rich in many nutrients that are beneficial to the human body, but there are categories of consumers who should keep their intake to a minimum.
Composition and calorie content of nantua sauce
The classic composition of Nantua sauce includes the following ingredients:
- Shrimp, crab meat, or other seafood;
- Alcoholic drinks, wine and brandy;
- Béchamel sauce (a mixture of milk, flour, butter and spices);
- All kinds of vegetables, spices and fresh herbs can be used as additional ingredients.
The calorie content of nantua sauce per 100 g is 439 kcal, of which:
- Proteins - 3, 4 g;
- Fat - 6 g;
- Carbohydrates - 9 g.
The sauce is rich in many nutrients:
- Vitamins - A, B1, B2, B5, B6, etc.;
- Minerals - K, Ca, Mg, Na, Ph, Fe, Cu and more.
Useful properties of nantua sauce
The benefits of nantua sauce are largely dependent on the amount of seafood used to make it. Shrimp, crabs and other marine life are rich in protein. By the way, they contain much more of this element than in poultry meat or, for example, cattle. It is known that a person needs protein for visual acuity and normal functioning of the nervous system.
Vegetables and dairy products (butter, cream, fresh milk) also make a big contribution to the usefulness of the sauce. It has been proven that fermented milk products are rich in calcium, which is beneficial for human bones, nails and teeth. Regular consumption of vegetables leads to an improvement in the condition of human hair and skin.
The main beneficial properties of nantua sauce:
- Reduces the risk of developing cancer - the sauce contains seafood rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids that improve the functioning of the human brain and lower blood cholesterol levels.
- Normalizes metabolism, improves the functioning of the thyroid gland - amino acids, vitamins, minerals and iodine have a beneficial effect on the thyroid gland and the work of the cardiovascular system. Also, the listed substances accelerate the metabolism, which leads to a decrease in the risk of developing allergies in humans.
- Quickly satisfies hunger and energizes the body - despite the fact that most of the seafood that can be used for making the sauce is considered dietary, the finished product has a fairly high calorie level. By adding sauce to fresh and lean fish, you get a satisfying dish that will help you get rid of hunger quickly and for a long time.
Contraindications and harm of nantua sauce
The most serious harm nantua sauce can cause allergy suffererswho have an individual intolerance to sea products (this type of allergy is quite common).
In addition, the sauce is a high-calorie product and can provoke weight gain … If you are struggling with extra pounds, skip the regular consumption of nantua (in small quantities, the sauce is safe for your figure).
Not everyone thinks about this, but the seafood that is part of it can make the sauce harmful. Inhabitants of the deep sea can accumulate heavy metals and even arsenic in their organisms. Therefore, buy ready-made sauce or seafood only from trusted sellers.
Do not forget that microscopic parasites can live in shrimps or, for example, in crabs, which, if they enter the human body, cause serious harm to it. Be sure to thoroughly cook such food before using it!
How to make nantua sauce?
There are tons of techniques and tips on how to make nantua sauce quickly and deliciously. We present to your attention two recipes for this product: the easiest option for novice cooks and a complicated recipe for those who do not mind spending about 1 hour of free time on making the sauce.
Step-by-step recipe for Nantois sauce according to a simplified version:
- Bechamel should be prepared first. To do this, melt 50 g of butter in a water bath or in the microwave and add 2 tbsp. l. wheat flour. Stir the mixture thoroughly.
- Fry the mixture in a skillet and pour 500 ml of cold milk into it.
- Stir the contents of the pan thoroughly and heat until the sauce thickens.
- Now it must be combined with 80 ml of medium-fat cream and boiled in a water bath, stirring constantly.
- Buy 100 g of crab meat from the store, can be canned (if the meat is raw, boil it).
- Chop 50 g of meat and add it to the sauce.
- Achieve a smooth bechamel consistency with a blender.
- Chop the remaining crab meat and add to the béchamel as well.
- Send 30 g of butter here.
- Stir the sauce and serve. Bon Appetit!
On a note! Crab meat can be substituted for shrimp and other similar seafood.
Many chefs prefer to improve the standard nantua sauce recipe and add new and sometimes even unexpected ingredients to it:
- Wash and towel dry 1 kg of raw, unpeeled shrimp.
- Fry the seafood in olive oil in a highly preheated skillet, gradually reducing the heat (total frying time should not exceed 4-6 minutes).
- Let the shrimp cool and remove the heads, shells, and entrails. Please note that you should not throw away the shells and heads, they will still be useful to you during the preparation of the sauce.
- Set some of the shrimp aside, and cut the other part as small as possible.
- Combine whole and chopped seafood, season with salt, allspice and a pinch of nutmeg.
- While the shrimp are marinating, grind their heads and shells in a blender. For this process to be successful, turn on the maximum speed on the blender and add a little water to its bowl.
- Peel and dice 1 medium carrot, 1 each onion and 1 fennel.
- Fry the vegetables in oil using the skillet that you used to cook the shrimp.
- When the vegetables are tender, pour 70 g of brandy into the pan and light it on fire.
- Pour 400 ml of dry white wine to the vegetables when the brandy is completely burned out.
- Pour crushed shells, a couple of finely chopped cherry tomatoes and spices called "garni bouquet" into the resulting mass.
- Mix the resulting mass and leave to simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes.
- Rub the almost finished sauce through a sieve and reheat it in the skillet.
- In a separate skillet, melt 4 tbsp. l. butter, mix it with 1 tbsp. l. flour and fry until golden brown.
- Combine the flour mass with vegetables and chopped shrimp shells.
- Boil the mixture over low heat to thicken it.
- Add 2 tablespoons to the sauce. l. cream and shrimp, which you left to marinate in the spices. Stir the mixture thoroughly.
- The sauce is ready. Heat it on the stove, but do not bring it to a boil.
Nantua Sauce Recipes
If you analyze the content of several cookbooks dedicated to French cuisine, you can come to the conclusion that most often nantua is served with pike. Therefore, here are two recipes for this type of fish with nantua sauce:
- Pike with julienne … French chefs call julienne a set of chopped vegetables that are used as an ingredient in various dishes. Chop and fry 1 onion. Add to the already golden onion 50 g of mushrooms (champignons), previously cut into cubes. Fry the mushrooms over medium heat for 3 minutes. Peel 100 g of shrimp and cut them into large pieces (in half). Do the same with 100 g of mussels. Add seafood to mushrooms, sprinkle everything with a few sprigs of chopped dill. Season the ingredients with a little salt and pepper. Pour the resulting mixture with 40 ml of cream and leave on the fire until it begins to boil. After that, immediately turn off the stove. Julien is ready, now it's time to take the pike (we need 1.5 kg of this product). Use a knife to make cuts on the fillet, sprinkle with salt and pepper, pour over with lemon juice. Now place one half of the pike on a foil-lined baking sheet. Cut 400 g of salmon pulp into thin slices. Place half of the resulting meat on a baking sheet on top of the pike. Next, put the julienne on the fish, cover it with the remaining slices and whole fillets. The resulting structure should be tied with a thread and wrapped in culinary foil. Bake the dish for 30 minutes. While the fish is in the oven, make the nantua sauce. Once the meat is done, serve warm with a freshly prepared sauce.
- Pike dumplings … For reference: minced meat dumplings are called dumplings. To prepare the dumplings, melt 100 g of butter in a saucepan. Add 3/4 tbsp to the liquid oil. wheat flour and 4 beaten egg yolks. Stir the contents of the saucepan thoroughly and pour 200 ml of milk into it. After that, you should have a mass that looks like choux pastry. Season the stew with a pinch of ground nutmeg, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat for 6 minutes. Send the finished dish to the refrigerator for several hours (however, it is better to leave it in the cold for a day). While the dough is cooling, handle the pike. Cut the fish fillets (500 g) into cubes and place in a food processor. Grind the fish with 70 g of butter. The resulting mixture must be combined with the already cooled dough and grind everything again in a blender. Add 2 eggs, 2 yolks, salt and pepper to the resulting mass. Beat the dough and chill again. Now form dumplings from the resulting mass using dessert spoons and cook them in a large saucepan for 15-20 minutes. Please note that it is more convenient to catch the dumplings from the water using a slotted spoon. Also, during their formation, do not forget to moisten dessert spoons in boiling water every time. To prevent the dough from sticking to them, dry the dumplings on paper towels and bake in the oven until golden brown (brush the dumplings with butter before baking). Serve the hot dish with fresh parsley and nantua sauce.
On a note! Stale pike can spoil the taste of a dish, so you should take it very seriously in the store. It is optimal to buy live fish. If this is not possible, carefully examine it before paying money for it. The gills of the fish should be of the correct color - bright or dark red, the smell should be unobtrusive, and the eyes should be transparent. If the pike does not meet the described parameters, then it is stale and can harm your body. The easiest way to prepare it for preparing the above dishes is to buy frozen fillets in a store.
Interesting Nantua Sauce Facts
Only a limited amount of information can be found in cookbooks and various historical sources about nantua sauce. It is known to belong to traditional French cuisine and is a derivative of bechamel. This is not surprising, because béchamel is a mother's sauce, that is, a product on the basis of which many other sauces and snacks are created.
Some historians believe that the seafood sauce got its name in honor of the French commune, which is called Nantois.
How to make nantua sauce - watch the video:
Nantois sauce is a delicate product that can be used to make any simple dish of meat, fish or eggs special. Prepared sauce can be purchased at a specialty store, but if you have 20-60 minutes of free time, you can easily prepare it in your kitchen. The sauce is considered beneficial rather than harmful to human health. It is important that this seasoning contains only high-quality seafood that is not contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms and harmful chemicals.
