Truite à la vauclusienne

01 / ABOUT THE DISH

About the dish

Truite à la Vauclusienne is a fish dish from made with trout caught in the Sorgue river. Its origin lies in the waters of the Fontaine-de-Vaucluse source which feeds the Sorgue and historically supplied trouts that were prized for their clarity of flesh and cold stream flavour; cooks in the region developed a preparation that honoured the fish while weaving in local shellfish (crayfish) and truffles, and over time it became recognized as a refined offering in regional cuisine. The preparation begins by filleting or cutting the trout into portions and poaching them in white wine until just cooked through, then arranging those portions over a bed of sautéed mushrooms, crayfish tails or claws, and small pieces of black truffle, covering the ensemble with a béchamel sauce enriched with egg yolks, and then breading and pan-frying the whole to a golden crust in olive oil; a final sauce is made by reducing the poaching liquid with white wine and clarifying it with crayfish butter, then the dish is plated hot with the trout and garnishes and the sauce poured over. Variations include using whole trout instead of fillets, substituting mushrooms with wild seasonal varieties, omitting the truffle for a lighter dish, or simplifying the crusting step by foregoing the breading and frying; a unique aspect of this preparation is the poaching of the trout in white wine and the inclusion of crayfish butter in the sauce, which gives the dish a specific regional identity tied to the Sorgue river’s crayfish and truffle foraging. Truite à la Vauclusienne is served as a main course in restaurants and homes around the Vaucluse region, often accompanied by local white wines such as a Côtes-du-Vaucluse Blanc or a young Rhône white, and it pairs well with green vegetables such as steamed asparagus or young peas, and a light herb salad that balances the richness of the sauce.