2.25 cups (about 340 g) cold flaked cooked fish (cod, haddock, halibut, or cusk)
1.25 cups (300 ml) whole milk
1 slice onion
1 blade of mace
1 sprig of parsley
0.25 cup (57 g) unsalted butter
0.25 cup (30 g) all-purpose flour
0.25 teaspoon (1.5 g) salt, plus more for layering
0.125 teaspoon (0.3 g) white or black pepper, plus more for layering
1 Lemon juice, a few drops per layer
1 Yolks of 2 large eggs
0.75 cup (about 60 g) buttered cracker crumbs
Instructions
1. Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Lightly butter a 1.5-quart (1.4-liter) shallow ovenproof dish, approximately 9 inches (23 cm) in diameter.
2. Scalding the milk (technique: heating a liquid to just below boiling, around 180°F/82°C, until a skin begins to form at the edges): combine the whole milk, onion slice, blade of mace, and parsley sprig in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat until small bubbles form around the edge and steam rises, 4-6 min. Do not boil. Remove from heat and strain out the onion, mace, and parsley; discard the aromatics.
3. Making the white sauce (technique: a classic roux-based bechamel): melt the butter in a medium heavy saucepan over medium heat until foamy but not browned. Whisk in the flour, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring constantly, for 1-2 min until the mixture smells faintly nutty and looks pale gold — this cooks out the raw flour taste.
4. Gradually pour the hot strained milk into the butter-flour mixture in a thin stream, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Continue to cook over medium heat, stirring, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, 3-5 min.
5. Remove the sauce from the heat. In a small bowl, lightly beat the 2 egg yolks. Slowly whisk 2-3 tablespoons of the hot sauce into the yolks to temper them (technique: tempering — gradually raising the temperature of the eggs by adding hot liquid before combining, to prevent curdling), then pour the tempered yolk mixture back into the saucepan, whisking constantly. Do not return to high heat; the residual warmth is sufficient.
6. Arrange a layer of cold flaked fish over the bottom of the prepared dish. Season lightly with salt and pepper and add a few drops of lemon juice. Spoon a layer of sauce over the fish. Repeat layering — fish, salt, pepper, lemon juice, sauce — until all the fish and sauce are used, shaping the layers into a mounded pyramid (turban) form as you go.
7. Cover the top evenly with the buttered cracker crumbs.
8. Bake at 425°F (220°C) for 18-22 min, until the crumbs are deep golden brown and the sauce is visibly bubbling at the edges of the dish. The internal temperature should reach at least 165°F (74°C).
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