James Beard's New Fish Cookery (15 page)

VARIATION

Omit the potatoes and cover the herring with 3 large onions, thinly sliced and steamed in butter for 15 minutes. Dot with butter and season with salt and pepper. Bake at 450° according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 8), basting often. A few minutes before the fish is done, sprinkle the top with grated Gruyère or Swiss cheese. Serve with plain boiled potatoes.

SMOTHERED HERRING

6 shallots
or
green onions

4 tablespoons butter
or
oil

8 split, boned herring
or
fillets

Butter

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

White wine

Beurre manié (page 475) (if desired)

Chop the shallots very fine and sauté them in the butter or oil for 5 minutes. Place the herring, or herring fillets, on top of this. Dot them with butter and season with salt and pepper. Cover them with white wine. Bring to a boil over medium heat; reduce the heat and simmer according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 12).

Remove the fish to a hot platter. Reduce the liquid by half and pour over the fish. If you wish a thicker sauce, add beurre manié to the pan juices and stir over low heat until smooth and well blended.

BAKED SPICED HERRING

Butter

3 carrots, chopped

3 onions, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

4 sprigs of parsley, chopped

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

White wine

1 bay leaf

Sprig of thyme

6 peppercorns

Pinch of allspice

2 cloves

12 small herring

Rings of sliced onion

Thin slices of carrot

1/4 cup wine vinegar

Butter a large baking dish or casserole and cover the bottom with the chopped carrots, onions, garlic, and parsley. Salt and pepper to taste, add white wine to cover; add the bay leaf, thyme, peppercorns, allspice, and cloves. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

Clean the fish and place them on top of the vegetables. Cover with onion rings and carrot slices; add the wine vinegar and more wine — enough to cover. Bake at 425° according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 8). Let the fish cool in the liquid, and serve them chilled as a main course for lunch or as a first course for dinner.

VARIATIONS

1. Add 1/2 cup of olive oil and 1/2 cup of tomato sauce to the mixture.

2. Add 2 tablespoons of curry powder, 1/2 cup of tomato sauce, and 4 pimientos cut in strips.

COLD HERRING HORS D’OEUVRE

4 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped

3 medium onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

6 tablespoons olive oil

4 or 5 pimientos cut in julienne

1 teaspoons fresh basil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup tomato paste

8 small herring

Sauté the tomatoes, onion, and garlic in the olive oil until soft. Add the pimientos, basil, salt, pepper, and tomato paste. Oil a baking dish, arrange the herring in it, top with the sauce, and cover tightly. Bake at 425° according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 8). Let the fish cool in the sauce.

Serve cold on greens with lemon slices, capers, and chopped parsley.

HERRING ROE

Herring roe, like the roe of salmon, shad, and whitefish, is excellent when poached or sautéed. See shad roe, pages 222–224.

Herring in Brine

If your family likes cured fish, you will find herring in brine one of the most versatile foods you can buy. The 9-to-10-pound kegs of the Holland or German variety are excellent. But before using this fish, you must freshen it in cold water for 24 hours. Change the water several times. After the fish has soaked, cut off the head, split the fish in half, bone it, and, if you wish, skin it.

ROLLMOPS

To make 12 rollmops:

6 herring in brine

12 sweet
or
3 dill pickles

4 medium onions

1 cup vinegar

1 cup water

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 bay leaves

1 clove garlic

1 teaspoon thyme

3 or 4 allspice

3 or 4 cloves

8 peppercorns

Prepare the herring as above, but do not skin them. Rinse them well; on each half herring place 1 sweet pickle or 1/4 dill pickle. Roll up and fasten with a toothpick. Arrange the rollmops in a large bowl or crock that has a cover. Top with a layer of thinly sliced onions.

Combine the vinegar, water, sugar, bay leaves, garlic, thyme, and spices. Bring to the boiling point. Pour this hot pickle over the rollmops and cover them. Chill in the refrigerator for 48 hours. Serve as a luncheon dish or as hors d’oeuvre.

MARINATED HERRING

6 herring in brine

Sliced onions

Diced raw apple

Bay leaves

Dry mustard

Freshly ground black pepper

White wine

Sour cream

Soak and prepare the herring as above. Arrange a layer of the herring halves in the bottom of a glass or earthenware dish. Add a layer of sliced onions, 1/2 apple diced, a bay leaf, a sprinkling of mustard and pepper, and 3 tablespoons of white wine. Arrange another layer of the fish and repeat. When all the ingredients are used, cover the whole with heavy sour cream.

Cover the dish and chill for 24 hours. Serve as an appetizer or as a main course at luncheon with rye bread and beer.

VARIATION

Chop the herring into small dice and place in a large jar with 2 chopped onions and 1 chopped apple. Add 2 bay leaves, crushed, 3 tablespoons of vinegar, and 1/2 cup of dill and parsley mixed. Top with sour cream, cover, and chill for 24 to 36 hours. Serve as hors d’oeuvre.

PICKLED HERRING

6 herring in brine

Onion slices

Bay leaves

Cayenne pepper

Sliced lemon

1 cup wine vinegar

1/2 cup white wine

2 tablespoons prepared mustard

1 teaspoon sugar

Prepare the herring as above. Place a layer of the fish in a large dish, add a layer of onion, a bay leaf, a dish of cayenne, and a layer of lemon slices. Repeat.

Mix the vinegar, wine, mustard, and sugar and bring to a boil. Pour this over the fish. When cool, cover and chill for several days.

VARIATIONS

1. Omit the vinegar and sugar and double the white wine.

2. Arrange the herring in the dish with onion rings. Blend 2/3 cup of Dijon mustard with 1/2 cup olive oil. Season with a dash of cayenne pepper and 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill. Add 1/2 cup white wine. Pour this sauce over the fish, cover, and chill for 2 days.

HERRING SALAD

There are many versions of this dish, all good and all excellent changes from the usual supper or buffet dish.

3 herring in brine

4 potatoes, cooked and diced

5 beets, cooked and diced

2 tart apples, sliced

1 onion, diced

1 or 2 dill pickles, diced

11/2 cups cooked veal, diced

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup wine vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

Coarsely ground black pepper, to taste

Hard-cooked eggs

Wash, soak, and prepare the herring as above. Remove both the bones and the skin. Cut the flesh into small dice and combine with all the other ingredients. Mix well; chill thoroughly.

Serve on a bed of greens and garnish with hard-cooked eggs.

Smoked Herring

Smoked herring come in fillets. They are rather heavily smoked and should be trimmed and soaked in water, water and milk, or white wine for several hours. The length of time you soak them will depend on how much smoky taste you like. I recommend soaking the fillets in a mixture of half water and half milk.

HERRING IN OIL

This is the customary way to serve smoked herring. After they have soaked for 2 hours or more, remove them from the liquid and dry them. Arrange a layer of the fillets in a dish, top with a layer of sliced onions and then sliced carrots. If you wish to be elaborate, scallop the edges of the carrot slices. Add several bay leaves. Repeat these layers. Cover the fish and vegetables with olive oil and chill for 48 hours.

Serve the fillets on lettuce with lemon quarters. Have some good German or French potato salad — made by pouring oil and vinegar over the hot sliced potatoes.

HERRING SALAD, RUSSIAN STYLE

Make a potato salad: Mix sliced cooked potatoes with finely cut onion and parsley and dress with oil and vinegar. Arrange this on a large platter. Top with a layer of sliced tart apple dressed with oil and vinegar. Arrange the herring fillets on top in a lattice design. Surround with quartered hard-cooked eggs, quartered tomatoes, and sliced cucumbers marinated in a sweet-sour dressing. Serve with sauce vinaigrette (page 36) heavily laced with grated horseradish.

KIPPERED HERRING AND BLOATERS

Both kippers and bloaters are herring. The bloaters are simply older and fatter. I think that the kippers available in the fish markets are far superior to the canned variety.

Both kippers and bloaters are best if heated through. They may be placed in a baking dish, skin side up, dotted with butter, and warmed in the oven. Or you may dot them with butter and heat under the broiler flame. Be careful not to overcook them or they will be decidedly dry and uninteresting.

Serve them with scrambled eggs and crisp toast and you have a very good breakfast. Personally I prefer tea, rather than the usual coffee, with this breakfast menu.

Kingfish

This giant, which may weigh as much as 75 pounds, is a relative of the Spanish mackerel. It preys upon lesser fishes off Florida and in the Gulf. It is strong, fast, and gamy, with sharp teeth that can easily ruin fishing gear. Sometimes it is seen leaping as high as ten feet out of the water. (See also California kingfish.)

Gastronomically, the kingfish has a distinguished flavor. It is sold from November to March, whole, filleted, or in steaks.

BROILED KINGFISH STEAKS

Select good-sized steaks and brush them well with olive oil.

Broil according to directions on pages 9–10.

VARIATIONS

1. Broil thick steaks, basting them with oil. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. When they are done, arrange them on a bed of dried thyme, rosemary, and fennel and top with parsley. Pour 1/3 cup of rum over the fish and ignite. Let it blaze until the herbs have burned down and flavored the fish steaks.

2. Broil thick steaks. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, sprinkle well with paprika, and dot with buttered crumbs. Serve with a sauce diable (page 29).

SAUTÉED KINGFISH

Use either steaks or fillets, dip them in flour and proceed as for sauté meunière (page 10).

SAUTéED KINGFISH A L’ANGLAISE

Dip steaks into flour, beaten egg, and crumbs, and sauté in butter or bacon fat according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 10). Salt and pepper to taste and serve with a tartar sauce (pages 35–36) or a sauce rémoulade (page 35).

BAKED KINGFISH STEAKS AU GRATIN

Choose 1 steak per person. Dip in flour and arrange in an oiled baking dish. Dot with butter and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bake at 425° according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 8). When they are cooked through, cover with a sauce velouté (page 21) and sprinkle with buttered crumbs and grated Parmesan cheese. Brown under the broiler for 3 or 4 minutes.

VARIATIONS

1. Proceed as above, but add 1 cup of seedless grapes to the sauce velouté before pouring it over the fish. Omit the cheese.

2. Arrange the steaks in the oiled dish. Top with paper-thin slices of onion and a slice of tomato. Salt and pepper and dot with butter. Bake at 425° according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 8), basting often. Serve with a tomato sauce (page 23).

BAKED WHOLE KINGFISH

If you find a smaller-sized fish, one that you can cook whole, stuff it with your favorite stuffing and bake in an oiled baking pan with red wine. Bake at 425° according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 8). Baste frequently with the red wine and serve with a tomato sauce (page 23).

KINGFISH STEW

4 leeks, well cleaned

2 carrots

3 stalks celery

4 tomatoes, peeled and seeded

2 medium onions

1 green pepper

6 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic

1 bay leaf

Sprig of thyme

Several sprigs of parsley

11/2 pints fish stock

6 slices kingfish, 1 inch thick

Butter

1/2 pound shelled shrimp

1 pint oysters

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Cut the vegetables in julienne strips. Sauté them in the olive oil. Add the garlic, bay leaf, thyme, parsley, and the fish stock made from the heads and tails of fish.

Brown the kingfish slices lightly in butter and add them to the stock and vegetables. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add the shrimp and oysters and cook for 3 minutes longer. Season to taste.

Pour into a large tureen or bowl, garnish with lemon slices, and serve with garlic bread.

COLD KINGFISH

Poach a whole kingfish (or a large piece of kingfish) in a court bouillon (page 18). When it has cooled, remove the skin and serve with mayonnaise and cucumbers, or with a sauce rémoulade (page 35).

Ling Cod or Long Cod

Despite the name, this Pacific Coast fish is not a member of the cod family, nor does it resemble the cod. It is a greenish fish with brown spots, and its flesh has a greenish cast.

Ling cod averages about 12 pounds. It is sold whole and in steaks and fillets. The fresh fish sells well in West Coast markets; the smoked ling cod is popular, too.

BROILED LING COD

Use steaks or fillets and follow directions for broiling, pages 9–10. Serve with lemon butter (page 31), parsley butter (page 33), Hollandaise sauce (pages 25–26), or sauce Béarnaise (page 27).

BAKED LING COD FINES HERBES

Split and bone a small ling cod. Place it in a well-oiled baking dish, flesh side up, and sprinkle with chopped chives, tarragon, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper, dot with butter, and bake at 425° according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 8).