James Beard's New Fish Cookery (18 page)

With this serve saffron rice, garlic bread, and a salad of mixed greens dressed with garlic and oil. Amazingly enough, a rosé wine seems to be an excellent accompaniment.

CREOLE COURT BOUILLON

Follow the recipe for New Orleans court bouillon (pages 53–54), substituting redfish for red snapper.

POACHED REDFISH

You may poach either a whole redfish, a large piece, or fillets. Cook in a court bouillon (page 18), and serve with any of the sauces used for similar fish: Hollandaise (pages 25–26), Béarnaise (page 26), Mornay (page 22), or oyster, shrimp, or lobster sauce (page 21).

COLD REDFISH

Serve poached redfish cold with sauce rémoulade (page 35), sauce gribiche (pages 36–37), mayonnaise (page 34), or vinaigrette sauce (page 36).

COLD REDFISH BAYOU

1 3-pound piece of redfish

1 sliced onion

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup chopped green onion

1/4 cup chopped green pepper

1/4 cup chopped celery

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 envelope gelatin

1/4 cup cold water

Poach the redfish in boiling water with the sliced onion and salt and pepper, according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 12). Remove it from the broth, and when it is cool enough to handle, skin it and take out the bones. Add these to the broth, and let it cook down one third.

Break the fish into small pieces and mix with the green onion, green pepper, and celery. Moisten the mustard with the lemon juice, and blend it into the fish and vegetable mixture. Soak the gelatin in the cold water and stir it into 2 cups of the boiling fish broth. Mix the fish into the broth and gelatin, pour it all into a mold or loaf pan, and chill thoroughly.

When ready to serve, slice the fish loaf and arrange the slices on a bed of green. Serve with a sauce rémoulade (page 35) or with vinaigrette sauce (page 36).

Red Snapper

This delicate Gulf fish should not be confused with the more oily and less meaty West Coast snapper, a fish that abounds on the West Coast, especially around Astoria, Oregon. The red snapper is a magnificent fish, 2 or 3 feet long and weighing up to 30 pounds. To see one resting on the ice in a market showcase is most attractive, and its fine flavor is just as appealing to the appetite.

Red snappers weighing around 5 pounds are often sold whole. The larger ones are cut into steaks and fillets. The meat is excellent prepared in almost any manner.

Other species of snapper, smaller and less colorful, are caught in the Gulf region, but are usually marketed locally. These include the yellowtail of Key West, the gray snapper, the mutton-fish, and the schoolmaster. All are fine eating.

In general, snapper may be prepared according to any of the recipes suggested for sea bass (pages 214–216).

BROILED RED SNAPPER

Follow directions for broiling, pages 9–10.

SAUTÉED RED SNAPPER

Follow directions for sautéing, page 10.

VARIATIONS

1. Just before removing the fish from the pan, add chopped garlic and parsley in equal proportions.

2. When the fish is almost cooked, add to the pan 1 teaspoon fresh or dried tarragon and 1/2 cup white wine. Swirl this around for a few seconds and pour it over the fish. Parsley is a pleasant addition.

FILLET OF RED SNAPPER AMANDINE

4 fillets of red snapper

Flour

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Butter

1/2 cup blanched almonds

1/4 cup melted butter

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Dip the fillets in flour, season with salt and pepper, and sauté in butter according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 10). Meanwhile, chop the almonds and brown them in melted butter. Remove the fillets to a hot platter and add the almonds to the pan in which the fish was cooked. Add the lemon juice, heat the mixture through, and pour over the fillets.

VARIATION

Add 1/4 cup dry white wine to the pan juices along with the almonds and the lemon juice. Quickly bring to a bubbling boil and pour over the fillets.

RED SNAPPER STUFFED WITH SEAFOOD

1 4-pound red snapper

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Butter

Flour

1 cup dry bread crumbs

1 cup chopped raw shrimp

1 cup chopped green onions

1 cup chopped raw oysters

1/2 cup chopped celery

Bacon

Wash and clean the fish for stuffing. Season the inside with salt and pepper, rub it with butter, and sprinkle with flour. Mix the bread crumbs, shrimp, onions, oysters, celery, and season to taste. Add a lump of butter to the mixture and stuff the fish lightly. Sew it up and arrange it on well-greased baking pan.

Sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper. Score the skin in two or three places and strip with bacon. Place the fish in a 425° oven and bake according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 8). Baste often during the cooking.

BAKED STUFFED RED SNAPPER

1 4-pound red snapper

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Butter

1 large onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

4 cups dry bread crumbs

1 cup minced cucumber

1/2 cup chopped toasted almonds

1 teaspoon thyme

White wine
or
sherry

Prepare the fish for baking. Rub the inside with salt, pepper, and butter. Sauté the onion and garlic in butter until they are soft, then add them to the bread crumbs, cucumber, and almonds. Season all with salt, pepper, and thyme, and moisten, if you wish, with white wine or sherry. Stuff the fish lightly and sew it up.

Place the fish on a well-greased baking pan, season it with salt and pepper, and add a little white wine or sherry to the pan. Bake the fish in a 425° oven according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 8). Baste occasionally with the pan juices, adding more wine and butter if necessary.

BAKED SNAPPER FLORIDA

This fine dish calls for a red snapper weighing 5 to 7 pounds. I first tasted it in the South, and the experience was memorable.

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 large green pepper, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

Bacon fat

2 cups dry bread crumbs

Fresh dill or dill seeds

3 eggs, beaten

Bacon strips (optional)

11/2 cups red wine

3 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup tomato paste

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Chopped parsley

First clean and split the fish, leaving the head intact. To prepare the stuffing, sauté the onion, pepper, and garlic in the bacon fat. Add the bread crumbs, a touch of fresh dill or a few dill seeds, the eggs, and another tablespoon of bacon fat. Stuff the fish with this mixture and sew or secure it with toothpicks.

Arrange it in an oiled baking pan and brush it with bacon fat or strip it with bacon. Add 1 cup of the red wine to the pan and bake at 425° according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 8). Remove the fish to a hot platter while you prepare the sauce.

Blend the flour with the pan drippings; add the tomato paste and the remaining 1/2 cup of red wine. Stir constantly until the mixture is smooth and thick. Season the sauce with salt, pepper, and parsley, and serve with the fish.

This delicious dish should be accompanied by plain boiled potatoes and a chilled rosé wine.

POACHED RED SNAPPER

For one of the most elegant fish dishes in the country, poach a good-sized red snapper according to the directions for poaching fish (page 12). Use a mild court bouillon (page 18), and serve with a sauce mousseline (page 26) or sauce Béarnaise (page 26).

Cold poached red snapper, jellied or plain, is very delicate. Serve with a good olive oil mayonnaise or rémoulade (pages 34, 35). For a spectacular summer dish, serve a cold poached red snapper on a platter with cold lobster, the whole garnished with cold jumbo shrimp and greens. Sauce verte (page 34) is the ideal accompaniment.

QUENELLES MADE WITH RED SNAPPER

The finest quenelles are made with a combination of red snapper, sea bass, and pickerel. The snapper gives them a body and flavor approximating the qualities of the famous French quenelles.

1/2 pound filleted red snapper

1/4 pound sea bass

1/4 pound pickerel
or
pike

2 pounds beef kidney fat

11/2 quarts very heavy, rich cream

6 egg yolks

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Nutmeg

8 egg whites

Pound the fish in a mortar or grind it several times until it is pureed. Also grind or pound beef kidney fat until it is creamy. Combine the kidney fat and the fish, then work in 1 quart of the cream to which you have added the egg yolks. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and a little nutmeg. Blend with the stiffly beaten egg whites, and then force the mixture through a fine sieve. Put the mixture in a bowl, set the bowl in ice, and work it with a wooden spoon, gradually adding 1 pint of extra-heavy cream. The mixture must be quite stiff so that you can then mold it into egg-shaped pieces.

Poach the quenelles in boiling salted water for a few minutes and let them dry on a paper towel. They may be dropped into sauce at once, or they may be kept in the refrigerator and reheated in sauce later.

Quenelles may be served in a white wine sauce (page 23).

River Herring

There are two species of river herring along our Atlantic Coast, the alewife, or branch herring, found chiefly in the North, and the blueback, whose range extends south to Florida. Like the salmon, river herring come into freshwater streams to spawn. They are small and bony, weighing on the average about 1/2 pound. They are seldom sold fresh, but support a large industry engaged in preserving them in salt, curing them in vinegar, smoking and canning them.

The river herring may be prepared in any of the ways given for sea herring, pages 133–136, or for sardines, pages 209–210.

Sablefish

Sometimes miscalled Alaska black cod, sablefish is an extraordinarily good Pacific Coast fish that has been greatly neglected. It has a peculiar gelatinous fat — I find it delicate and very tasty.

Especially when it is kippered or smoked, the sablefish has few rivals. The smoked meat can be eaten raw or may be cooked in various fashions.

The fish is sold whole, in steaks and fillets, and in cured forms.

BROILED SABLEFISH

You may broil the whole fish, steaks, or fillets. Brush the fish well with oil and follow the directions for broiling on pages 9–10. Serve with lemon butter (page 31), white wine sauce (page 23), or mustard sauce (page 23).

DEVILED SABLEFISH

Broil sablefish steaks until not quite done. Press crisp buttered crumbs on top and finish cooking, browning the crumbs well. Serve with sauce diable (page 29).

SAUTÉED SABLEFISH

Use steaks or fillets. Flour the fish well and sauté according to the directions on page 10. Serve with lemon butter (page 31) or lemon quarters.

SABLEFISH À L’ANGLAISE

Dip sablefish steaks or fillets into flour, then into beaten egg, and roll in crumbs. Sauté in butter according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 10). Serve with sauce soubise (page 22) or a tomato sauce with curry added (page 23).

BAKED SABLEFISH

Bake the whole fish, a section of the fish, or steaks. Place the fish on an oiled baking dish, dot with butter, and season with salt and pepper. Bake at 450° according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 8).

KIPPERED SABLEFISH

You may eat the kippered fish plain or use it in any of the recipes given for finnan haddie (pages 120–122).

BAKED SABLEFISH CREOLE

When I was a child we often had this fish with an imitation Creole sauce.

2-to-3-pound piece of sablefish

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2/3 cup red wine

2 medium onions, chopped

1 or 2 cloves garlic, chopped

6 tablespoons butter

6 to 8 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped

Chopped parsley

Place the fish in an oiled baking dish, season, and add the wine. Bake at 425° according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 8), basting with the wine frequently.

Sauté the onions and garlic in butter until they are just soft. Add the tomatoes and simmer until the mixture is thoroughly soft and well blended. Season to taste and serve poured around the fish. Top with chopped parsley.

POACHED SABLEFISH

Poach the fish in boiling salted water or in a highly seasoned court bouillon (page 18). Serve with Hollandaise sauce (pages 25–26), sauce Mornay (page 22), white wine sauce (page 23), shrimp sauce (page 21), or oyster sauce (page 21).

CURRIED SABLEFISH

Poach sablefish and arrange it on a bed of rice. Serve with curry sauce prepared from the bouillon (page 18). Pass chutney and crisp French-fried onions.

SMOKED SABLEFISH

Serve the smoked fish as you would smoked salmon (pages 203–205).

BROILED SMOKED SABLEFISH

Brush with oil and broil as you would fresh sablefish. Serve with lemon quarters.

SMOKED SABLEFISH IN CREAM

Smoked sablefish

13/4 cups thick cream

3 egg yolks

Dash of lemon juice

Freshly ground black pepper

Chopped parsley

Remove the skin and arrange the fish in a gratin dish or oval baking dish. Put the fish in a 250° oven to heat while you are making a heavy cream sauce.

Pour 11/2 cups of the thick cream in a pan and let it come just to a boil. Remove it from the stove and gradually stir in 3 egg yolks beaten with the remaining 1/4 cup heavy cream. Place it over low heat and stir until thickened, but do not let it boil. Add a dash of lemon juice.

Pour this sauce over the fish, sprinkle with pepper and chopped parsley, and run under the broiler to glaze.

VARIATION

Sprinkle with grated Swiss cheese before running under the broiler.

Salmon

Salmon has an international reputation, richly deserved, as gourmet food. Like beef, it is also popular among people of plain taste, and it is eaten even by some members of that minority of Americans who dislike fish in general. Both fresh and quick-frozen salmon are readily obtainable. Smoked, kippered, salted, canned, and potted salmon may be purchased nearly everywhere.