James Beard's New Fish Cookery (19 page)

The bulk of the salmon eaten in this country now comes from the Columbia River, Puget Sound, and Alaska. There was once a time when salmon was also plentiful along the eastern seaboard, but our forefathers fished the rivers so ruthlessly that the eastern catch has become commercially insignificant. Nearly all eastern salmon offered in the markets comes from Canada’s Atlantic seaboard. In New York especially, smoked Nova Scotia salmon is sold as an expensive delicacy.

The decline of salmon fishing in the East has at least set an example for the West Coast. Eager to prevent its own extinction, the Far West salmon industry has cooperated with the government in efforts to perpetuate the great “runs” of salmon that appear each year in western rivers. The migrations are not as large as they once were, but they are still awe-inspiring spectacles.

The salmon of the North Pacific is basically a saltwater fish. It spends most of its life span in the open sea, then returns unerringly to the freshwater stream where it was born. There it spawns and dies. Its fingerlings migrate again to the sea, renewing a mysterious and fascinating cycle.

The mature salmon is a magnificent fish varying in size from 6 to 60 pounds, or even more. Vigorous and game, it is a spectacular jumper of rapids during its final journey to the spawning ground. It often migrates as far as 200 miles inland. There are several varieties of Pacific salmon — Chinook is perhaps the best known — and the meat varies in color from very pale pink to reddish. Eastern salmon is usually paler than the western salmon found in the markets, and some people contend that its flesh is not so firm.

I was brought up near Astoria, Oregon, the center of the Columbia River fishing industry, and salmon was a steady part of our family diet. We never tired of it. My father, who had been a “covered wagon child” during the pioneer days, used to tell us how the Indians smoked and cured salmon for their winter food — and when I was a child, I too saw them spearing and smoking the salmon. Their recipe was beautifully simple. Having speared the fish, they cleaned it, split it, and put it between the branches of a sapling, often spiraea wood. Then they tied the twigs so as to hold the salmon in a sort of cage of wood. This they hung over the fire and slowly cooked and smoked the fish at the same time. This was known to me, when I was small, as Indian “barbecued” salmon. I can recommend it highly. For sauce, try lemon butter.

For broiling or sautéing, you may buy salmon steaks sized according to the fish. I suggest you have steaks cut 1 to 11/2 inches thick. Some places sell fillets of salmon cut from the tail. For baking or cooking in a court bouillon, the best choice is a center cut or a half or whole fish. In our family we used a baby’s bathtub for cooking any whole salmon that was beyond the size of our fish boiler. If you have a revolving split with your outdoor grill or in front of your fireplace, it is no trick to spit and roast the whole fish. In my opinion, a whole salmon revolving on a spit is a pretty wonderful sight.

Fresh Salmon

BROILED SALMON

Whether this is done over charcoal or in the broiler, the procedure is the same. The fish should be about 4 inches from the heating unit.

Brush the steaks or fillets well with oil and squirt with a little lemon juice. If you like herb flavors, you will find that rosemary, dill, or tarragon are all delicious when cooked with salmon. Rub in a little of the herbs before you oil the fish. Place the fish in an oiled broiling pan that has been preheated and broil according to the Canadian cooking theory (pages 9–10), basting the fish once and turning it halfway through the cooking time. Salt and pepper it and remove it to a hot platter. Serve with plenty of lemon, plain boiled potatoes, and a cucumber salad.

VARIATION

If you prefer a rich sauce with the already rich salmon, serve a Hollandaise (pages 25–26) or a Béarnaise (page 26).

SAUTÉED SALMON

Sauté your steaks in a mixture of butter and a small amount of oil. Because salmon is such an oily fish, not much lubrication is required. Flour the steaks lightly, brown on one side, and turn with a large spatula. Salt and pepper the fish and continue cooking until the fish is done, according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 10). Do not overcook. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with lemon. Pour the pan juices over the fish if you wish.

This needs no sauce with it. It is rich, oily, and flavorful.

BAKED STUFFED SALMON

Choose any of the fish stuffings given in the section on stuffings. Salt the interior of the fish lightly and stuff it well. Use small metal skewers stuck through the edges to secure the salmon; lace with light twine. Place the fish in a lightly oiled pan and oil the surface of the skin. Bake at 450° according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 8).

You may bake a whole fish, half a fish, or a center cut. You can also bake salmon steaks and fillets (see page 8).

POACHED SALMON

You may poach the whole fish, half of it, or a small piece. Prepare a court bouillon and, if you are going to make a cold dish, add some extra fish bones and heads to make a rich broth. Wrap the fish in cheesecloth or thin cotton, leaving a length of the material protruding on either end to use as handles. Poach according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 12). Remove the fish and let it cool out of the court bouillon. Reduce the broth and strain.

SAUTÉED SALMON WITH CREAM

4 salmon steaks

Flour

4 tablespoons butter

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup sherry

1 cup heavy cream

Beurre manié (page 475)

Chopped parsley

Dust the steaks lightly with flour and sauté them in butter according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 10). Salt and pepper to taste. When the salmon is done remove it to a hot platter. Add the sherry to the pan and let it cook down for a minute or two. Add the cream and beurre manié and stir until nicely thickened. Add chopped parsley, taste for seasoning, and pour over the salmon.

SALMON SAUTÉ FLORENTINE

4 salmon steaks

Flour

4 tablespoons butter

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

3 cups finely chopped spinach, cooked

1 clove garlic

1 teaspoon tarragon

Lemon juice

Dip the steaks in flour and sauté them in butter according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 10). Season to taste. Serve them on a bed of spinach that has been flavored with garlic, tarragon, and lemon juice. Surround with slices of boiled potato browned and crisped in butter and mixed with sliced mushrooms.

SAUTÉED SALMON WITH CURRY SAUCE

1/2 cup finely chopped onions

6 tablespoons butter

4 salmon steaks or fillets

Flour

2 tablespoons curry powder

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 cup sour cream

Sauté the chopped onions in 2 tablespoons of butter until just soft. Remove them from the pan and add the remaining butter to the pan. Dust the salmon with the flour mixed with about 2 teaspoons of the curry powder. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté the steaks very quickly according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 10). Remove to a hot platter. Return the onions to the pan and reheat. Add the rest of the curry powder and blend well. Gradually stir in the sour cream and heat but do not boil. Check seasoning. Pour sauce over the salmon and serve with rice.

SALMON SAUTÉ WITH MUSHROOM PUREE

1/2 pound mushrooms, finely chopped

8 tablespoons butter

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 cups sauce velouté (page 21)

4 salmon steaks

Flour

8 anchovy fillets

Lemon slices

Sauté the mushrooms in 4 tablespoons of butter until they are thoroughly cooked and almost a puree. Salt and pepper to taste and combine with the sauce velouté. Dust the salmon steaks with flour and sauté in the remaining butter according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 10). Serve with the sauce poured around the fish. Garnish with anchovy fillets and slices of lemon.

BREADED SALMON STEAK NIÇOISE

4 salmon steaks

2 eggs, beaten

Bread crumbs

1/3 cup olive oil

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Anchovy fillets

Lemon slices

1 cup tomato sauce

1 clove garlic

Ripe olives

Dip the salmon steaks in the beaten eggs and roll well in bread crumbs. Sauté them quickly in the olive oil according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 10). Salt and pepper to taste and arrange them on a hot platter topped with anchovy fillets and lemon slices. Serve with a hot tomato sauce flavored with garlic and garnished with ripe olives.

NOTE
: If the paste is too thick, thin it with red wine.

PLANKED SALMON

For this spectacular dish, you will want a whole salmon weighing anywhere from 3 to 12 pounds. (It would be wise to consider the size of your plank in choosing your fish.) Clean and wash the fish as for baking, being sure to leave the head intact. This will give you a juicier, more flavorful dish and also a handsomer one.

Oil the plank well and place it in a cold oven. Bring the heat up to 400°. Remove the plank and arrange the fish on it. Brush it well with butter, and salt and pepper to taste. Return the plank with the fish to the oven and bake according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 8). Shortly before the fish is done, remove the plank from the oven. Using a pastry tube, pipe a border of duchess potatoes to decorate the edge of the plank. Then pipe strips of the potatoes from this border to the fish in the center, like the spokes of a wheel, leaving spaces between to be filled with other vegetables. Brush the potatoes with butter, return the plank to the oven and continue baking until the fish is done and the potatoes browned.

When the fish is done, fill the spaces between the potatoes with any vegetables you choose: small grilled tomatoes, tiny cooked green peas, tiny onions steamed in butter and glazed, bundles of cooked French green beans. Garnish the fish with rings of green pepper and lemon slices. Whisk to the table with a flourish and serve with any sauce you prefer.

SALMON TARTARE

1 medium onion, chopped

2 to 3 cloves garlic, chopped

21/2 to 3 pounds of coarsely chopped bone-free salmon

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Chopped parsley

Chopped dill

2 tablespoons brandy

Mix the onion and the garlic well with the salmon. Flavor to taste with salt, pepper, lemon juice, mustard, parsley, a small amount of dill, and the brandy. Taste for seasoning and add whatever you feel is lacking. Pile the mixture into an attractive serving dish, garnish it with some greens, and chill before serving.

BAKED SALMON, OREGON FASHION

4 to 6 pounds salmon

Salt

Lemon

2 green peppers, seeded and cut in fine strips

2 large onions, thinly sliced

4 large tomatoes, peeled and sliced

3 to 6 sprigs parsley

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

4 tablespoons olive oil

4 strips salt pork

2 cups tomatoes (cooked or canned)

Wash the fish and rub it with salt and lemon. Stuff it with the green peppers, onions, tomatoes, and parsley. Salt and pepper lightly. Place the fish in a lightly oiled baking pan and top with slices of salt pork. Surround it with tomatoes and bake in a 450° oven according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 8), basting occasionally with the pan juices. Remove the fish to a hot platter, blend the pan juices, and taste for seasoning. Serve the sauce separately. Plain boiled potatoes and French peas are excellent with this dish.

NOTE
: If you like, add chopped garlic and red wine to the tomatoes to make a more flavorful sauce.

BAKED SALMON SCANDINAVIAN

11/2 pounds fillet of whitefish
or
sole
or
haddock

3 eggs

1 cup cream

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

1/2 cup crumbs

6 to 8 pounds salmon

4 tablespoons olive oil

4 slices salt pork

Sauce velouté (page 21)

Chopped fresh dill

Parsley

Put the whitefish through the fine blade of the grinder twice or chop in the food processor. Pound it in a mortar or work it over with a wooden spoon, mixing in the eggs and cream until the whole is well blended and smooth. Work in the salt, dill, and the crumbs. Stuff the salmon with this mixture and either sew it up or secure it with skewers and twine. Place the fish on an oiled baking pan and top with salt pork strips. Bake in a 450° oven according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 8). Serve with a sauce velouté seasoned with chopped fresh dill and parsley.

BAKED SALMON SLICES IN SOUR CREAM

2 salmon steaks (2 inches thick)

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups sour cream

1 onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon chopped fresh
dill or
tarragon,
or
1 teaspoon dried tarragon

Parsley

Arrange the steaks in a baking dish and salt lightly. Mix all the other ingredients except the parsley with the sour cream and pour it over the fish. Bake at 450° for about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with crisp shoestring potatoes.

BAKED SALMON SLICES WITH MUSHROOMS AND SEAFOOD

2 salmon steaks, 11/2 inches thick

Oil

1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced

4 tablespoons butter

1/2 pound shrimp, finely chopped

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Fennel
or
tarragon

1 teaspoon salt

1 pint sour cream

Brush the salmon well with oil and place one steak on the bottom of a baking dish. Sauté the mushrooms in butter until just soft, add the chopped shrimp, and let the mixture cook for 1 minute. Spread it on the steak in the pan, salt and pepper to taste, and top with the second steak. Mix the herbs and 1 teaspoon of salt with the sour cream and pour it over the fish. Bake 20 minutes at 450°.