James Beard's New Fish Cookery (2 page)

Cooking Methods

THE CANADIAN COOKING THEORY

The consumption of fish has grown a great deal since I first wrote this book and our knowledge of fish is far greater. There has been a great deal of experimenting on fish, most importantly on cooking time. The Department of Fisheries of Canada went through a long period of testing and made what is probably the most important announcement in fish cookery of the last century, certainly since Mary Evelene Spencer
^*
of the University of Washington gave her ideas. The basic principle of the Canadian rules for cooking is that fish is measured at its thickest point – its depth, not across the fish – and that it be cooked, no matter how, at exactly 10 minutes per inch. We have a little diagram for this so you will get the feeling for it more clearly.

This applies to fillets, whole fish, and steaks, and it applies to baking, broiling, braising, sautéing, frying, poaching, steaming – every sort of preparation of fish. When cooking rolled fillets, measure the diameter of the fillet after you have rolled it. When poaching fish, wait until it reaches the simmering point after you put it into the boiling water, then count your 10 minutes per inch. In sautéing or frying, measure a fillet or a fish, and give it 10 minutes per inch or any fraction thereof. In baking, bake it at 10 minutes per inch in a 450° oven. In braising, do the same thing. And in pan frying or broiling, follow the same rule. The Canadian cooking theory does not apply when cooking shellfish or crustaceans. Elsewhere, it works like a charm and is completely foolproof. Remember, measure the fish at its thickest point, when it’s on its side, not erect, and then give it 10 minutes per inch, no matter how you cook it. I have used this method for over seven years, both in classes round the United States and Europe and in demonstrations. I assure you that with it you get better fish without all of that testing and flaking, which often causes mutilation and overcooking.

The Canadian theory works equally well with fresh fish and frozen fish. If you are cooking frozen fish, do not thaw it, but cook the fish frozen. Instead of counting 10 minutes per inch, simply count 20 minutes. Thus a fish measuring 21/2 inches would take 50 minutes. (If the fish were fresh and measured 21/2 inches, it would cook for 25 minutes.)

Any fish may be cooked by any of the methods given in this section. Sometimes you may hear people say that such and such a fish is “too fat” to broil or that another fish is “too dry” to eat with mayonnaise. These are silly notions. Don’t believe them.

Fish is most responsive to flavoring during the actual cooking process. Some varieties of fish require special flavors to complement natural flavors that are somewhat neutral. Others need only salt and pepper to make them outstanding. And don’t forget that good butter, olive oil, sweet cream, sour cream, and wine enhance fish and give it added goodness.

BAKING

Measure the fish at its largest point. Allow 10 minutes cooking time per inch of thickness. If fish is frozen, double the cooking time. Bake in a very hot oven (425°–450°). When baking stuffed fish, stuff the fish as usual and measure the stuffed fish at its thickest part. Bake it as already explained, allowing 10 minutes per inch for fresh fish, 20 minutes per inch for frozen fish.

Cooking fish in foil or paper
. When cooking fish in either foil or paper, measure the thickness of the fish as already explained and bake in a hot oven (450°), allowing 10 minutes cooking time per inch thickness for fresh fish and 20 minutes cooking time per inch thickness for frozen fish,
plus
additional time for the heat to penetrate the paper or foil. Count on 5 extra minutes for fresh fish and 10 extra minutes for frozen fish.

BROILING – CHARCOAL GRILLING

There is no doubt about it – fish grilled over charcoal has an entirely “different” flavor. Use a hinged grill so the fish will stay in place, and be sure the grill is hot and well oiled when you put the fish into it – it should be hot enough to mark the fish.

Whether whole, half fillets, or steaks, the fish should be well floured and oiled before grilling and should be brushed well with oil several times during the cooking process. Steaks or fillets without skin will need more lubrication than whole fish. Allow 10 minutes cooking time per inch thickness for fresh fish, and 20 minutes cooking time per inch thickness for frozen fish.

OVEN BROILING

Measure the thickness of the fish or pieces of fish and place them on the oiled rack of a broiling pan. Baste with melted fat or basting sauce. Place the broiling pan in a preheated oven, so that the fish is approximately 2 to 4 inches from the heating unit. If fish is frozen, it will have to be placed lower in the oven to prevent overcooking the surface before the interior is cooked. Leave the door ajar if using an electric oven, unless the manufacturer’s directions state otherwise. When fish has browned on one side, turn. Brush with melted fat again. The total cooking time should be 10 minutes per inch thickness for fresh fish, and 20 minutes cooking time per inch thickness for frozen fish. Cuts of fish 3/4 to 1 inch have less tendency to dry out during broiling than thinner cuts. Thin cuts of fish may be broiled
without
turning.

Fillets:
Flour the fillets and rub them well with butter, oil, or other fat. Place them about 2 inches from the heat and baste them once or twice during the cooking process. Do not turn them. Allow 10 minutes cooking time per inch of thickness.

Steaks:
Dust the steaks with flour and dot them well with butter or brush them with oil. Place them on the oiled rack or flat pan about 2 inches from the heat. Steaks should be turned once during the broiling, and it is wise to allow more of the cooking time after the turning than before; then the serving side will have a nice brown color. Baste once or twice, and be sure to give the steaks an extra basting after you turn them to help them brown well. Season steaks after removing from the broiler. Allow 10 minutes cooking time per inch of thickness or fraction thereof.

Split fish:
You may split fish at home or have the fish dealer do it for you. I like a fish broiled with its backbone intact – it seems to make a difference in the juiciness and the flavor. Place the fish skin side down on the oiled broiling rack or in a separate pan. Dust it with flour and dot it heavily with butter or brush it with oil. Broil it 2 to 3 inches from the heat. Very delicately meated fish, such as carp, pike, and whitefish, should be placed a bit farther away. Baste it several times during the cooking and be sure you do not turn it. Allow 10 minutes cooking time per inch of thickness. Season the split fish after cooking.

Whole fish:
A whole fish with the head on will be much juicier than one without the head. Dust the fish with flour, and butter or oil it well on one side. (Oil the second side after turning.) Place smaller fish about 3 inches from the heat, larger ones about 6 inches away. Allow 10 minutes cooking time per inch of thickness, turning once. Fluke, flounder, and sole are usually not turned. Baste often and season after cooking.

PAN FRYING OR SAUTÉING (SAUTÉ MEUNIÈRE)

If necessary, cut fish into serving-sized pieces. Prepare as directed by your recipe. Heat 1/4 inch of melted butter or oil or a combination of butter and oil in a frying pan. Have it very hot, but not smoking. Fry the fish until golden brown on one side; turn and brown on the other side. The complete cooking time will be approximately 10 minutes per inch in thickness. For sauté meunière, proceed as above, remove fish to a hot platter, and add to it the butter from the pan along with a goodly sprinkling of lemon juice and chopped parsley.

DEEP FRYING

Heat the fat in your deep fryer to 375°. Dip the fish in beaten egg and roll in flour, corn meal, or bread crumbs. Place in the frying basket and lower into the fat. Cooking time will be approximately 10 minutes per inch of thickness. Drain on absorbent paper and season to taste.

Be sure the temperature of the fat goes back to 375° before frying other pieces of fish. Be careful not to overcook. Fish done this way can be deliciously juicy and tender or it can resemble sawdust. Deep frying is perhaps the riskiest way to cook fish.

BRAISING

This method is little known in this country but very popular in France. If you’ve never tried it, I urge you to make the experiment. The results are excellent.

Cut 3 carrots, 2 stalks of celery, 3 onions, and a clove of garlic into thin strips. Sauté them in 3 tablespoons of butter for 5 minutes. Arrange them on the bottom of a baking dish, fish boiler, or saucepan. Place your fish on the bed of vegetables, salt and pepper it, and place a few strips of bacon or salt pork across the top. Add enough liquid – red or white wine or a mixture of wine and fish bouillon – to half cover the fish. Let it come to a boil; either cook it very slowly on top of the stove or put it in a 350° oven. In either case baste carefully during the cooking process. The total cooking time will be about 10 minutes per inch of thickness from the time the liquid reaches a boil.

Fish cooked in this manner is usually served with a sauce made of the cooking liquid, put through a sieve and mixed with other ingredients. Sometimes part of the skin is removed after cooking and the fish is decorated with garnishes — mushrooms, truffles, pickles, lemon slices, anchovy fillets.

POACHING

Whether you are going to poach your fish in water or milk, or in any of the court bouillons in this book, the timing is exactly the same. Bring the water or milk to the boiling point; place the fish in it. When it returns to the boiling point, begin timing the fish. Allow 10 minutes cooking time per inch thickness for fresh fish, about 20 minutes cooking time per inch thickness for frozen fish.

Most whole fish are prepared with the head and tail on the fish, but scaled and with the fins run. For ease in handling, wrap the fish in cheesecloth. Leave long ends on the cloth to serve as tabs at each end of the fish and grasp these when you lift it.

Neither fish nor shellfish should not be left in bouillon after they are cooked. They will be overdone and tough.

When you cook fish in court bouillon, the critically important point to remember is that the liquid should never boil or bubble after the fish goes in. Do not discard the broth. It may be used for sauces, aspics, and in any way you use fish stock. If fish is left to cool in the bouillon, the cooking time should be reduced so as not to overcook.

SOUPS AND CHOWDERS

For these methods of cooking, see the section on fish stews, chowders, and soups (pages 42–62).

Serving Wine with Fish

Most fish dishes are enhanced by well-chilled dry white wine. This is neither rule nor ritual but simply a time-tested expression of popular taste and preference. Fish generally has a delicate texture, and its flavor is often elusive. Dry white wines, lacking the roundness and robust taste of the reds, improve the flavor of the fish but do not overwhelm it.

Not everyone agrees. If you are among those people who genuinely like red Burgundy with broiled halibut or sauternes with bouillabaisse, then these preferences are your own special pleasures. No one can say for certain that you are “incorrect.” If, however, you are serving fish to guests whose tastes are unfamiliar to you, probably the wise procedure would be to accompany the dish with the traditional dry white wine.

What if the fish has been cooked in red wine or the sauce contains red wine? Should the cook set aside a jug of red “cooking wine,” distinct and separate from the wine that is to be served with the fish?

The existence of “cooking wine” is a culinary myth. Wine is used in cooking as a flavoring agent; the better the wine, the better the flavor. And so some authorities say that it makes good sense to serve the same wine that was used in cooking the fish. I think it might be more accurate to say that the predominating flavors of a dish, and the intensities of these flavors, should determine what sort of wine is served. If the sauce for a fish is pungently accented with herbs, spices, and garlic, then red wine or rosé may be preferable to white. For example, the famous California dish cioppino is customarily served with red or rosé wine. A number of highly seasoned baked fish dishes — red snapper, redfish, sea trout — are sometimes served with a light red.

There are also some other exceptions to the traditional affinity between fish and dry white wine. Some salmon dishes, for example, are perfect with rosé and also go well with a light red wine. The same is true of some of the heavier fish stews. Many people enjoy rosé or light red wine with swordfish, since its texture is heavier than that of most fish and its flavor rather “meaty.”

Champagne is happily married to all fish dishes — hors d’oeuvre, stews, entrées. Besides champagne, pleasant accompaniments for hors d’oeuvre based on fish and shellfish are dry sherry, rosé, and dry white wine. All should be chilled.

FRENCH WINES

There are no greater wines than the great French wines, and there is no greater complement to a fine fish dish than one of the superb white wines of the Côte de Beaune. The great French wines are readily available in good wine shops in New York, Boston, San Francisco, and other large American cities, but they are often hard to find in smaller cities.