James Beard's New Fish Cookery (4 page)

Dill Sauce.
Add 1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill.

Cream Sauce.
Follow the basic sauce béchamel recipe, but substitute cream, or half cream and half milk, for the fish broth and milk.

SAUCE CARDINAL

1 cup fish stock

1 truffle (optional)

1/2 cup heavy cream

11/2 cups sauce béchamel

4 tablespoons lobster butter (page 32)

Using a high heat reduce the fish stock to 1/2 cup. While it is reducing, you may add a truffle to the stock, if you wish. Combine the stock with the cream and the béchamel. When it is smooth and thickened, remove it from the fire and stir in the lobster butter.

HORSERADISH SAUCE

1/2 cup grated fresh horseradish

1 cup sauce béchamel

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Add the horseradish to the sauce, blend well, and add the lemon juice. If you use bottled horseradish, be sure you drain it well before you mix it with the sauce, and omit the lemon juice.

SAUCE POULETTE

1 cup white sauce

2 egg yolks

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Chopped parsley

Make a basic white sauce, add the egg yolks, and blend well with a wooden spoon or whisk. Season with lemon juice and parsley. Be careful not to let the sauce boil after the egg yolks are added.

SAUCE BOURGUIGNONNE

1 small onion

6 mushrooms

4 tablespoons butter

2 cups fish stock

1 cup red wine

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Beurre manié (page 475)

Chopped parsley

Chop the onion very fine and slice the mushrooms very thin. Sauté them in butter until they are cooked through. Add the fish stock and the wine and let it simmer until reduced by half. Correct the seasoning and thicken with beurre manié (balls of butter and flour kneaded together). Add chopped parsley just before serving. Serve with poached fish such as salmon, salmon trout, or sturgeon.

VARIATION

Add anchovy paste to taste along with a dash of lemon juice.

SAUCE HOLLANDAISE

This is sometimes called sauce Isigny. The secret of a good Hollandaise is to use the finest of sweet butter, to be sure the pan in which you make it does not touch the water below, and to be sure that the water never boils. Use either a wooden spoon or a wire whisk (I think the latter is better).

3 egg yolks

1 or 2 teaspoons water

1/4 pound (1/2 cup) butter, cut into small pieces

Few grains cayenne pepper

Few grains salt

Lemon juice or tarragon vinegar

Combine the egg yolks and water in the upper part of a double boiler and whisk over hot water until the eggs are well mixed and slightly thickened. Gradually add the butter. Whisk all the time, and be certain that the water below does not boil. If your sauce becomes too thick, dilute it with a little water. If it curdles, you can bring it back with a little boiling water. When it is properly emulsified, add the cayenne and a few grains of salt and the lemon juice (or vinegar) to taste.

SAUCE MOUSSELINE

This is a combination of equal parts of Hollandaise and whipped cream. It is one of the most delicate sauces in cookery.

SAUCE BÉARNAISE

This is prepared exactly like a Hollandaise except that it has some added flavorings. Take 2 teaspoons of chopped fresh tarragon or 1 teaspoon of dried, 2 teaspoons of finely chopped shallots or green onions, a small pinch of salt and a pinch of black pepper. Add these to 3 tablespoons of wine vinegar and cook it down until it is practically a glaze. Add this glaze to the egg yolks and then proceed as for Hollandaise. Flavor with finely chopped tarragon, parsley, and chervil, and a speck of cayenne. Add more lemon juice or tarragon vinegar, if you like.

BÉARNAISE TOMATE

This is a blend of Béarnaise and tomato paste, flavored with a little salt and pepper and a bit of tarragon.

DUXELLES

1 medium onion

1/2 pound mushrooms

6 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon chopped parsley

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Chop the onion very fine. Chop the mushrooms — caps and stems — very fine and press them in a cloth or sieve to release any natural moisture.

Melt the butter in a skillet. Add the onion and let it become just transparent. Add the mushrooms and let them cook down to almost a paste. Add the parsley, salt, and pepper to taste, and cook until there is practically no moisture left. This may be stored in the refrigerator and used for various sauces or stuffings.

SAUCE DUXELLES

This is a very practical sauce as it can be served with a great number of fish dishes.

3/4 cup white wine

3/4 cup fish stock
or
bouillon

2 tablespoons chopped shallots
or
onions

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup strong stock (fish or meat)

1/2 cup tomato paste

3 tablespoons duxelles

Combine the wine, the fish stock, and the chopped shallots or onion. Bring to a boil and let it reduce by half. Melt the butter in a large saucepan or skillet, combine with the flour, and let it cook until lightly colored. Gradually stir in the additional stock, the tomato paste, and the reduced wine and broth mixture. Stir until thickened and well blended. Add the duxelles and blend again. Taste for seasoning.

SAUCE A L’AMÉRICAINE

3 tablespoons butter

1 small chopped onion

6 chopped shallots
or
green onions

5 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

3 tablespoons chopped parsley

1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
or
1 teaspoon dried tarragon

11/2 teaspoons thyme

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons tomato paste

Melt the butter and sauté the onion for a few minutes. Add the shallots, tomatoes, garlic and herbs and simmer for 1 hour. Season to taste and let cook down and blend thoroughly. Add the tomato paste at the last.

NOTE
: Actually, sauce à I’Américaine is usually added to fish (generally shellfish) as it cooks in white wine. During the cooking process the sauce and the wine blend. The fish is then dished out on a platter and the liquid poured over and around it. The amount of sauce given above will blend with 11/2 cups of wine or fish stock.

SAUCE ITALIENNE

Brown roux

12 mushrooms

3 tablespoons butter

1 cup tomato paste
or
1 can condensed tomato soup

3/4 cup fish stock

2 tablespoons chopped herbs (parsley, tarragon, chervil or dill)

Make a brown roux by browning 4 tablespoons of flour and combining with an equal amount of butter.

Chop the mushrooms very fine and cook them down in the butter until they are a paste.

Heat the tomato paste and the fish stock, which should be reduced a bit; when this has almost reached the boiling point, stir in the mushrooms and the roux and continue stirring until properly thickened. Add the chopped herbs and taste for seasoning.

CURRY SAUCE

2/3 cup grated coconut
or
ground almonds

1 cup milk

2 onions

1 apple, cored but unpeeled

2 tomatoes, peeled and seeded

4 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons curry powder

Salt

1 cup white wine

Cream, if needed

Put the coconut or almonds to soak in the milk.

Chop the onions, apple, and tomatoes. Melt the butter in a skillet and cook the onion until just soft. Add the apple, tomatoes, curry powder, and salt to taste. Cook slowly until the vegetables are tender. Add the wine and simmer for 15 minutes; then add the coconut or almond milk and simmer for 15 minutes more. Force the sauce through a fine sieve, return it to the stove, and let it cook down for a few minutes until well blended and thickened. Add a little cream if necessary. Taste for seasoning.

SAUCE DIABLE

6 shallots
or
1 small onion with 1 clove garlic finely chopped

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/2 cup consommé
or
fish broth

1/2 cup white wine

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon salt

Cayenne pepper

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 teaspoon Tabasco

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Sauté the shallots or onion and garlic in butter. Add mustard. Gradually add the consommé and wine, blending well. Add remaining seasonings and taste.

BARBECUE SAUCE

2 medium-sized onions, finely chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup tomato sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon basil

1/2 cup steak sauce

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 cup strained honey

1/2 cup red wine

Sauté the onions in olive oil until lightly browned. Add the tomato paste, salt, basil, steak sauce, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and honey. Allow to simmer 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the wine and allow the sauce to come just to the boiling point. Taste for seasoning. Strain through a fine sieve.

ANCHOVY ONION SAUCE

2 large or 4 medium-sized Spanish onions

4 tablespoons olive oil

10 anchovy fillets

1/4 cup chopped parsley

Thyme

Fresh or dried basil

1 cup Italian tomato paste

1/4 cup white wine

Peel the onions and chop them fine. Sauté them until delicately golden, but not brown, in olive oil. Add the anchovy fillets, each cut into 2 pieces. Mix very carefully with the onions and add the chopped parsley and a few leaves of thyme and basil. Stir in the tomato paste mixed with the wine and let the entire sauce cook down very slightly. Taste for seasoning. Whether you need additional salt depends on the saltiness of the anchovies.

SAUCE PROVENÇALE

3/4 cup finely chopped onion

6 cloves garlic, very finely chopped

1/2 cup olive oil

1 32-oz. can Italian plum tomatoes

11/2 teaspoons salt

3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
or
11/2 teaspoons dried basil

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 heaping tablespoons tomato paste

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Sauté the onions and garlic in the oil over medium-high heat. Add the tomatoes and seasonings, bring to the boil, reduce heat, and cook slowly for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Correct seasonings. Add the tomato paste and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Finally, add the parsley and stir together.

BROWNED BUTTER (BEURRE NOISETTE)

This is really browned butter. Heat the butter in a small skillet or pipkin, turning the pan from side to side, until it is a delicate brown but not burned.

BEURRE MAITRE D’HOTEL

Beurre noisette (browned butter) with lemon juice to taste.

BLACK BUTTER (BEURRE NOIR)

Heat 6 tablespoons of butter until well browned. Add lemon juice or wine vinegar to taste and blend well.

LEMON BUTTER

Heat the amount of butter needed and add lemon juice to taste.

VARIATION

Lime Butter.
Substitute lime juice for lemon juice.

LOBSTER BUTTER

Grind or pound cooked lobster shells until very fine. Combine with the quantity of butter needed for the recipe and force through a fine strainer. To each 1/4 pound of butter add the shells from a 1-pound lobster.

ANCHOVY BUTTER

Cream 1/2 cup butter until it is light. Fold in 6 anchovy fillets, finely chopped, or use anchovy paste to taste. Add a few drops of lemon juice and 1 teaspoon chopped parsley.

VARIATION

You may melt the butter and stir in the anchovy paste. Season with a few drops of lemon juice.

CAVIAR BUTTER

Cream 6 tablespoons of butter until light and add 1 tablespoon of caviar (more or less, according to your taste). Season with a few drops of lemon juice.

HERB BUTTER

Cream 1/4 pound of butter and blend in 1 tablespoon each of finely chopped parsley, chives, chervil and tarragon. If you use the dried tarragon and chervil, use 1 teaspoon each.

VARIATION

Tarragon-Chive Butter.
Cream butter and add chopped chives and tarragon to taste.

Parsley Butter.
Cream butter and add chopped parsley to taste.

SAUCE AÏOLI

This sauce is a regular Friday dish for many people living in the South of France. It was formerly made by pounding the garlic in a mortar, but you can make it much more easily with a blender or food processor.

12 cloves garlic

3 cups olive oil, plus 3 tablespoons

4 egg yolks

Salt

Lemon juice

To prepare in a blender, blend the garlic in the container with 1 egg yolk and 3 tablespoons olive oil. Combine this paste with a very heavy mayonnaise, made with 3 egg yolks and 3 cups olive oil, depending on the size of the eggs. Season with the salt and lemon juice to taste.

To prepare in a food processor, combine 6 to 8 cloves garlic, 1 whole egg, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, salt, and freshly ground black pepper in the beaker. With the metal chopping blade in place, process, gradually adding 11/2 cups olive oil.

To prepare in a mortar, pound the garlic in the mortar; gradually add the egg yolks and finally pound in the olive oil, a tablespoon at a time (approximately 31/2 cups), until the consistency of a thick mayonnaise is reached. Season with salt and lemon juice to taste.

SAUCE MAYONNAISE

2 egg yolks

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1 pint peanut
or
olive oil

Lemon juice
or
vinegar

Beat the egg yolks, salt, and mustard together and gradually add the oil, beating constantly until well thickened and stiff. Thin with lemon juice or vinegar to taste.

If your mayonnaise starts to curdle, begin over with another egg yolk and a little oil, and gradually add the curdled mixture. I find that it is important to have your eggs and oil at the same temperature.