James Beard's New Fish Cookery (5 page)

You may make mayonnaise with a fork, a rotary beater, a whisk, or an electric blender or mixer, or a food processor.

VARIATION

Sauce Andalouse.
To 1 cup mayonnaise add 1/2 cup tomato paste and 2 pimientos, finely chopped. Season with 1/2 teaspoon paprika.

Mayonnaise with Jelly.
Combine equal quantities of mayonnaise and aspic — either lemon or fish, when the jelly is very thick before it has actually jelled. Beat it well with a wire whisk and chill. Use it for masking fish, or as decoration piped through a pastry tube.

Green Mayonnaise (Sauce Verte).
To 2 cups mayonnaise add 1 cup mixed herbs (spinach, watercress, parsley, chives, tarragon) that have been chopped very fine, almost to a powder. Blend well.

SAUCE RÉMOULADE

2 cups mayonnaise

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoon finely chopped tarragon

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 tablespoon capers

2 hard-cooked eggs, finely chopped

1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

1 teaspoon anchovy paste

Mix all the ingredients thoroughly and let stand for 2 hours before serving.

RUSSIAN DRESSING

2 cups mayonnaise

2 tablespoons finely chopped onion

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 ounces caviar

Blend well and let stand for 2 hours before serving.

THOUSAND ISLAND DRESSING

2 cups mayonnaise

2 tablespoons finely chopped onion

1 finely chopped hard-cooked egg

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/3 cup chili sauce

1 tablespoon capers

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

Blend well and let stand for 2 hours before serving.

TARTAR SAUCE

3 tablespoons finely chopped onion

2 cups mayonnaise

2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons finely chopped dill
or
3 tablespoons finely chopped dill pickle

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

Blend well and let stand for 2 hours before serving.

LOUIS DRESSING

1 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons grated onion

1/4 cup chili sauce

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Few grains cayenne pepper

1/3 cup heavy cream, whipped

Mix the mayonnaise, onion, chili sauce, parsley, and cayenne thoroughly. Let them blend while whipping the cream. Fold in the cream until it is well mixed with the mayonnaise mixture. This is excellent on cold shellfish.

VINAIGRETTE

Vinaigrette is nothing more than oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper, the oil and vinegar being apportioned according to your taste. I prefer 3 to 4 parts of oil to 1 of vinegar.

It is often erroneously called “French dressing” in this country.

SAUCE GRIBICHE

This sauce is often mistakenly called “vinaigrette.”

3 yolks of hard-cooked eggs

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon wine vinegar

3 egg whites, hard-cooked and finely chopped

1 tablespoon finely chopped pickle

1 teaspoon finely chopped capers

2 tablespoons finely chopped mixed herbs (chives, parsley, tarragon, chervil)

Crush the egg yolks with a fork and blend well with the mustard, salt, and pepper. Gradually stir in the oil. When it is all absorbed, add the vinegar, egg whites, and the other seasonings. Let the sauce stand for at least an hour to bring out the flavors.

BOILED SALAD DRESSING

2 tablespoons sifted flour

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 cup white wine

1/4 cup lemon juice or vinegar

2 eggs, separated

1/2 cup olive oil

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup sour cream

Combine the flour, sugar, mustard, white wine, and vinegar or lemon juice together in the top of a double boiler. Add the egg yolks, oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Heat over hot water until the mixture thickens. Beat the egg whites until stiff. Add the sour cream and the stiffly beaten egg whites to the mixture and beat with a whisk or wooden spoon until the dressing is thoroughly blended. This can be used hot or cold.

CUCUMBER SAUCE

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup seeded, grated cucumber

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill

2 tablespoons chopped chives

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Blend all the ingredients well. Allow the sauce to stand for 1 or 2 hours in the refrigerator before serving.

SOUR CREAM SAUCE

Season 1 cup of sour cream to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add grated onion or chopped chives if you wish.

COCKTAIL SAUCE I

1/2 cup chili sauce

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup tomato catsup

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon horseradish

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Blend all ingredients well.

COCKTAIL SAUCE II

6 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped

1 green pepper, seeded, and chopped

1 medium onion
or
4 shallots, peeled and chopped

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 tablespoon horseradish

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons lemon juice

Salt to taste

1/2 cup olive oil

Chop the vegetables very fine, add the seasonings and olive oil, and mix thoroughly. Chill before using.

Stuffings and Fish Forcemeat

Stuffings for baked fish vary from the simple to the elaborate — from a bit of chopped onion and parsley to the complicated fish forcemeat. There are plain bread stuffings, vegetable stuffings, and stuffings that include meats or other fish or shellfish.

The recipes listed here are a few general favorites, the ingredients of which may be varied to suit your own taste. You may also select any of a number of stuffings given in various recipes throughout the book. In making your selection, keep in mind the other foods you plan to serve at the meal and the sauce, if any, that you will serve with the baked fish.

SIMPLE BREAD STUFFING

2 large onions, sliced

4 tablespoons butter

1 cup bread crumbs

1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

1/2 teaspoon thyme

2 tablespoons chopped celery leaves

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg, well beaten

Sauté the onions in the butter until soft. Add all the other ingredients and mix thoroughly.

VARIATION

1. Add sautéed chopped mushrooms.

2. Omit the thyme and celery and add chopped toasted almonds.

VEGETABLE STUFFING

2 onions

1 clove garlic

Butter

1 green pepper, seeded and chopped

4 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped

Chopped parsley

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Sauté the onions and garlic in butter just until soft. Add the green pepper, tomato, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.

Fish baked with this stuffing is especially good served with a tomato sauce made with red wine.

PUNGENT STUFFING

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

4 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups dry bread crumbs
or
zwieback crumbs

1 cup ground cooked ham

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 teaspoon dried
or
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Sauté the onion in butter and oil until soft; add the other ingredients and blend thoroughly. If the stuffing is too dry, add a little dry vermouth or sherry.

OYSTER STUFFING

6 green onions, chopped

1/4 cup celery, minced

1/4 cup green pepper, minced

5 tablespoons butter

11/2 cups bread crumbs

1/2 pint oysters and liquor

1/2 cup chopped parsley

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Thyme

Sauté the onions, celery, and green pepper in butter until just soft. Add the crumbs and oysters with their liquor and cook for 3 or 4 minutes. Add the parsley and season to taste with salt, pepper, and thyme.

CRABMEAT STUFFING

2 cups cracker crumbs

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped green pepper

1/2 cup crabmeat

3 eggs

1 teaspoon salt

Dash of cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 cup melted butter

Mix all the ingredients together.

VARIATION

You may substitute chopped shrimp for the crabmeat.

SCANDINAVIAN STUFFING

Stuff the fish with anchovy fillets and pieces of uncooked bacon. This is especially good if you baste the fish with white wine during the cooking.

FISH FORCEMEAT

This is one of the most complicated stuffings. It is very flavorful and is used in several ways: as a stuffing for baked fish, as a spread on rolled fillets, or as small fish balls poached in court bouillon.

1 cup soft bread crumbs

Milk, about 1/2 cup

1 pound pike
or
other white fish

1 egg

4 egg yolks

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Thyme

Tarragon

Heavy cream

Soak the bread crumbs in milk until all the milk is thoroughly absorbed. Grind the fish several times or pound it in a mortar. It must be exceedingly pasty. Add the bread crumbs to the fish; add the egg, egg yolks, seasonings, and enough cream to smooth the mixture. Work it in a mortar or with a heavy wooden spoon over ice until smooth and thoroughly blended.

Fish Stews, Chowders, and Soups

It seems to be human nature to like stews, chowders, and heavy soups made of many ingredients. Almost every country has produced its specialty, and perhaps the most famous of all is the bouillabaisse. This splendid concoction is usually associated with the port of Marseilles, but it has been known for centuries, in one form or another, to the residents of the whole of Southern France.

BOUILLABAISSE

Certain Mediterranean fish, not available in this country, are traditional in the bouillabaisse, but excellent substitutes can be found. A good selection for an American bouillabaisse is haddock or bass for the hearty fish, then lemon sole, whiting, red snapper, flounder — practically any other fish you want. And always eel. For shellfish, use lobster, mussels, sea urchins. For a large bouillabaisse:

3 pounds fish:

1 pound eel

1 pound haddock
or
sea bass

1 pound red snapper

Or you may use a large variety of fish — 1/2 pound each of 6 different kinds

3 pounds lobster

3 dozen mussels

3 leeks

2 large onions, chopped

3 cloves garlic

3 tomatoes

1/3 cup olive oil

Bouquet garni (thyme, bay leaf, parsley, celery, rosemary)

Pinch of saffron

Water
or
fish broth

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Cayenne pepper

Croutons fried in garlic-flavored olive oil

Cut the fish into small serving-sized pieces. Keep the richer, heavier fish — eel, haddock, cod, bass — separate from the more delicate types. Cut the live lobsters into pieces (page 390). Wash and clean the mussels.

Cut the white part of the leeks into small pieces. Chop the onion and the garlic. Peel and seed the tomatoes.

Heat the olive oil in a large kettle. Add the vegetables and let them cook well together. Add the bouquet garni and the heavier fish. Let this cook about 7 or 8 minutes. Add the lighter fish, the lobster, and a good pinch of saffron. Cover with the water or fish broth, season to taste with salt, pepper, and cayenne, and bring to a boil. Cook 8 to 10 minutes. Add the mussels and cook until they open. Place the fish in a deep serving dish and pour the hot liquid over it. Serve the croutons separately.

VARIATION

1. Boil the heads and bones of the fish with water and white wine — 3 quarts of liquid to 3 pounds of heads and bones — for 1/2 hour. Then simmer until the liquid is reduced to 11/2 quarts. Strain, clarify, and use as a liquid for the bouillabaisse.

2. Substitute 1/2 cup of butter for the olive oil. The result is a more delicate dish.

AIGO-SAU

This is similar to bouillabaisse and is also native to the South of France. It is simple to prepare and has interesting variations.

11/2 pounds fresh fish

5 or 6 potatoes, peeled and sliced

2 tomatoes

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Seasonings (bay leaf, fennel, parsley, celery, grated orange rind)

1/3 cup olive oil

Boiling water

Dry bread

Arrange the fish, cut into serving-sized pieces, in a large saucepan and cover with the potatoes. Add the tomatoes, onion, and garlic — all peeled and finely chopped. Add the seasonings — salt, pepper, and herbs. Pour the olive oil on this and add enough boiling water to cover. Boil quickly for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Pour the broth into dishes over slices of dry bread — toasted or not, as you wish — that have been well rubbed with garlic. Serve the fish and the potatoes on a separate plate. This recipe serves 4 to 6 people.

This dish is sometimes served with what is called “rouille,” which is not a sauce, but more of a condiment.

Rouille

In a mortar, pound 4 cloves garlic, 2 small red peppers, 2 tablespoons bread crumbs, and a little bouillon; stir in 2 tablespoons olive oil. For color, one may add a little tomato paste and paprika. If too thick, add a little more bouillon. The rouille should be served in a sauceboat and may be eaten with any of the bouillabaisse recipes or soupe de poisson Marseillaise. If using a food processor, combine all the ingredients in the beaker and process to a smooth paste. If too thick, add a little more bouillon.