A
BE
L
OVED FISH
. He loved developing new recipes for it, cooking it, and especially eating it. When he created his famous broiled fillet of sole à la Second Avenue, he not only wolfed down vast amounts of it (“It has no calories!” he enthused, with less than total accuracy), but made any friend or associate who stepped into the Deli sample a hefty portion while he stood by beaming like a proud papa. Though Abe prided himself on serving only the freshest and highest-quality fish available, he was too much the consummate New Yorker to actually go catch them himself. Instead, several mornings a week, he made predawn runs to the Fulton Fish Market, where he'd pore over the day's fresh catch. While the city slept, he relished the market's colorful bustle of activityâthe pervasive aroma of saltwater and fish, cobblestoned streets slimy with fish guts, buckets of still-thrashing lobsters and eels, and rubber-aproned vendors (there are about 150) manning tiny stalls eerily lit by hanging bulbs and heated in winter by oil-drum fires.
Early one morning when it was still dark, Abe went out to get his truck (which he had absentmindedly forgotten to lock the night before) and found a bum sleeping in the back. Most people would have been angry. Abe didn't even disturb the guy but drove to the fish market as usual and made his purchases. He piled the fish next to his still-sleeping stowaway passenger and drove to Gertel's Bake Shop on Hester Street, where he purchased bread for the Deli, schmoozed with the bakers, and ate his ritual breakfast: a fresh-baked onion roll with cream cheese and lox and a cup of steaming hot coffee. Then he woke up the bewildered bum in the truck, handed him an identical breakfast, and chatted with him while he ate it on the way back to the Deli.
Broiled Fillet of Sole à la Second Avenue
SERVES
6
Abe loved this preparation of fillet of sole and, because it was low in calories, made it the mainstay of his many diets. Unfortunately, those diets never worked for him, because in addition to the sole, he'd nibble corned beef, bits of salami, a rugalach or two, and perhaps just a smidge of halvah throughout the workdayâjust to assuage the pangs of hunger between meals.
1 cup green pepper, chopped into ¼-inch pieces
1 cup scrubbed mushrooms, chopped into ¾-inch pieces, ¼ inch thick
1 cup seeded fresh tomato, chopped into ¼-inch pieces (for a more piquant version, use sun-dried tomatoes)
1 cup onion, chopped into ¼-inch pieces
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon very finely chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons olive oil
Softened unsalted butter or margarine for greasing pan
3 pounds fillet of sole
Lemon wedges
1. Set oven to broil. Place green pepper, mushrooms, tomato, and onion in a large bowl, and gently stir in the garlic powder, salt, pepper, dill, and olive oil. Set aside.
2. Grease a baking pan, and place fillets in the pan without overlapping (depending on the size of your baking pan, you may need to do this in two batches). Broil for about 5 minutes or until fillets are nicely browned. Spread the chopped vegetable mixture on top of the fillets (surround with potatoes and string beans or other vegetable if you wish), and broil for 4 minutes longer. Serve with lemon wedges.
Note:
To make this into a more complete meal, cook potatoes (chopped into chunks) and string beans (or any other vegetable) on the stove in advance, then put them in to brown with the fish when you add the chopped vegetables.
The greatest deli man with “The Greatest.”
Fillet of Sole in Onion-Butter Sauce
SERVES
6
Preparing clarified butter makes this recipe a little more time-consumingâokay, and caloric, but it's a poor soul that never rejoices. We think the extra time and calories are well spent.
12 ounces (3 sticks) unsalted butter
3 large ripe tomatoes
2 cups coarsely chopped onions
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh garlic
3 pounds fillet of sole
Salt
Pepper
Paprika
3 cups Brussels sprouts, cooked (optional)
5 medium potatoes, peeled, sliced, and cooked (optional)
GARNISH
Lemon wedges
Chopped parsley
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter on low heat in a small saucepan, letting it bubble but not brown. Remove from stove, and let sit for several minutes. Skim off the milky foam at the top, and strain through a fine mesh or cheesecloth. Pour strained butter into another bowl, discarding the white foam at the bottom. You want only the clear, yellow part of the butter. Set aside.
2. Place tomatoes in vigorously boiling water (enough to cover) for about 40 seconds, or until skin begins to peel. Remove them to a plate. When tomatoes are cool enough to handle, peel off skins, remove and discard seeds, and chop coarsely.
3. Place butter in a baking pan (10 to 12 inches square or similar) with onions and tomatoes, and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring at 30-minute intervals. Add garlic, and bake 30 minutes more. Remove from oven, and set temperature to broil.
4. Pour onion-butter mixture into a larger baking dish. Sprinkle fillets with salt, pepper, and paprika (they should be fully covered with paprika), and arrange them on top of the onions. If you've cooked Brussels sprouts and potatoes (or other vegetables), wedge them into the corners, and spoon some butter sauce over them; they'll brown nicely and taste fabulous. Broil for about 5 minutes or until fillets are browned and flake when tested with a fork. Serve with lemon wedges and parsley.
Note:
We like to prepare vegetables at the same time, and put them in the broiler to brown with the fish. Potatoes and Brussels sprouts are delicious with this dish, but you can use whatever appeals to you. Cook your vegetables on the stove while the onion-butter sauce is in the oven.
Fillet of Sole with Mustard-Horseradish Sauce
SERVES
6
This dish looks and tastes impressive, but it only takes about 10 minutes to prepare.
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons white horseradish
6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
12 ounces (1½ cups) sour cream
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
½ cup finely chopped shallots
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 pounds fillet of sole
Paprika
1. Set oven to broil. In a bowl, thoroughly combine mustard, lemon juice, horseradish, Parmesan cheese, sour cream, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
2. In a small skillet, brown shallots in the butter. Add, including the melted butter, to the ingredients in the bowl.
3. Sprinkle the fillets evenly with paprika, and place them in a large baking pan (depending on the size of your broiler, you may need to do this in two batches). Do not overlap fillets. Spread sauce evenly on top, and broil for about 4 minutes (check after 3) or until fish flakes easily with a fork and sauce has browned. Serve with rice and a green vegetable.
Fillet of Sole with Pine Nuts in OnionâWhite Wine Sauce
SERVES
6
½ cup pine nuts
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups chopped onions
1 teaspoon finely chopped or crushed fresh garlic
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup drained and coarsely chopped canned plum tomatoes
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon thyme
1½ teaspoons salt
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons garlic salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup sesame oil
3 pounds fillets of sole
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water
