Recently cod and haddock became very scarce and once again we had to avoid buying them and our fishermen had to observe strict quotas. Gradually these fish are becoming more plentiful again.
Today luxurious halibut, turbot and monkfish are all becoming scarce, so we must look for alternatives. Skate is another fish we must avoid at the moment. These restrictions do not mean we cannot buy fish but rather that we should be adventurous and try newer alternatives.
Fried Fish
Cooking time: varies, see method
There is no doubt that fried fish and chips is still one of the favourite dishes in Britain and it is not difficult to prepare this at home. If the cooking is done well, the dish is delicious. For this method of frying the fish is given a coating which could consist of a thin layer of batter, or breadcrumbs, or oatmeal, as used for herrings (see page 67). After cooking the coating should be crisp and golden, without a hint of greasiness, and the fish inside moist and tender.
Most white fish are suitable for frying, the most popular types today being cod, fresh haddock, hake, monkfish and plaice. If shallow frying, the fish should be coated with seasoned flour, egg and breadcrumbs (see page 63); a batter coating is less suitable. If deep frying, either use this coating or the batter given under the Isle of Man Platter (see page 64).
Whether shallow or deep frying, it is essential to make sure that the oil is thoroughly heated before adding the fish. Temperatures to which the oil should be heated are given on page 62, together with ways of testing the temperature without using a thermometer.
Shallow Frying of Fish
Coat the fish as the method given on page 63.
Heat 2 to 3 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan, test to see if it is really hot with a cube of day-old bread (see page 62). Add the fish and fry quickly on the under side, then turn over and fry quickly on the second side. If frying thick portions of fish, lower the heat and cook for a little longer. If frying thinner fillets of fish, quick frying on both sides should be adequate. Drain the fish on paper towel after frying.
Thin fillets of fish take approximately 5 to 6 minutes total cooking time.
Deep frying of Fish
Coat the fish as the method given on page 63 or with batter as page 64.
Heat the oil in a deep pan or an electric fryer. You need a temperature of 180°C/356°F (or the nearest on the thermometer) for cooking most types of fish or 185°C/365°F for small or very thin portions. Always heat the frying basket in the oil, so the fish will not stick to that. Place the coated fish in the frying basket and lower into the hot oil.
Thin fillets of fish take approximately 3 minutes cooking time.
Thick portions of fish take approximately 5 minutes cooking time.
There is no need to turn the fish over when deep frying.
Drain the fish on absorbent paper after deep frying.
Temperatures for Deep Frying
Frying in a good depth of oil is a method used to cook fish, and many other foods. It should achieve an excellent result with a crisp brown dry – not greasy – coating to the food. Although the food is fried in a large amount of oil, the fat content of the cooked dish is lower than when food is shallow fried as the high temperatures and quick cooking prevents the food absorbing oil. Always drain the fried food on absorbent paper after frying. Strain the oil after use and do not continue to use this when it darkens in colour or smells in any way.
These are the temperatures recommended for various types of frying and the way to judge the temperature without a thermometer. Use a cube of day-old bread (fresh bread does not react in the same way). The precise Fahrenheit conversion is given first then the temperature recorded on most thermometers given in brackets.
Always preheat the frying basket in the hot oil or fat so the food will not stick to it. Never fill the pan of oil or fat too full or it could boil over. Do not leave a pan of hot oil or fat unattended – it is a source of danger. Electric fryers are thermostatically controlled, so should be safe to leave.
Choice of Fats
Oil is recommended for deep frying, as pure lard is no longer used a great deal. In various recipes, where food is shallow fried, the kind of fat to use is given in the recipe. A little oil is often included with butter for it helps to prevent the butter overheating. Choose polyunsaturated fats and oils.
When shallow frying ensure the oil or fat is well heated before adding the food. If using a silicone (non-stick) frying pan you can reduce the oil or fat by 50 per cent.
Fish and Chips
It may sound difficult to fry both the fish and the potatoes at one time, but as explained on page 197, the right way to fry potatoes is to cook them until softened then remove from the pan and fry them again just before serving.
This means that you can do the first frying of the potatoes before cooking the fish. Fry the fish and drain, then place on a heated dish in the oven to keep hot for a short time. Reheat the oil to the higher temperature required for the final frying of the potatoes, cook these for the final 1 to 2 minutes, drain and serve. In this way you have perfectly fried fish and chips.
Many people would say the classic accompaniment to fish and chips are vinegar and plenty of salt and a newspaper wrapping adds to the flavour.
Breadcrumb Coating of Fish
Cooking time: as pages 61-2 
Serves 4
Metric Imperial 
Ingredients 
American
4 
portions of fish 
4
To coat the fish:
to taste salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 to 2 tablespoons plain flour 1 to 2 tablespoons
1 egg 1
50 g/2 oz crisp breadcrumbs, or as required ½ cup
Dry the fish thoroughly, especially if using defrosted frozen fish. Blend a very little salt and pepper with the flour and dust this over the fish: this helps to give a good surface for the egg and crumbs.
Break the egg on to a plate and beat with a fork, then brush over all sides of the first portion of fish. Continue with the other portions. Place the crisp breadcumbs on a flat dish or sheet of greaseproof paper, turn the egg-coated fish in the crumbs until evenly coated. Pat the crumbs into the fish with a flat-bladed knife. If time permits, chill for a short period before frying as this helps the crumbs adhere to the surface. Always shake off surplus crumbs before frying.
Either shallow or deep fry as instructions on pages 61-2.
Add chopped herbs to the crumbs or flavour these with a very little finely grated lemon zest. Blend a small amount of finely grated Parmesan or other good cooking cheese with the crumbs. Use oatmeal or rolled oats instead of breadcrumbs.
Isle Of Man Platter
Cooking time: 6 to 7 minutes Serves 4
All around the coast in Britain you will be able to get locally caught white fish and some shellfish but no area takes more pride in serving such a splendid selection of fried fish than the Isle of Man.
Metric Imperial Ingredients American
See method mixed fish See method
little flour little
to taste salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the coating batter:
100 g/4 oz self-raising flour or plain flour sifted with 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 cup
2 eggs 2
150 ml/¼ pint milk ⅔ cup
2 tablespoons water 3 tablespoons
2 teaspoons oil 2 teaspoons
To fry: oil
To garnish: lemon and parsley
The selection of fish may vary a little but ideally you should have:
4 small fillets of sole or plaice; 1 small cooked lobster; 16 to 20 cooked mussels; 8 small oysters; 8 Dublin bay (large) peeled prawns; 16 to 20 queenies (the very small scallops obtainable in the Isle of Man). Shell all the fish.
Blend a little flour with seasoning and coat the fish. Divide the lobster into neat pieces. Blend the ingredients for the coating batter together, adding the small amount of oil just before coating the food, and whisk briskly.
Heat the oil to 185°C/365°F. Fry the white fish for 2 minutes, add the oysters and queenies and cook for a further 2 minutes. Drain on absorbent paper and keep hot. Reheat the oil and fry the remaining fish for 2 to 3 minutes. Drain well.
Arrange on the hot platter so everyone has a good selection of the various kinds of fish. Garnish with lemon wedges or slices and sprigs of fresh or fried parsley.
To Fry Parsley
Wash and dry sprigs of parsley very thoroughly. Heat the oil as above and put in the parsley. Fry for about 3 seconds only, drain and serve at once.
Fried Skate with Capers
Cooking time: 15 minutes Serves 4
We are advised to avoid buying skate at the present time, due to the shortage of the unique fish but I have retained the recipe in the hope that skate will be readily available soon.
Also the method of cooking is suitable for other fish. The flavour will not be the same as skate but the dish will still be delicious if cooked in the method given below. Try using economical coley, or less well known pollock portions or fresh mackerel fillets. For a luxury use shelled, but uncooked, large Dublin Bay prawns. Although skate can be fried without steaming it first, this step is advisable for the flesh becomes more succulent. Skate is a particularly perishable fish, so store it carefully. Dried nasturtium seeds are a good alternative to capers. Pickle these in vinegar to make sure they keep well.
Metric Imperial Ingredients American
4 skate wings 4
75 g/3 oz butter ⅜ cup
to taste salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 teaspoons caper 3 teaspoons
3 teaspoons lemon juice 3 teaspoons
1 tablespoon chopped parsley 1½ tablespoons
To garnish: parsley sprigs
Wash the skate in plenty of cold water then put into a steamer over a pan of boiling water and cook for 5 minutes. If more convenient, place the fish on a large plate or dish, cover with foil and steam for 10 minutes.
Heat the butter in a large frying pan, add the skate and a little seasoning. Cook steadily, turning the fish over once or twice, until tender. Remove from the pan to a heated dish, add the capers, lemon juice and parsley to the butter remaining in the pan. Heat for 1 minute, or until the butter turns a dark golden colour, then spoon over the fish. Garnish with parsley.
Fried Smelts
Cooking time: 8 to 10 minutes Serves 4
Many new foods have appeared in Britain during the last two or three decades but sadly some of our traditional ones have almost disappeared. Smelts are a case in point, largely due to pollution in our rivers. If you are fortunate enough to obtain any then follow the recipe above for frying the fish. There is no need to steam smelts before frying. Allow 2 or 3 per person. Wash the fish well, remove the fins then season the fish. Fry in hot butter, as given for skate, then add the capers, lemon juice and parsley. Alternatively, wash the fish well, remove the fins, coat in flour, then egg and breadcrumbs and shallow or deep fry for 5 to 7 minutes.
Trout with Almonds
Cooking time: 10 to 15 minutes Serves 4
Both trout and almonds have always been plentiful in this country and they make a very pleasing and easily prepared dish.
Metric Imperial Ingredients American
50 g/2 oz almonds scant ½ cup
4 large trout 4
75 g/3 oz butter ⅜ cup
to taste salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 to 3 teaspoons lemon juice 2 to 3 teaspoons
To garnish: lemon wedges and parsley
Blanch the almonds by putting them into boiling water for a few seconds, then removing them and pulling away the skins. Cut the almonds into strips.
Slit the trout, remove and discard the intestines but leave the heads and tail intact. Heat the butter in a large frying pan and add the fish, with a little seasoning. Cook steadily on both sides until the fish is tender. Lift from the butter on to a heated dish. Add the almonds to the pan and heat steadily until both the almonds and the butter have turned a golden brown. Add the lemon juice, heat for a few seconds then spoon over the trout and serve. Garnish with the lemon and parsley.
Trout in Parsley
Cooking time: 10 to 15 minutes Serves 4
Metric Imperial Ingredients American
4 trout or 2 salmon trout 4
little plain flour little
to taste salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
75 g/3 oz butter ⅜ cup
2 to 3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley 3 to 4 tablespoons
To garnish: lemon halves
Fillet the fish and halve the salmon trout fillets. Dust with flour and seasoning. Heat the butter in a frying pan, add the fish and cook on both sides. Lift out of the pan, coat with parsley. Add any butter left in the pan. Garnish and serve.
Fried Cod’s Roe
Cooking time: 3 to 4 minutes Serves 4
Cod’s roe is a highly nutritious food. It makes an excellent breakfast dish if fried with bacon, but it is equally good served for a light dish with salad.
Metric Imperial Ingredients American
450 g/1 lb cooked cod’s roe 1 lb
50 g/2 oz butter ¼ cup
2 teaspoons oil 2 teaspoons
To garnish: lemon and parsley sprigs
Skin the roe and cut into 1.5 cm/½ inch slices. Heat the butter and oil and fry the roe on either side for 1½ to 2 minutes. Drain on absorbent paper and serve.
Variation:
Buy uncooked cod’s roe, place in a steamer and cook over boiling water for approximately 10 minutes per 450 g/1 lb until the fish turns creamy white.
Herrings in Oatmeal
Cooking time: 10 minutes Serves 4
This is one of the Scottish methods of cooking this excellent fish. It has the reputation of being one of Edward VII’s favourite breakfast dishes.
Metric Imperial Ingredients American
4 large herrings, with roes 4 large
little milk little
40 g/1½ oz fine or medium oatmeal ½ cup
to taste salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
To fry: little butter, oil or salt
To garnish: lemon wedges
Bone the herrings (see page 94), remove the heads and cut each fish into 2 fillets. Brush with a little milk. Blend the oatmeal with salt and pepper and coat the fish and the roes. Omit the salt if frying the fish in salt.
There are two methods of cooking the herrings. Either heat a little butter or fat in a large frying pan, add the fish and fry for 5 minutes on either side, or the second, and more traditional method, is to heat a thin layer of salt in the pan and cook the fish in this for about the same time.
Shellfish Fritters
Cooking time: 5 minutes Serves 4
This is a delicious way of cooking a mixture of shellfish. The fish is actually mixed with the batter which is given an interesting flavour by the addition of chopped herbs and cayenne pepper.
Metric Imperial Ingredients American
225 g/8 oz peeled prawns ½ lb
100 g/4 oz crabmeat ¼ lb
For the batter:
100 g/4 oz plain flour 1 cup
to taste cayenne pepper to taste
2 eggs 2
150 ml/¼ pint milk, or milk and water ⅔ cup
1 to 2 tablespoons finely chopped mixed herbs 1 to 2 tablespoons
To fry: oil
To garnish: lemon wedges
Chop the prawns and mix with the crabmeat. Blend the flour and a very little cayenne pepper. Separate the eggs, add the yolks to the flour with the milk, or milk and water, the herbs and fish. Whisk the egg whites and fold into the batter just before frying the fritters.
Heat the oil to 185°C/365°F and fry small spoonfuls of the mixture for 5 minutes or until crisp and golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper and serve with lemon.
Fried Dublin Bay Prawns
Cooking time: 8 to 9 minutes Serves 4
The area around the East Coast of Ireland, like the Isle of Man, is rich in shellfish, including the very large prawns which bear the name of Dublin Bay.
Metric Imperial Ingredients American
1 medium onion 1
2 sticks from the celery heart 2
16 to 20 Dublin Bay prawns, cooked 16 to 20
50 g/2 oz butter ¼ cup
1 to 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley 1½ to 2½ tablespoons
Peel and finely chop the onion, slice the celery into very small pieces. Peel the prawns. Heat the butter in a frying pan, add the onion and celery and cook for 5 minutes. Put in the prawns and parsley and heat for 3 to 4 minutes then serve.
Salmon Patties
Cooking time: 6 to 7 minutes Serves 4 to 6
This recipe is an excellent way of serving salmon. The fish must be cooked first, but take care it is not over-cooked for it must retain its moist texture.
The patties are generally deep-fried in oil, but can be baked instead.
Metric Imperial Ingredients American
For the puff pastry:
225 g/8 oz flour, etc. (see page 296) 2 cups
For the filling:
350 g/12 oz cooked salmon 1½ cups
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest 1 teaspoon
1 tablespoon lemon juice 1¼ tablespoons
2 teaspoons chopped fennel or dill leaves 2 teaspoons
3 tablespoons double cream 4 tablespoons
to taste salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
To fry: oil
Make the pastry and roll out until just 3 mm/⅛ inch in thickness; it can be a little thicker if baking rather than frying the patties. Cut into rounds about 12.5 cm/5 inches in diameter.
Flake the salmon and blend with the other ingredients for the filling. Place a good spoonful of the filling over just half of each pastry round. Dampen the edges of the pastry and fold the pastry over the filling. Seal the edges by pressing together very firmly. Chill the patties before frying as this encourages the pastry to rise well.
Heat the oil in a deep fryer to 185°C/365°F. See page 62 for ways of testing the heat without a thermometer. Put in some of the patties, and cook for 6 to 7 minutes, until golden in colour and well-risen. Drain on absorbent paper and keep warm while frying the rest of the patties. Serve hot or cold with salad.
Variations:
The patties can be baked instead of being fried. Roll out the pastry as above. Add the filling and seal the edges of the pastry. Place on a baking tray and brush with a little beaten egg. Chill for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F, Gas Mark 7 and bake the patties for 20 minutes. Lower the heat slightly after 15 minutes if the pastry is turning brown too quickly.
Fish Cakes
Cooking time: 5 minutes Makes 8
Make sure the fish is only lightly cooked, or see the method of using uncooked fish at the bottom of the page. The secret of really good fish cakes is to have a soft mixture of fish and potato with a really crisp brown coating on the outside.
Metric Imperial Ingredients American
225 g/8 oz cooked white fish or salmon, weight when cooked ½ lb
225 g/8 oz cooked old potatoes ½ lb
To bind the mixture:
25 g/1 oz butter 2 tablespoons
25 g/1 oz plain flour ¼ cup
150 ml/¼ pint milk ⅔ cup
to taste salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
To flavour the mixture: see method
To coat the fish cakes:
1 tablespoon plain flour 1¼ tablespoons
1 egg 1
50 g/2 oz fine crisp breadcrumbs ½ cup
To fry the fish cakes:
50 g/2 oz fat or butter ¼ cup
Flake the fish and mash the potatoes, blend the two ingredients together. Heat the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour then add the milk and stir briskly as the mixture comes to the boil and makes a thick binding sauce (known as a panada).
Add the sauce to the fish and potatoes, together with a little seasoning. Mix thoroughly and add any desired favouring. This could be a little chopped parsley or mixed herbs, a few drops of anchovy essence or chopped gherkins. Divide into 8 portions, then allow to cool and stand for 1 to 2 hours until the mixture stiffens.
Form into neat cakes then coat in flour, beaten egg and crisp breadcrumbs. Heat the fat or butter and fry the cakes until crisp and brown on both sides. Drain on absorbent paper and serve.
Variations:
Use an egg to bind the mixture instead of the sauce.
Use finely minced raw fish and cook the fish cakes for a slightly longer period.
Use cooked risotto (medium grain) rice instead of potatoes.
Make miniature-sized fish cakes to serve for a hot appetiser.
Baked Fish
Cooking time: varies, see method
A wide variety of fish can be baked in the oven. With the exception of Soused Herring and similar dishes where longer and slower cooking allows the flavour of the vinegar to penetrate the fish, it is wise to use a moderately hot oven (see below). Fish needs to be cooked in the shortest possible time to retain texture and flavour.
If you want the fish to brown slightly on top do not cover the dish but if you want it to keep very moist put a lid on the dish or cover it with foil.
Put the fish into a well-buttered ovenproof dish, top with a little melted butter, seasoning and a squeeze of lemon juice. To give more flavour add finely chopped herbs – the most suitable are chives, dill, fennel leaves, parsley, tarragon (use this sparingly) and thyme (lemon thyme is particularly good). Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F, Gas Mark 5, or as directed in any specific recipe.
Thin fillets of fish take approximately 12 to 15 minutes cooking time. If the fillets are not skinned, place the fish with the flesh side uppermost. Long fillets can be folded or even rolled. This will increase the cooking time slightly.
Where other ingredients and/or liquid are added to the dish, the cooking time may be a little longer.
Baked Salmon
Salmon is known as the 'king of fish'. Its monetary value has changed over the years. In Victorian times it was so plentiful and cheap that it was given to servants, who complained about having it so frequently. The fish subsequently became expensive but today salmon farms have made this kind relatively inexpensive. The flavour of farmed salmon is not considered as fine as that of wild salmon.
Scottish salmon is the best known, and has the highest reputation, but excellent salmon is caught in other parts of Britain too.
Although salmon is an oily fish it can become dry very easily. When baking the fish wrap it in foil. The foil should be coated with oil if serving the cooked fish cold, as butter makes a film on the fish, but use melted butter when having the fish hot. A little seasoning and lemon juice can be added. Wrapping in foil means a slightly longer cooking time is needed than given above.
Roast Fish
Cooking time: see under Baked Fish, page 72
When one describes roasting any food you really mean it should be put on to a turning spit and cooked over a fire. If you have these conditions then you can roast fish the proper way. If you roast in a tin in the oven then you are really baking the food in fat. Most fish can be roasted in the traditional, and correct way, or 'roasted' in a tin in the oven. Either method is suitable for whole fish, such as cod, turbot and smaller pike. Very large pike reach a size of almost 1 metre/a generous 3 feet.
Whichever method you choose the cooking time is similar to that given for baking whole fish on page 72.
Prepare the fish, wash and dry it well and clean out the intestines. Freshly caught pike should be lightly salted and left like this for 12 hours before rinsing in cold water and cooking. Weigh the fish to calculate the total cooking time.
If roasting on a spit over heat, brush the fish with a generous amount of oil and continue doing this throughout the cooking period. If cooking in a tin in the oven, heat several tablespoons of oil in the tin, roll the fish in this so all sides are coated, and continue to baste the fish with hot oil during the whole of the cooking period. The oven should be preheated at 190°C/375°F, Gas Mark 5.
The oil can be flavoured with salt and pepper, spices, such as paprika or chilli pepper, or chopped herbs such as dill or fennel leaves.
The cooked fish can be served with any of the accompaniments to be found on pages 82 and 103-6. Be very careful when serving cooked pike, for the bones are exceptionally sharp and hard. Remove these if possible after cooking.
Trout and Bacon
Cooking time: 12 to 15 minutes 
Serves 4
This is not just a British favourite but a European one too. Trout and bacon are a splendid combination cooked over a barbecue.
Metric Imperial Ingredients American
4 trout 4
4 to 8 bacon rashers 4 to 8
Clean the fish and remove the heads. If baking in the oven leave whole but if cooking on a spit or on metal skewers cut each fish into several chunky pieces.
Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F, Gas Mark 5. De-rind the bacon and halve the rashers lengthways then cut in smaller pieces. Twist the strips around the fish. Either place on the spit, on long skewers or in a dish. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes.
Fish Bake
Cooking time: 1 hour Serves 4
This dish, based on white fish and an egg custard, is often included in recipes for invalids as it is easy to digest. It is given more flavour by adding herbs and mushrooms.
Metric Imperial Ingredients American
100 g/4 oz button mushrooms ¼ lb
25 g/1 oz butter 2 tablespoons
4 fillets of whiting, plaice or fresh haddock 4
2 eggs 2
2 eggs yolks 2
450 ml/¾ pint milk 2 cups
to taste salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons mixed fresh herbs, such as fennel or dill, 2½ tablespoons
tarragon, parsley and thyme
Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F, Gas Mark 2. Wipe the mushrooms and slice very thinly. Heat the butter and cook the mushrooms for 3 minutes. Place in the bottom of a deep 1.5 litre/2½ pint (6¼ cup) oblong casserole. Skin the fish. Arrange on top of the mushrooms.
Beat the eggs with the yolks, add the milk and seasoning to taste; strain over the fish, then add the herbs, sprinkling them evenly over the egg custard.
Stand the casserole in a tin of warm water (a bain-marie) and bake for just 1 hour or until the custard is set. Serve with crisp toast or mixed vegetables.
To Skin Fish
Sprinkle a little salt on a chopping board, dip the blade of a sharp knife into the salt. Make a cut at the tail end of the fish then gradually cut away the flesh from the skin. Turn the fish over and repeat this on the second side.
Fillets of fish have only the one side from which to cut the skin.
Coley and Mushroom Casserole
Cooking time: 35 minutes Serves 4
The mixture of mushrooms and herbs in this dish adds an interesting flavour to the fish. Different types of mushrooms, or a mixture of mushrooms, could be used instead of the cultivated button mushrooms. This is a combination of many old recipes for a fish casserole.
Metric Imperial Ingredients American
450 g/1 lb fresh coley, weight without skin 1 lb
225 g/8 oz button mushrooms ½ lb
2 medium tomatoes 2
75 g/3 oz butter ⅜ cup
1 tablespoon chopped parsley 1¼ tablespoons
1 teaspoon chopped thyme 1 teaspoon
to taste salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
If you have bought fresh coley fillets, skin them (see page 74), then divide the fish into 4 portions. Cut away the skin from coley cutlets if you have purchased them instead. Wipe the mushrooms and thinly slice the cups and chop the stems. Skin and slice the tomatoes. Heat 50 g/2 oz (¼ cup) of the butter and toss the mushrooms in this, then add the herbs and a little seasoning. Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F, Gas Mark 5.
Place half the mushroom mixture into a casserole, top with the fish and another layer of the mushroom mixture, then the sliced tomatoes. Melt the remaining butter and spoon over the food. Cover the dish and bake for 30 minutes.
This is excellent served with creamed potatoes and a green vegetable.
Variation:
Use cod, haddock or hake portions instead of fresh coley.
Fish Crumble
The casserole can be given an interesting crumble topping.
Rub 50 g/2 oz (¼ cup) butter into 100 g/4 oz (1 cup) plain flour. Add 50 g/2 oz (½ cup) grated Cheddar, Cheshire or Lancashire cheese to the flour mixture together with a little seasoning. Bake the casserole as above for 20 minutes only. Remove the lid, sprinkle the crumble mixture over the ingredients. Return the dish to the oven, lower the heat to 180°C/350°F, Gas Mark 4 and bake for a further 20 minutes.
Plaice in Raisin Sauce
Cooking time: 25 minutes Serves 4
Plaice has fine flakes so it cooks quickly. It is therefore important to check the baking carefully. It is advisable to start making the sauce before removing the fish from the oven, so that is not kept hot for too long a period.
Many historical records use dried fruits with fish, as well as with meat, it gives an interesting taste and texture.
Metric Imperial Ingredients American
4 medium plaice 4
50 g/2 oz raisins ⅓ cup
300 ml/½ pint dry white wine 1¼ cups
to taste salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
25 g/1 oz butter 2 tablespoons
25 g/1 oz plain flour ¼ cup
150 ml/¼ pint single cream ⅔ cup
3 teaspoons chopped fennel leaves 3 teaspoons
Fillet the fish as described below, if the fishmonger has not already done this. The fish can be skinned if desired (see page 74). Fold the fillets and place into a casserole with the raisins, wine and a little seasoning. Cover the dish. Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F, Gas Mark 5.
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, then lift the fish on to a heated dish. Meanwhile, heat the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour and then gradually add the cream. Stir as the sauce comes to the boil and thickens, remove from the heat and add the wine and raisins from the casserole to the sauce. Stir over a low heat until the ingredients are well blended, do not allow the sauce to boil. Season to taste and add the chopped fennel then pour over the plaice.
To Fillet Flat Fish
Make a deep incision down the centre of one side of the fish. Cut all around the edge of the fish. Insert the knife under the centre of the fish. Gently cut the first fillet away from the bone, then repeat with the second fillet. Turn the fish over and repeat this process. Information on skinning fish is on page 74.
Baked Whiting
Cooking time: 20 to 25 minutes, see method Serves 4
Whiting is one of the less expensive white fish. It is in season throughout the year and it has a particularly fine texture and delicate flavour. It is often recommended as a dish for invalids, for it lends itself to simple ways of cooking, like poaching or steaming. Filleted whiting can be served in place of more expensive sole fillets. In this particular recipe the mushrooms and onions give a good flavour to the fish. Use spring onions, not ordinary onions.
Metric Imperial Ingredients American
4 large whiting or 8 small ones 4
8 to 12 spring onions 8 to 12
100 g/4 oz button mushrooms ¼ lb
50 g/2 oz butter ¼ cup
2 teaspoons finely chopped parsley 2 teaspoons
to taste salt and cayenne pepper to taste
150 ml/¼ pint dry white wine ⅔ cup
To garnish: fried croûtons (see page 53)
Remove the heads from the fish and clean them well. Chop the spring onions finely, include a little of the tender part of the green stems. Wipe and slice the mushrooms.
Put the fish with the onions and mushrooms into an ovenproof dish. Melt the butter and spoon over the ingredients. Add the parsley, a little salt and cayenne pepper together with the wine.
Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F, Gas Mark 5. Cover the dish and bake for 20 minutes if cooking small fish but 25 minutes for larger whiting. Do not over-cook the fish. The dish is more interesting if the onions retain a little of their crisp texture. Serve the fish with a topping of crisp croûtons.
Variations:
Saffron Whiting: follow the recipe above but flavour the wine with a pinch of saffron powder or a few saffron strands.
To use saffron strands: these can be infused in any liquid for about 15 minutes then the liquid strained. It will have absorbed both the colour and flavour of the saffron. In mixtures where little, if any, liquid is used simply add the strands; these look attractive after being cooked and they are edible.
Baked Cod and Bacon
Cooking time: 25 to 30 minutes Serves 4
The combination of fish and bacon is a popular one with trawlermen at sea and the definite flavour of cod makes it an ideal choice for this dish.
Metric Imperial Ingredients American
4 cod steaks, each about 225 g/8 oz (½ lb) 4
to taste salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 bacon rashers 4
1 to 2 teaspoons lemon juice 1 to 2 teaspoons
For the stuffing:
50 g/2 oz butter ¼ cup
100 g/4 oz soft breadcrumbs 2 cups
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind 1 teaspoon
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped parsley 1 to 2 tablespoons
1 egg 1
To garnish: lemon slices
Place the cod steaks on a board, season lightly. De-rind the bacon and stretch the rashers with the back of a knife. Wrap a bacon rasher around each cod steak and secure with a wooden cocktail stick. Place the fish into an ovenproof dish. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F, Gas Mark 6. Melt the butter, add to the other ingredients in the stuffing. Spoon over the top of each portion of cod and spread out evenly. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the foil for the last 10 minutes so the stuffing browns. Garnish with lemon slices.
Variation:
Use 50 g/2 oz (½ cup) shredded suet instead of the butter. Substitute other fish, such as fresh haddock, hake portions or halibut for the cod.
Cod Kedgeree
This is a variation on the traditional kedgeree recipe (see page 90).
Omit the bacon and stuffing from the recipe. Top two lightly seasoned steaks of cod, each weighing approximately 225 g/8 oz (½ lb), with a little melted butter. Cover the dish and bake for 20 to 25 minutes at the setting given above. Make sure the fish is not over-cooked. Break into large flakes.
Heat 25 g/1 oz (2 tablespoons) butter and fry a finely chopped onion; add 350 g/12 oz (generous 2 cups) cooked long grain rice, the cod, a pinch of curry powder and enough single cream to moisten the dish. Heat thoroughly, form into a pyramid shape. Top with cooked chopped bacon rashers and 1 or 2 chopped hard-boiled eggs.
Eels in Madeira Wine
Cooking time: 45 minutes Serves 4
Eels are caught in very large quantities in various rivers throughout Britain as well as in the sea. Conger eels are reasonably plentiful in the coastal waters around southern England. Eels used to be extremely popular but over the years the well-known classic ways of cooking this interesting fish have been forgotten which is a pity for the flesh has a good flavour. There are more recipes using eel on pages 25 and 92.
This particular dish is suitable for larger eels, for the slices need to have a reasonable diameter to insert the stuffing in the centre of the slices.
Madeira wines have always been very popular in this country and their rich flavour is excellent with this particular fish. The same wine could be served with the dish.
Metric Imperial Ingredients American
900 g/2 lb eel, weight before skinning 2 lb
For the stuffing:
100 g/4 oz peeled prawns ¼ lb
25 g/1 oz butter 2 tablespoons
1 tablespoon chopped parsley 1¼ tablespoons
50 g/2 oz soft breadcrumbs, preferably brown 1 cup
1 egg 1
to taste salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the sauce: 300 ml/½ pint Madeira wine (choose a drier variety) 1¼ cups
To garnish: few unpeeled prawns
Skin the eel, or ask the fishmonger to do this for you. Cut the eel in slices approximately 5 cm/2 inches thick. Insert the blade of a knife in the centre of each slice to make a good sized cavity.
Chop the prawns very finely. Melt the butter, mix with the prawns and all the other ingredients in the stuffing. Insert some in the centre of each slice and spread any of the stuffing left over the top of the slices. Place the fish into a large shallow casserole, with the stuffing uppermost. Pour the Madeira wine over and around the fish. Cover the casserole.
Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F, Gas Mark 5 and bake for 45 minutes. Lift the fish on to a heated dish, strain the wine and serve with this. Garnish with the prawns.
Baking Fish in Foil
The method of enclosing fish in greaseproof paper is extremely satisfactory. Today this idea can be extended to cook fish in foil parcels. It is particularly good for cooking salmon and firm fish such as turbot or halibut.
Cut squares of foil sufficiently large to wrap around the fish. Each portion should be individually wrapped. If you intend to serve the fish hot, coat the foil with melted or softened butter. If the fish is to be served cold use olive oil or other salad oil instead, for this prevents a film forming over the fish. Add the fish, top with more butter or oil with seasoning, a little lemon juice and finely chopped fennel, dill or parsley, skinned and sliced tomatoes and/or sliced unpeeled mushrooms.
To avoid using too much fat, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of white wine, cider or fish stock instead of the butter or oil.
Fold the foil around the fish. Follow the baking times on page 72 but either use a slightly hotter oven, i.e. 200°C/400°F, Gas Mark 6 instead of 190°C/375°F, Gas Mark 5 or increase the cooking time at the original heat by 5 minutes.
Mullet in Paper
Cooking time: 20 minutes Serves 4
There are both grey and red mullet. The latter has a far better flavour than the larger grey mullet. Red mullet are small fish, only about 15 cm/6 inches in length. The flesh is very delicate which is why baking in paper is an ideal method of cooking the fish. Red mullet is both expensive and rare, and is mostly caught in the south of England.
Metric Imperial Ingredients American
8 to 12 red mullet 8 to 12
little oil little
to taste salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
50 g/2 oz butter ¼ cup
2 tablespoons lemon juice 3 tablespoons
Wash the fish and gently scrape away the scales. Split it and remove all the intestines, except the liver which should be kept in the fish. Lightly oil 8 to 12 greaseproof paper bags or sheets. Season the fish and insert in the bags and seal these or wrap the fish securely in the sheets of paper. Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F, Gas Mark 5 and bake the fish for 20 minutes. Open the bags or wrappings carefully and pour any liquid that comes from the fish on to the plates then add the fish.
Heat the butter with the lemon juice and pour over the fish.
Red Herrings
Cooking time: 8 minutes Serves 4
Metric Imperial Ingredients American
4 large herrings 4
300 ml/½ pint light or dark beer 1¼ cups
to taste salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
40 g/1½ oz butter 3 tablespoons
To garnish: lemon wedges
Bone the herrings as described on page 94. Leave them flat and retain the roes. Place the fish in a dish and add the beer with a little seasoning. Marinate for 1 hour then lift the herrings and roes out of the liquid and drain well. Melt the butter.
To grill the fish: preheat the grill; place a piece of foil over the grid of the grill pan and brush with some of the melted butter. Put the herrings, with the cut side uppermost, and the roes on the foil. Brush with the rest of the butter and cook for about 8 minutes, or until tender.
To bake the fish: preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F, Gas Mark 5. Place the fish in a shallow ovenproof dish, top with the melted butter and bake for 20 minutes.
Serve the fish garnished with lemon. A little of the beer in which the fish was marinated can be heated and spooned over the herrings and the roes.
Stuffed Cornish Sardines
Cooking time: 20 minutes Serves 4
Metric Imperial Ingredients American
8 sardines 8
For the stuffing:
as under Eels in Madeira Wine (see page 78)
25 g/1 oz butter 2 tablespoons
Split the fish and remove the intestines. Sardines can be boned in the same way as herrings (see page 94). Make the stuffing and place in the fish together with the roes. Put into a dish. Melt the butter and pour over the fish. Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F, Gas Mark 5. Cover the dish and bake the fish for 20 minutes.
Cornish Herrings
Cooking time: 30 to 35 minutes Serves 4
Although this dish is made with herrings, it is quite likely that you would be given it made with pilchards instead if you were in Cornwall for these are plentiful around that coast. They are slightly smaller than herrings. Sweet eating (dessert) apples are recommended in both the dishes that follow.
Metric Imperial Ingredients American
4 large herrings or 8 smaller herrings or sardines 4
4 small onions 4
4 small dessert apples 4
25 g/1 oz butter 2 tablespoons
to taste salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Cut the heads off the fish and bone them (see page 94). Peel the onions and slice them very thinly. Core, but do not peel the apples and cut into thin rings. Melt the butter in a pan, add the onions and cook for 5 minutes. Blend with the apple rings. Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F, Gas Mark 5.
Fill the herrings with the onions and apples and place in an ovenproof dish. Season the fish and cover the dish. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. The lid or foil can be removed after 15 minutes so the herrings become slightly crisp on top.
Fruit Stuffed Mackerel
Cooking time: 30 minutes Serves 4
Metric Imperial Ingredients American
4 medium mackerel 4
2 large dessert apples 2
2 to 3 tablespoons sultanas or raisins 3 to 4 tablespoons
to taste salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 teaspoons lemon juice 2 teaspoons
Prepare the mackerel by removing the heads and boning them. Peel and grate the apples, blend with the sultanas or raisins, seasoning and lemon juice. Fill the mackerel with this mixture. Put in an ovenproof dish. Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F, Gas Mark 5. Cover the dish and bake for 30 minutes.
Grilled Fish
This is a method of cooking where the minimum of fat needs to be used, although it must be remembered that many types of fish do need a certain amount of fat in cooking to prevent the flesh becoming dry.
Always preheat the grill before cooking. If the fish is to be placed directly on the rack of the grill pan then brush this with a little oil or melted fat to prevent the fish sticking. You can cover the rack with foil, which makes it easy to remove the fish.
White fish and oily fish like herrings, mackerel and salmon can all be grilled. The following recipes give an idea of the versatility of grilled fish.
When grilling fillets of fish there is no need to turn these over. When grilling thicker portions of fish these need quick grilling on either side and then slightly slower cooking, with the heat of the grill reduced, to complete the cooking. Thin fillets of fish take approximately 5 to 6 minutes cooking time. Thick portions of fish take approximately 8 to 10 minutes total cooking time. Whole fish take about the same total cooking time as thick fillets, but this varies according to the thickness of the fish. Grilled fish do not need draining on absorbent paper after cooking.
Flavoured Butters
No cooking Serves 4
These butters are particularly suitable for topping grilled or poached fish. The mixture should be prepared ahead, then chilled so it can be cut into neat pats. Allow approximately 25 g/1 oz (2 tablespoons) of butter for each person for poached fish, but less if the fish has been brushed with butter during cooking.
Anchovy Butter: add a squeeze of lemon juice and a little freshly ground white pepper to the butter then gradually add a few drops of anchovy essence. Do not use salt, for the anchovy essence provides that, as well as colour and flavouring.
Herb Butter: the recipe for Parsley Butter is on page 121. Other herbs can be used, particularly fennel and dill, which blend so well with fish. Add a little lemon juice and seasoning and the amount of finely chopped herbs required.
Shrimp Butter: use approximately the same weight of cooked peeled fish as butter. Chop and then pound the fish until smooth. Blend with the butter and a little lemon juice. Prawns or crab or lobster can be used also. Lobster Coral Butter is on page 100.
Grilled Sole
Cooking time: 10 minutes Serves 2
Dover sole is one of the finest of all white fish. While it is used in a wide variety of dishes, the classic British ways of cooking the fish are to grill or fry it. Lemon sole is smaller than Dover sole and the flavour is less good.
Grilled sole can be rather dry, even when well-basted with butter. To make sure the fish is beautifully moist, marinate it in creamy milk for at least 30 minutes before cooking. Grilled sole is generally served whole. The tail and head can be removed before cooking or left on. Fried sole can be cooked whole or divided into fillets.
Metric Imperial Ingredients American
2 Dover sole 2
150 ml/¼ pint full cream milk ⅔ cup
75 g/3 oz butter ⅜ cup
to taste salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
To garnish: lemon slices
Pour the milk into a dish, put the sole into the milk. Leave for 15 minutes, then turn the fish over. Drain well before cooking.
Melt the butter, add a little seasoning. Preheat the grill on full heat. Brush the rack of the grill pan with a little butter so the fish does not stick to it, or place foil over the rack and brush with butter. Brush the top side of the fish with butter and grill for 5 minutes. If the fish is very thick turn over, brush with more butter and cook for 5 minutes. Thinner fish do not need turning, but after 5 or 6 minutes you can lower the heat slightly. Brush with butter several times during the cooking period. Garnish with lemon.
It is difficult to accommodate more than two sole under the grill at one time. If serving this fish for more than two people cook in batches and keep the cooked fish well covered with melted butter and foil in the oven.
Variations:
Flavour the melted butter with a little lemon or lime juice.
Top the fish with Parsley Butter (see page 121), Anchovy Butter (see page 82) or Lobster Coral Butter (see page 100).
Fried Sole
Either coat the whole fish or fillets of sole with seasoned flour or egg and breadcrumbs or batter, then fry as page 62. If frying the whole fish, the batter coating is less usual or suitable.
Salmon with Shrimp Sauce
Cooking time: 15 minutes Serves 4
Although one thinks of salmon as coming from Scotland, many parts of Britain produce this splendid fish. Shrimps make an excellent sauce; small prawns could be substituted.
Metric Imperial Ingredients American
25 g/l oz butter 2 tablespoons
4 salmon cutlets 4
1 to 2 teaspoons lemon juice 1 to 2 teaspoons
to taste salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
For the Shrimp Sauce:
225 g/8 oz shrimps, weight before peeling ½ lb
150 ml/¼ pint water ⅔ cup
25 g/1 oz butter 2 tablespoons
25 g/1 oz flour ¼ cup
300 ml/½ pint milk 1¼ cups
Melt the butter for cooking the fish. Cover the grid of the grill pan with foil and brush with a little melted butter. Arrange the salmon on the foil and coat with half the butter and half the lemon juice, add a little seasoning.
Preheat the grill and cook the fish for 5 to 6 minutes, depending upon the thickness of the portions. Turn over and brush the second side with more butter and lemon juice and cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Serve with the sauce.
For the Shrimp Sauce: wash then peel the shrimps. If cold drop into boiling water for a few seconds to facilitate peeling, then drain. Put the shells into the 150 ml/¼ pint (⅔ cup) water and simmer for 10 minutes, then strain the liquid. You should have about 4 tablespoons (5 tablespoons) left. Heat the butter, then stir in the flour and add the milk. Stir or whisk as the liquid comes to the boil and the sauce thickens, add the shrimp stock with a little seasoning. Simmer gently for a few minutes, add the shrimps and heat for 2 minutes, do not over-cook, otherwise the fish become tough.
Variation:
Use small prawns instead of shrimps.
Anchovy Sauce
Omit the shrimps and the shrimp stock. Make the sauce with the butter, flour and milk, add a few drops of anchovy essence or 1 teaspoon anchovy sauce, stir into the sauce with freshly ground pepper and a little cream.
Lobster Sauce
Use several tablespoons of finely chopped lobster flesh plus the coral of a hen lobster instead of the shrimps in the recipe above.
Scallops and Bacon
Cooking time: 6 minutes Serves 4
Traditionally the combination of fish and bacon was not unusual and it was much appreciated by trawlermen when at sea. Care must be taken not to over-cook scallops.
Metric Imperial Ingredients American
8 large or 16 small scallops 8 large or 16 small
2 tablespoons lemon juice 3 tablespoons
to taste freshly ground black pepper to taste
8 rashers of long streaky bacon 8
To garnish: lemon wedges
If the scallops are still on their shells remove these, but save any liquid from the shells. Halve large scallops. Put the fish and liquid from the shells into a basin with the lemon juice and pepper. Leave for 30 minutes.
De-rind the bacon and stretch each rasher to make it longer (see page 85), then halve these. Wrap each portion of bacon around a scallop. Secure with wooden cocktail sticks. Preheat the grill. Place the bacon-wrapped fish under the grill and cook for 4 minutes then turn over and cook on the other side for 2 minutes. Serve with lemon.
Variation:
Thread the bacon rolls on to 4 long metal skewers and grill as above.
To Stretch Bacon
Remove the rinds of the bacon. Place the rashers on a board and stroke firmly with a blunt knife or back of a knife until they become longer and more pliable.
Devilled Prawns
Use 16 large peeled prawns instead of scallops in the recipe above. Marinate the prawns for about 30 minutes in 150 ml/¼ pint (⅔ cup) white wine or cider, with ½ teaspoon curry paste (smoother than curry powder) and a few drops of Worcestershire sauce. Drain the fish, and put on to long metal skewers with small bacon rolls between each prawn. Brush the prawns with the marinade before cooking.
Grill as in the recipe above but turn the skewers over after 2 to 3 minutes cooking time. Never try and eat the fish and bacon straight from the skewers; these are too hot. Pull the food off the skewers with the prongs of a fork.
Herrings with Mustard Sauce
Cooking time: 15 minutes Serves 4
There are two kinds of mustard sauce, both are given here. Fresh herrings have one of the most delicate flavours of all fish and mustard sauce is an ideal accompaniment.
Metric Imperial Ingredients American
4 large herrings 4
25 g/1 oz butter 2 tablespoons
to taste salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the Mustard Sauce:
25 g/1 oz butter 2 tablespoons
15 g/½ oz cornflour 2 tablespoons
300 ml/½ pint fish stock (see page 88) 1¼ cups
1 tablespoon English mustard powder, or to taste 1¼ tablespoons
2 to 3 tablespoons white malt or wine vinegar 2 to 3 tablespoons
To garnish: parsley
Cut the heads from the herrings, split and bone them (see page 94). Discard all the intestines, except the roes. Fold the fish back into shape with the roes inside. Melt the butter and brush some over the fish; season them lightly. Preheat the grill and cook the herrings for 4 to 5 minutes. Turn them over, brush with the remaining butter and cook for a further 4 to 5 minutes.
To make the sauce, heat the butter in a saucepan, stir in the cornflour, then gradually blend in the fish stock. Bring the sauce to the boil and stir or whisk until thickened. Blend the mustard powder with the vinegar, add to the sauce in the pan and cook for several minutes. Season to taste.
Garnish the fish with parsley and serve with the sauce.
Creamy Mustard Sauce
This more delicate sauce is equally good with herrings.
Heat 25 g/1 oz (2 tablespoons) butter in a saucepan, stir in 25 g/1 oz (¼ cup) plain flour, then gradually blend in 300 ml/½ pint (1¼ cups) milk. Stir or whisk as the sauce comes to the boil and thickens, then add 2 to 3 teaspoons French mustard or English mustard, made into a paste with a little milk, and 2 tablespoons double cream. Stir as the sauce cooks gently and becomes the desired consistency, then add seasoning to taste.
Grilled Mackerel
Cooking time: 10 to 12 minutes Serves 4
Gooseberry Sauce (see page 191), is the classic accompaniment to mackerel as the sharp fruit counteracts the oily flavour of the fish. When gooseberries are out of season use cooking apples or rhubarb instead. Fennel is not an essential ingredient, but it does add interest to the mackerel.
Metric Imperial Ingredients American
4 small to medium mackerel 4
4 teaspoons chopped fennel leaves, or to taste 4 teaspoons
50 g/2 oz butter ¼ cup
to taste salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
To garnish: fennel sprigs
Remove the heads then split each fish. Discard the intestines and then bone the fish (see page 94). Sprinkle the cut surfaces of the mackerel with the chopped fennel and add half the butter; season well. Fold the fish back into shape, melt the remaining butter and brush some over the fish.
Preheat the grill and cook the mackerel for 5 to 6 minutes; turn the fish over, brush with the last of the butter and continue cooking for another 5 to 6 minutes.
Garnish with fennel and serve with hot or cold Gooseberry Sauce (see page 191).
Grilled Kippers
Cooking time: 4 to 5 minutes Serves 4
Both the Isle of Man and Scotland vie for the honour of producing the finest kippers. They are a favourite breakfast dish in both areas.
Metric Imperial Ingredients American
25 g/1 oz butter 2 tablespoons
4 kippers 4
Melt the butter, preheat the grill. Brush the fish with the butter. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes only, without turning, and serve each fish topped with a knob of butter.
Variation:
Kippers can be cooked in several other ways – fried in a very little butter or oil, poached in water or baked. For lightly cooked fish, place them in a dish, add boiling water then cover the dish. Leave the fish standing for several minutes, then drain well and serve.
Poached Fish
Fish should not be cooked in vigorously boiling liquid as this causes the outside flesh to be over-cooked before the centre of the fish is tender. Fish should be poached gently in liquid, with only gentle bubbles forming on the surface.
The liquid can be fish stock, as given below, or water or milk, as used with smoked haddock (see page 90) or Court Bouillon (see pages 98-9).
If the fish is placed in cold liquid, calculate the cooking time from when the liquid reaches simmering point. If it is placed into the hot liquid then increase the cooking times given below by 1 to 2 minutes, for the fish cooks slightly as the cold liquid is brought to the required temperature.
Thin fillets of fish take approximately 5 to 6 minutes total cooking time.
Thick portions of fish take approximately 10 to 12 minutes total cooking time.
For whole fish allow approximately 7 minutes per 450 g/1 lb; a really large fish needs about 6 minutes per 450 g/1 lb.
If possible, place large fish on the rack of a fish kettle, as advised when poaching whole salmon (see page 98).
Fish Stock
Cooking time: 30 to 40 minutes
A good fish stock is essential when making fish soups, sauces to serve with fish or when poaching fish. The heads, skins and bones of fish form the basis of the stock. The shells of shellfish produce an excellent stock, which has a delicate pink colour, (see Lobster Soup, page 47). Fish stock cubes are available when there is no time nor ingredients for which to produce the stock.
Actual quantities of bones and skin are not given as these will vary according to the ingredients available. To produce about 600 ml/1 pint (2½ cups) stock, simmer the head, bones and skins of a large filleted fish in 750 ml/1¼ pints (3¼ cups) water with 1 peeled whole onion, 1 carrot, 2 fresh bay leaves or 1 dried bay leaf, a small sprig of chervil, parsley or thyme or use herbs that are included in the specific recipe. Add 1 or 2 strips of lemon zest and a little seasoning. Simmer for 30 to 40 minutes in a covered pan, then strain the liquid.
Like all stocks this can be cooled and frozen.
Variations:
Use slightly less water and add a little white wine or dry cider.
Instead of white wine or cider add 1 to 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar to the water.
Trout in Cider
Cooking time: 15 to 20 minutes Serves 4
Trout has always been popular in Britain as it has been plentiful in lakes and rivers throughout the country. Nowadays there are trout farms where the fish is reared commercially, so it is available for everyone. The distinctive and delicate flesh needs very little extra flavouring. Brown (river) trout; rainbow trout (generally from fish farms) and the larger salmon trout are available. The last has the delicate texture of trout with a little of the flavour and colour of salmon. It can be cooked like trout, or like salmon. Cider is an excellent cooking liquid for fish.
Metric Imperial Ingredients American
4 rainbow or brown trout 4
250 ml/8 fl oz dry cider 1 cup
to taste salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
15 g/½ oz butter 1 tablespoon
2 teaspoons plain flour 2 teaspoons
To garnish: lemon, cucumber, tomato slices
Take care in cleaning the trout as the skin is easily damaged, so wipe, rather than wash, it. The fish can be cooked by poaching in a pan or baking in the oven.
To poach the fish: lay in a large frying pan, add the cider and a little seasoning. Cover the pan and simmer for 10 minutes, spooning a little of the cider over the fish once or twice during cooking. When cooked, lift the fish out of the pan on to a heated dish and keep hot. Blend the butter and flour together, drop 4 small pieces into the liquid in the pan and whisk briskly until the liquid is thickened slightly. Pour over the fish and garnish.
To bake the fish: preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F, Gas Mark 5. Place the fish in a large ovenproof casserole, add the cider and a little seasoning. Cover the casserole and cook for 20 minutes. Lift the fish out of the casserole, pour the liquid into a saucepan, thicken with the butter and flour as above, then garnish.
Kedgeree
Cooking time: 15 minutes Serves 4
This is one of the most famous breakfast dishes of the past. It was introduced into Britain by people who had worked in the East India Company in India. Its name is a simplified version of the Indian dish Khichardi. It makes an excellent light luncheon or supper dish. The dish should be soft and creamy, so heat and serve as quickly as possible. The timing is based on using cooked rice and haddock.
Metric Imperial Ingredients American
2 eggs 2
1 small onion 1
50 g/2 oz butter ¼ cup
350 g/12 oz cooked smoked haddock, weight when bones and skin removed ¾ lb
350 g/12 oz cooked long grain rice generous 2 cups
to taste cayenne pepper and salt, if required to taste
little single cream or milk, optional little
To garnish: chopped parsley
Hard boil and shell the eggs, then chop the whites and yolks separately.
Peel and chop or thinly slice the onion. Heat half the butter in a small pan and cook the onion until soft. Break the haddock into fairly large flakes.
Heat the remainder of the butter in a large pan, add the haddock and rice and heat together, stirring gently so that flakes of fish are not broken. Add the pepper and salt with enough cream or milk to make a moist texture. Stir in the onion and chopped egg white. Spoon into a neat shape on a hot dish and top with the egg yolks, in the form of a cross, and the parsley.
Variations:
Use other fish in the kedgeree instead of smoked haddock. Cooked smoked cod or ready-smoked trout or mackerel are excellent served in this way.
Cooked fresh or well-drained canned salmon make a colourful and very pleasing kedgeree. Since the flavour is less strong than when using smoked fish, increase the amount of fish used to 450 g/1 lb instead of the 350 g/12 oz (¾ lb) given in the recipe above.
The recipe using fresh cod in a kedgeree is on page 78.
Finnan Haddie
Cooking time: 10 minutes Serves 4
Although haddocks are smoked in many parts of Britain the most famous area is Findon, near Aberdeen in Scotland. The name Findon is very often given as Finnan or Finnae. Haddock can be obtained as a large fillet but many people prefer to buy the whole fish.
Metric Imperial Ingredients American
1 really large whole smoked haddock or enough haddock fillet for 4 portions 1
450 ml/¾ pint milk, milk and water, or water scant 2 cups
2 fresh bay leaves or 1 dried bay leaf 2
to taste freshly ground black or white pepper to taste
50 g/2 oz butter ¼ cup
If cooking a whole haddock cut away the fins and tail and divide the flesh into 4 portions. Cut the fillet into 4 pieces.
Heat the liquid in a large frying pan or saucepan, add the bay leaves and pepper then put in the haddock and poach steadily until just tender. Remove the fish from the liquid with a fish slice, put on to a heated dish. Top each portion with a knob of the butter. A spoonful of the milk can be poured over the fish.
Variation:
It is traditional to top each portion of haddock with a poached egg.
Haddock Toasts
Cook the fish as above, then flake and mix with a little cream in a saucepan. Heat thoroughly then spoon on to hot buttered toast.
Grilled Finnan Haddock
Poach the portions of smoked haddock in water until just soft; do not over-cook the fish for it must keep its shape when placed under the grill. Drain the fish and dry on absorbent paper. Preheat the grill.
Place a sheet of foil on the grid of the grill pan, add the fish, then top each portion with a little butter. Heat for 3 to 4 minutes, then add a topping of finely grated cheese. Heat for a further 2 to 3 minutes or until the cheese melts.
This makes an excellent light meal served with grilled tomatoes and a green salad.
Jellied Eels
Cooking time: 45 minutes to 1 hour Serves 4 to 6
This dish is considered to be very much a cockney Londoner’s choice. You will find these sold when the famous Derby race takes place at Epsom racecourse in Surrey. The eels are usually eaten with a teaspoon.
Metric Imperial Ingredients American
900 g/2 lb fresh eel or eels, weight before skinning 2 lb
900 ml/1½ pints water 3¾ cups
to taste salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon
2 fresh bay leaves or 1 dried bay leaf 2
¼ teaspoon allspice ¼ teaspoon
7 g/¼ oz gelatine, optional, see method 1 envelope
Ask the fishmonger to skin the eel(s). Cut the flesh into 3.5 cm/1½ inch lengths. Put into the water with the seasoning, lemon juice, bay leaves and allspice. Cover the pan and simmer gently until the fish is tender. If using a large eel this will take about 1 hour; smaller and younger eels will be cooked in 45 minutes.
When the fish is cooked remove from the liquid and drain well. Pack into a large container or individual ones. Boil the eel stock until reduced to about 300 ml/½ pint (1¼ cups) – you must have sufficient liquid to cover the fish. This should form a natural jelly but if the weather is very hot use the gelatine. Add this to 2 tablespoons of the water and allow to stand for 2 to 3 minutes, then stir into the very hot eel stock and heat until dissolved. Strain the stock, then pour over the fish.
Leave until the jelly is firm; serve with brown bread and butter.
Poached Salmon Cutlets
The method of poaching fish is on page 88 and there are special hints on cooking salmon on page 98. This is a very efficient way of cooking salmon cutlets if they are to be served cold. Wrap each cutlet in oiled greaseproof paper and tie with fine string. Put the fish in a pan containing a plentiful amount of cold water.
Gradually bring the water just to boiling point. Remove the pan from the heat immediately then cover it tightly. Leave the fish to become quite cold in the water – it will be tender but not over-cooked.
Cosseted Herrings
Cooking time: 30 to 40 minutes Serves 4
This recipe for stuffed herrings was given to me many years ago by the wife of a Grimsby fisherman, who said it was a traditional dish among their fellow trawlermen. Cosset means to ‘pamper’ and this is certainly a way of pampering fish.
Metric Imperial Ingredients American
8 small or 4 large herrings with hard roes 8 small or 4 large
For the stuffing:
1 medium onion 1
100 g/4 oz button mushrooms ¼ lb
8 small or 4 large oysters or scallops 8 small or 4 large
50 g/2 oz butter ¼ cup
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind 1 teaspoon
2 teaspoons lemon juice 2 teaspoons
to taste salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
To garnish: lemon wedges, fried croûtons (see page 53)
Split and bone the herrings, as below. Discard the intestines and heads but save the roes. Chop these. Peel and finely chop the onion, wipe and slice the mushrooms, slice the oysters or scallops. Heat the butter and cook the onion for 5 minutes then add the mushrooms and cook for a further 2 to 3 minutes. Put in the remainder of the stuffing ingredients and add the chopped roes. Place inside the herrings and skewer or sew the stuffing in position. Use a large needle and a very fine string; pierce right through the flesh on both sides.
Either poach the herrings in a fish kettle or large saucepan in a little boiling salted water for 15 to 20 minutes or put about 300 ml/½ pint (1¼ cups) water into a baking dish with a little seasoning. Add the herrings and cover the dish. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F, Gas Mark 4 and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Lift the herrings out of the container. Drain well, then garnish with lemon and croûtons and serve.
To Bone Herrings
Slit the fish along the stomach. Carefully remove the intestines and discard. Put the roes on one side. Cut off the heads. Turn the fish on to a board, skin side uppermost. Run your forefinger very firmly down the centre of each fish. Turn them over and you will find you can remove the back bones and most of the smaller bones. Take away any remaining bones with tweezers or your fingers.
Fish Pie
Cooking time: 40 minutes Serves 4
A fish pie can be as simple or as elaborate as you wish. The basic recipe, which consists of cooked white fish in a white sauce topped with creamed potatoes, is highly nutritious but certainly is not exciting. The various additions that most cooks incorporate into the recipe can turn it into an epicure’s delight. The simple recipe is given first then suggestions follow for variations.
Metric Imperial Ingredients American
450 g/1 lb white fish, such as cod or fresh haddock, poached (see page 88), weight when skin and bones removed 1 lb
For the white sauce:
25 g/1 oz butter 2 tablespoons
25 g/1 oz plain flour ¼ cup
300 ml/½ pint milk or use half milk and half fish stock 1¼ cups
to taste salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the topping:
550 g/1¼ lb creamed potatoes (see page 206) 2½ cups
25 g/1 oz butter 2 tablespoons
To garnish: parsley
Flake the fish. Heat the butter for the sauce in a pan, stir in the flour, then add the milk, or milk and fish stock, and stir or whisk briskly as the liquid comes to the boil and the sauce thickens. Add the fish and seasoning to taste.
Spoon into a 1.2 litre/2 pint pie dish. Spread the potatoes over the filling and top with small pieces of the butter. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F, Gas Mark 6 and bake for 25 minutes. Garnish and serve.
Variations:
Add peeled prawns, sliced scallops, flaked crabmeat or mussels to the filling.
Slice several mushrooms, cook gently in a little butter and add to the fish. Make the sauce richer by including a little double cream and add more flavour by infusing strips of lemon zest, sliced onion, chopped celery and a bay leaf in the milk before making the sauce. Warm the milk, allow it to stand for 1 hour, then strain and use. Add a little white wine or sherry to the thickened sauce.
Substitute the white sauce with a Tomato Sauce (see page 194): this is excellent with most fish.
Top the filling with puff pastry, made with 175 g/6 oz (1½ cups) flour, etc. (see page 296).
Star–Gazy Pie
Cooking time: 45 minutes Serves 4 to 6
This is a most unusual looking fish pie, for the filling is arranged so that the heads of the fish are seen around the edges of the crisp pastry crust. The recipe comes from Cornwall where it was made usually with pilchards, which look like small herrings and have much the same flavour. They are in fact mature sardines. Pilchards used to be very plentiful around the Cornish coasts but during the recent years they have become scarce, so small herrings can be used instead.
Metric Imperial Ingredients American
For the filling:
8 pilchards or small herrings 8
2 to 3 eggs 2 to 3
2 medium onions 2
100 g/4 oz bacon rashers ¼ lb
75 g/3 oz soft white breadcrumbs 1½ cups
3 tablespoons milk 4 tablespoons
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley or mixed herbs 2½ tablespoons
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest 1 teaspoon
1 tablespoon lemon juice 1¼ tablespoons
to taste salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 tablespoons dry cider 5 tablespoons
For the shortcuts pastry:
225 g/8 oz flour, etc. (see page 295) 2 cups
To glaze: 1 egg
Split and bone the fish (see page 94), but leave the heads on.
Hard boil, then shell and slice the eggs. Peel and finely chop the onions and de-rind and chop the bacon. Put the breadcrumbs into a basin, add the milk, herbs, lemon zest and juice and half the chopped onions. Season lightly and mix together. Use half this mixture as a stuffing for the fish. Arrange the fish on a 23 cm/9 inch deep pie plate, with the tails towards the centre and the heads over the edge of the plate, pointing upwards. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F, Gas Mark 6.
Fill the spaces between the fish with the rest of the stuffing, the chopped bacon, remaining onions and the sliced eggs. Spoon the cider over the filling.
Roll out the pastry and cover the filling; take care not to break the fish heads. Beat the egg and brush over the pastry. Bake for 20 minutes then lower the heat to 180°C/350°F, Gas Mark 4 for the remaining 25 minutes. Serve hot.
Crab Patties
Cooking time: 20 minutes Serves 4
Crab is one of the most plentiful shellfish around Britain’s shores. There are particularly good crabs caught on the east coast, in Yorkshire and Cornwall.
These make a very delicious light main dish. Some old recipes suggest frying the patties as Salmon Patties (see page 69), instead of baking them.
Metric Imperial Ingredients American
1 large cooked crab 1
2 tablespoons double cream 3 tablespoons
2 teaspoons lemon juice 2 teaspoons
to taste salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the puff pastry:
150 g/5 oz flour, etc. (see page 296) 1¼ cups
For the topping: cream and anchovy essence
Prepare the crab (see page 100). Blend the light and dark crabmeat with the cream, lemon juice and seasoning. Divide into 4 portions and chill well.
Make the pastry, roll out very thinly and cut into 4 large rounds. Put the filling in the centre of each round, moisten the edges, gather these together, then turn the patties over and gently roll to make neat rounds. Chill for a short time before baking to help the pastry rise and keep a good shape.
Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F, Gas Mark 7. Put the patties on to a baking tray and cook for 20 minutes. Lower the heat slightly after 15 minutes if the pastry is browning too quickly. Put on to plates, make a slit in the centre. Blend a little double cream with a few drops of anchovy essence and spoon into the slits.
To Cook Crab
Put the crab(s) into rapidly boiling water and cook for about 20 minutes or until the shells turn bright red. Plunge into cold water to cool.
Cockle Pie
Cockles are plentiful and of excellent quality in both Ireland and Wales, as are clams, whelks and winkles all of which can be used in this recipe either singly or mixed.
Make shortcrust pastry (see page 295) using 300 g/10 oz (2½ cups) flour, etc. Use half to line a 20 cm/8 inch pie plate or flan dish.
In Ireland the pastry is topped with about 1.2 litres (2 pints) cockles (weight when cooked and shelled), a finely chopped onion, a knob of melted butter, a little lemon juice, 3 tablespoons (4½ tablespoons) cream and seasoning. Cover the filling with the rest of the pastry and bake for 35 to 40 minutes in an oven preheated to 200°C/400°F, Gas Mark 6. Lower the heat slightly after 25 minutes.
The Welsh version is similar, except 100 g/4 oz (¼ lb) of chopped bacon is added.
Cold Fish Dishes
The following recipes are some of the most popular classic cold fish dishes. They make ideal summer fare and are perfect for festive occasions. Serve with mayonnaise, or one of the salad dressings on page 212.
Dressed Salmon
Cooking time: see method
A whole salmon is one of the most impressive and delicious of all British classic fish dishes. It must be cooked with care to retain the flavour and appearance.
To cook a whole salmon: either bake (see page 72) or poach the fish (see page 88). If cooking a small salmon, follow the cooking times on these pages. If cooking a large salmon then reduce the times by approximately 2 minutes per 450 g/1 lb.
If you have a fish kettle place the fish on the rack. When cooked it can be lifted out of the liquid without fear of it breaking. If poaching without a rack, place a large, thick piece of foil under the fish to support it during cooking.
Information about fish stock is given on page 88 but the fish has more flavour if poached in a Court Bouillon. This is made by simmering 1 or 2 sliced onions, 2 sliced carrots, 1 or 2 slices of lemon rind (without the white pith), 1 or 2 bay leaves and a bunch of parsley in 1.2 litres/2 pints (5 cups) water and 300 ml/½ pint (1¼ cups) white wine, with seasoning to taste. The Court Bouillon should be simmered for 25 minutes, then allowed to cool before adding the fish.
To dress the salmon: carefully remove the skin from both sides of the fish; this is easily done when the fish is slightly warm. Leave the head and tail intact.
The simplest way to garnish the fish is with wafer-thin slices of cucumber. These can be arranged in a neat design on and around the fish. Add slices or twists of lemon and small lettuce leaves to the dish.
A more elaborate way to dress salmon is to coat it with a Chaudfroid Sauce. Although not a strictly classic British sauce it has been used in this country for a very long time. It is practical as well as being decorative, for it helps to keep the fish moist. There are many recipes for this sauce but the simplest is as follows. It is sufficient to coat the top of a 3 kg/6 to 7 lb salmon.
Dissolve 15 g/½ oz (2 envelopes) gelatine in 450 ml/¾ pint (2 cups) well-flavoured fish stock. Add 1 tablespoon (1¼ tablespoons) dry sherry. Allow this to become cold, then blend with 450 ml/¾ pint (2 cups) Mayonnaise (see page 213). Chill until the sauce has become a syrupy consistency and then brush a thin layer over the fish. Allow this to set, then coat again with a slightly thicker layer. Garnishes can be placed on the sauce before it stiffens completely.
Lobster Salad
Cooking time: 20 minutes Serves 4
A freshly cooked lobster has a wonderful flavour. Half a lobster makes a perfect start to a meal; if serving as a main course allow a whole lobster per person.
A hen lobster, which contains red coral (roe), has a wider tail than the male. Make sure the lobster feels heavy for its size. If buying a ready-cooked lobster pull out the tail, if the lobster is fresh it should spring back quickly.
Metric Imperial Ingredients American
2 to 4 medium lobsters 2 to 4
to taste salad ingredients to taste
Mayonnaise (see page 212)
To cook the lobster(s): wash well, tie the two front claws together if this has not been done by the fishmonger. Fill a large pan with water, bring to the boil. Add the lobster(s) and cook for 20 minutes, or until the shells turn bright red. Place immediately in cold water. If cooking several lobsters, make sure there is plenty of water and it comes back to boiling point quickly after adding the fish.
To prepare the lobster(s): split the fish lengthways, discard the dark intestinal vein and the stomach bag near the head. Remove the claws, discard any grey fingers. Crack the claws and remove the flesh or serve these with lobster picks.
For the salad: serve the lobster body plus the claws with salad or remove the meat from the body and claws and arrange on the salad. Serve with mayonnaise.
Grilled Lobster
Allow half a large or one small lobster per person. The lobsters should be freshly cooked, as above, or buy newly cooked lobsters from the fishmonger. Choose hen lobsters if possible. Split the body of the lobsters, discard any inedible parts, as explained above. Remove the flesh from the claws. Preheat the grill.
Arrange the body of the lobsters, still in their shells, cut sides uppermost and the claws in the grill pan. Cover with a generous amount of melted butter, a good squeeze of lemon juice and a dusting of freshly ground white pepper. Grill steadily until piping hot. Garnish with lemon and Coral Butter, below.
Lobster Coral Butter
Cream together equal amounts of coral and butter, add a squeeze of lemon juice and seasoning. Chill, then form into neat squares or rounds. This is a delicious topping for any white or shellfish.
To prepare Crab
Like all shellfish, crab is highly perishable, so buy a cooked crab from a reliable source. Methods of cooking shellfish are given on page 26.
Always feel a cooked crab before buying it. If it is surprisingly light for its size, that could indicate the fish is watery and could be poor value as you are not getting solid crabmeat. A good crab should be quite heavy.
To prepare the fish:
- First pull away all the claws from the body of the crab; this is quite easy if you twist them towards you.
- Next, take the body away from the main shell and remove and discard the stomach bag. Use a teaspoon to remove the dark flesh from the large shell, put this into one basin.
- Crack the rounded part of the shell and remove the flesh. Keep white and dark crabmeat separately. Discard all grey fingers from the body.
- Crack the large claws and remove the white crabmeat. Keep small claws for garnishing the dish.
Dressed Crab
This is the term given to the final preparation of the light and dark crabmeat.
It is quite usual to serve the flesh in the large shell, so this should be cleaned and polished with a few drops of olive oil. The crabmeat can be arranged in a dish or on flat plates instead of in the shell.
You can spoon the white and the dark crabmeat in separate halves of the shell or dish and garnish them with chopped parsley, or you may prefer to blend the flesh with a little mayonnaise or salad dressing, recipes on page 212.
If you want to make the flesh go a little further, blend a small amount of soft breadcrumbs with the crabment. Use white crumbs with the white meat and wholemeal crumbs with the dark crabmeat. Lightly season the flesh.
Another addition to the crabmeat is to blend finely chopped hard boiled egg yolk(s) with the white crabmeat and the chopped white(s) with the dark crabmeat, so giving a contrast in colour.
Jellied Fish Cream
Cooking time: 20 minutes Serves 4 to 6
This is a very light fish mould that is ideal to serve cold. If selecting white fish add a little anchovy essence or tomato purée to give a delicate colour.
In the Victorian and Edwardian era fish creams and moulds formed part of elaborate dinner menus.
Metric Imperial Ingredients American
450 g/1 lb white fish or salmon, weight without skin and bones 1 lb
150 ml/¼ pint white wine or dry cider ⅔ cup
150 ml/¼ pint fish stock (see page 88) ⅔ cup
to taste salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
few drops anchovy essence or tomato purée few drops
11 g/scant ½ oz gelatine 2 envelopes
2 tablespoons water 3 tablespoons
150 ml/¼ pint double cream ⅔ cup
2 to 3 tablespoons cooked peas, optional 2½ to 3½ tablespoons
Place the fish in a pan with the wine or cider, stock, a little seasoning and the anchovy essence or tomato purée. Bring to simmering point and cook until just tender. Lift the fish out of the liquid and flake it. Boil the liquid until only 150 ml/¼ pint (⅔ cup) remains. Sprinkle the gelatine on top of the water, allow to stand for 2 to 3 minutes, then add to the fish stock and heat gently until the gelatine has completely dissolved.
Blend the fish with the warm gelatine mixture and allow to become quite cold, but not stiff. Whip the cream until it holds its shape, fold into the cold fish mixture, then add the cooked peas, if including these. Put into a plain mould and allow to set. Turn out and serve with salad and Cucumber Sauce (see page 106).
Hot Fish Cream
Cook the fish in the seasoned wine and stock, as the recipe above. A few drops of anchovy essence or tomato purée should be added to white fish. Boil the stock until reduced to 150 ml/¼ pint (⅔ cup).
Flake the fish, blend with the stock, 50 g/2 oz (1 cup) soft breadcrumbs, 4 tablespoons (5 tablespoons) double cream and 2 well beaten eggs. Season to taste and add 1 tablespoon chopped parsley or fennel leaves. Put into a greased 2 pint/1.2 litre (5 cup) basin. Cover with greased foil and steam for 1 hour. Turn out and serve hot with Parsley or Fennel Sauce (see page 103).
Hake with Walnut Sauce
Cooking time: 12 to 15 minutes Serves 4
Hake is not unlike cod or fresh haddock and either of those fish could be used in this recipe. The flakes of hake are soft and very white with an excellent flavour whether served cold or hot, as in this dish. Pickled walnuts have always been a favourite garnish for foods. Their sharp flavour and dark colour makes an interesting sauce. Hake is particularly popular in the north of England, as are pickles of all kinds.
Metric Imperial Ingredients American
2 eggs 2
8 pickled walnuts 8
4 hake cutlets 4
to taste salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 teaspoons olive oil or melted butter 2 teaspoons
300 ml/½ pint double cream, or see below 1¼ cups
1 tablespoon lemon juice 1¼ tablespoons
To garnish: chopped fennel leaves, lettuce, cucumber slices
If serving the fish cold, it is important that it is moist but not damp, so steaming is the better method of cooking. If serving hot it can be poached, as the method below. Hard-boil and chop the eggs, chop the pickled walnuts.
To steam the fish: place the cutlets on a large, heat-resistant plate, add a little seasoning. Brush a large piece of foil with the oil or melted butter and place over the fish, tucking in the edges of the foil. Stand the plate over a pan of boiling water and cook for 10 minutes, or until the fish is just cooked. Allow to become quite cold, then arrange on a dish.
Whip the cream until it begins to form soft peaks, add one of the chopped eggs and the chopped walnuts, lemon juice and seasoning to taste. Spoon the sauce over the fish and top with the second chopped egg and the chopped fennel leaves. Garnish the dish with lettuce and sliced cucumber.
If serving the fish hot: poach the fish in about 300 ml/½ pint (1¼ cups) fish stock (see page 88). Lift from the stock and top with the cold sauce, made as above. Garnish and serve at once.
To give a less rich sauce, use low-fat yogurt or fromage frais instead of all, or part of, the cream.
Halibut or turbot are excellent in this dish; cook for slightly longer than hake.
Sauces To Serve With Fish
There are many sauces that blend well with fish, some of which are incorporated in the recipes in this chapter. The following are excellent with most cooked fish.
A standard basic sauce in Britain is White Sauce, given below, but the flavour of Béchamel Sauce, also on this page, is better. I have given a slightly more generous amount of milk than you will find in the recipes in cookery books of the past, for today we prefer less thick sauces and, when time permits, you give a better flavour and consistency to the sauce if it is allowed to simmer gently for a short time and so thicken by evaporation.
White Sauce
Cooking time: 10 to 15 minutes Serves 4 to 6
Metric Imperial Ingredients American
25 g/1 oz butter or margarine 2 tablespoons
25 g/1 oz plain flour ¼ cup
scant 450 ml/¾ pint milk scant 2 cups
to taste salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
Heat the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour and continue to stir over a gentle heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the milk. This can be incorporated gradually or added all at once. Bring the liquid to the boil, then stir or whisk very briskly to give a perfectly smooth sauce. Simmer gently for a few minutes, add seasoning to taste.
Variations:
When making this sauce to serve with fish dishes use a little less milk and add some fish stock to the sauce, so the flavour blends well with the fish. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of cream to the thickened sauce to enrich the flavour.
Béchamel Sauce: put a small piece of carrot, onion and celery into the milk. Heat this, remove from the heat and allow to stand for 1 hour, then strain and use in the sauce above.
Fennel Sauce: make the sauce as above, then add several teaspoons of chopped fennel leaves. Heat gently for 2 to 3 minutes.
Parsley Sauce: make the sauce as above, then add several tablespoons of finely chopped parsley. The sauce can be simmered gently after adding the parsley or this can be added at the last minute to give a fresher taste.
English Butter Sauce
Cooking time: 15 minutes Serves 4 to 6
This has been a classic sauce for centuries, for butter has always been plentiful in Britain. Serve with fish or vegetables, such as cauliflower or broccoli.
Metric Imperial Ingredients American
175 g/6 oz butter ¾ cup
25 g/1 oz plain flour ¼ cup
300 ml/½ pint water 1¼ cups
to taste salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
to taste grated or ground nutmeg to taste
1 to 2 teaspoons lemon juice, optional 1 to 2 teaspoons
Cut the butter into 1.5 cm/½ inch dice; do not allow it to get too soft.
Blend the flour and the water, pour into a saucepan and stir over a moderate heat until thickened. Add a little salt and pepper. Either transfer the mixture to the top of a double saucepan or to a basin over hot, but not boiling, water or turn the heat down very low. It is essential that the mixture does not boil when the butter is added, for this would result in an oily rather than a creamy sauce.
Add the butter gradually to the thickened mixture, whisking vigorously as you do so. When the butter has been incorporated add nutmeg, lemon juice and seasoning.
Egg and Lemon Sauce
Cooking time: 15 minutes Serves 4 to 6
This is a light textured sauce that is ideal with fish. It can also be served with chicken if the fish stock is replaced by chicken stock.
Metric Imperial Ingredients American
2 teaspoons cornflour 2 teaspoons
300 ml/½ pint fish stock 1¼ cups
2 eggs 2
2 tablespoons lemon juice 2½ tablespoons
to taste salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
Blend the cornflour with the fish stock. Beat the eggs in a basin, add the fish stock mixture, the lemon juice and a little seasoning. Stand over a saucepan of hot, but not boiling, water and whisk until the sauce thickens.
Hollandaise Sauce
Cooking time: 10 to 15 minutes Serves 4 to 6
This is one of the good classic sauces from France that we have adopted. There is a belief that it is very difficult and time-consuming to make, but that is not true today as liquidizers and food processors mean it can be prepared in a very short time.
In old recipes this is sometimes called ‘Dutch Sauce’.
Metric Imperial Ingredients American
175 g/6 oz unsalted butter, or see below ¾ cup
3 egg yolks 3
2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice or white wine vinegar, or as required 3 to 4 tablespoons
to taste salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
to taste cayenne pepper, optional to taste
Remove the butter from the refrigerator a short time before making the sauce, so it is not too hard, but do not allow it to become oily; when making the sauce by hand it should be a spreading consistency. Cut the butter into small pieces.
Put the egg yolks with the desired amount of lemon juice or vinegar into the top of a double saucepan or a basin and stand over hot, but not boiling, water. When the water is the correct heat you should just be able to place your finger in it.
Whisk the egg mixture all the time until thick and creamy, then gradually whisk in the butter, never add this too rapidly. Add the salt and peppers to taste and serve hot or cold, as in a Tartare Sauce, below.
Variations:
Reduce the amount of butter to 85 g/3 oz (⅜ cup). This will still produce a good sauce.
The modern touch: put the egg yolks and lemon juice or vinegar into a liquidizer or food processor and process until these ingredients are well-blended. Heat the butter to boiling point. Keep the machine running at the lowest speed possible then gradually pour in a slow stream of boiling butter. The sauce will gradually thicken. Season to taste.
Tartare Sauce
To many people this sauce is an essential accompaniment to fried fish.
Add 2 to 3 teaspoons of finely diced capers, and the same amount of chopped gherkins and finely chopped parsley to the cold Hollandaise Sauce, above, or to approximately 150 ml/¼ pint (⅔ cup) mayonnaise.
Cucumber Sauce
No cooking Serves 4 to 6
This cold sauce can be served with hot or cold fish; chill it well before serving.
Metric Imperial Ingredients American
½ small cucumber ½
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar or lemon juice 1¼ tablespoons
150 ml/¼ pint double cream ⅔ cup
150 ml/¼ pint Mayonnaise (see page 213) ⅔ cup
to taste salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
Peel the cucumber and coarsely grate the pulp. Alternatively cut into matchstick pieces instead of grating it. Add the vinegar or lemon juice and leave for about 15 minutes. Whip the cream until it holds its shape, blend with the mayonnaise. Drain away any surplus liquid from the cucumber. Add the dry cucumber to the cream mixture and season to taste.
Variations:
Add a pinch of sugar to the cucumber.
Blend in 2 or 3 teaspoons finely chopped chives, fennel or dill leaves. Use thick yogurt in place of the cream.
Sorrel Sauce
Cooking time: 15 to 20 minutes Serves 4 to 6
Sorrel is a perennial herb that is easily grown. The flavour is very like that of cooked spinach. It makes a wonderful accompaniment to hot fish dishes.
Metric Imperial Ingredients American
225 g/8 oz young tender sorrel leaves ½ lb
to taste salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
300 ml/½ pint White or Velouté Sauce; amount of sauce when cooked 1¼ cups
(see pages 103 and 194)
3 tablespoons single cream 4 tablespoons
Wash the sorrel leaves in cold water, then place in a very small amount of boiling well-seasoned water. Cook until just tender; this takes about 8 minutes.
Meanwhile make the sauce, cooking it until reduced to 300 ml/½ pint (1¼ cups). Add the sorrel to the sauce then sieve or liquidize until smooth. Blend in the cream and heat.