When I go back to Oregon I always stop in at my favorite fish store. Out back, a brisk and hearty bunch of women in rubber aprons are working at top speed, shaking the meat from crab shells. Up front, there’s a big clean counter with a glistening display of the day’s catch bedded on chopped ice, as well as such attractions as smoked sturgeon, kippered salmon, and smoked oysters, all of which were prepared in the smokehouse in the back yard. If an order from the hinterlands for fresh salmon has just been filled, there’s bound to be a whole slew of chopped-off heads around, from which are plucked those legendary salmon cheeks—some of the best eating ever. (I have a recipe just in case you might happen upon such good fortune.)
I realize that not everyone has such a fish market, and I’ve always felt that I was very lucky to have grown up on a bountiful seacoast. Today, however, Air Express makes it possible for fresh fish to circulate around the country, and restaurateurs whose reputations are built on using the freshest of ingredients can serve a catch that was pulled from the sea only twenty-four hours before. No wonder more and more people are discovering how good fish can be. When I was growing up, I always used to be surprised at how few people really ate it. But, of course, the fashion then was to sauce it elaborately and always to overcook it. You can’t enjoy fish when it’s mushy or dry, or when its pure flavor has been muddled with careless seasonings, or it has been baked to death with a soggy bread stuffing.
The best way to do fish is to cook it simply, and carefully, and to serve promptly. Of course, for some occasions you may want fancy food, and so I have supplied a recipe for one of the masterpieces of fish cookery, coulibiac, and a truly exciting one for lobster soufflé bedded on hollandaise and baked in the shell. But most of the techniques suggested here are quick and simple, and of course the major ones are suited to most types of fish. Simply concentrate on deftness, and watch the minutes.
The fun of devising fish recipes is not so much in technique as in the juxtaposition of flavors: always to enhance, never to disguise. Some fish-only seem bland-tasting; give them a bit of fresh tomato or peeled red pepper, or a speckle of grated cheese, or a few tiny mussels or shrimp in herbs and a little oil, and the latent flavor wakes right up. As you’ll see in the many stews here, some fish absorb flavors from each other. But some, like salmon, taste so full and opulent that I like a broiled salmon steak and its rich crispy skin with no additive at all, or maybe just a spoonful of Béarnaise sauce. I never think of fish flavors as wan or fragile: not a bit. I cook some fish with spices such as cinnamon, some with red wine, many with powerful aromatics like garlic—a great friend to fish—and others with dill pickles or curry or cider, or with hearty black walnuts or peanuts, not just the discreet and conventional almond. But some of the fanciful combinations of the nouvelle cuisine, which isn’t so nouvelle anyway, strike me as merely perverse.
One nouvelle notion, fish sausages, isn’t novel at all. The old New Englanders always made oyster sausages, hearty with beef suet, and in parts of Europe fin-fish sausages are still a tradition; often they are smoked for winter keeping. Sausages offer you a good opportunity to make your own combinations of taste and texture (as do mousses and fish pâté’s); try stirring nuggets of lobster or scallop or smoked salmon into the smooth mixtures for sausage. I like to brown them and crisp the casing, but that doesn’t mean I always want them hot.
Most fish, and many fish preparations, are excellent cold, but note that extreme cold blunts the natural zest of good fish flavors. Tepidity is right. And for cold fish, if you want a sauce, don’t stop at mayonnaise, good as it is. Yogurt sauces have a lovely freshness. Gribiche is enticing, and a vinaigrette, particularly if you mince in tarragon or chervil, or, for a full-flavored fish, mint or sage. Often I bake or poach more fish than I need, planning to have it cold the next day, and perhaps in a delicious crusty hash on the third. Twenty years ago, people would have laughed at the idea of eating fish three days in a row, but not now. To learn to cook it is to learn to love it.
And nowadays the available varieties are so many you can never get bored. A good fishmonger is a knowledgeable specialist, and if he’s smart, he’ll advise you about trying new varieties of fish, all the way up the scale from tiny whitebait to a large piece of tilefish. I hope you’ll try them all.
Broiled fish fillets
with almonds
with peanuts
with lemon butter
with herbed butter
with white wine and herbs
with cheese
with white wine and garlic
with bread crumbs
with bacon and green onion
provençal
leftover marinated
Sautéed fish fillets
Walnut-breaded sole
Sautéed sole fillets with curry sauce
Poached whole fish
Poached pike with white butter sauce
with white wine sauce
with egg sauce
with parsley or dill sauce
with green mayonnaise
with yogurt-herb sauce
Poached fish fillets with garlic mayonnaise (bourride)
Sole poached in vermouth
in whisky with caviar
Turban of sole mousseline
with shrimp mousseline
individual turbans of sole
Fish hash
Broiled swordfish steak with pepper
with rosemary
with garlic and olives
marinated
Baked swordfish steak
Baked halibut steak niçoise
Baked stuffed shad
Shad roe poached in butter
Flemish green eel
Matelote of eel, from Normandy
Mrs. Rockey’s shad roe
Broiled trout
Sautéed trout in crêpes
Fried smelts or sardines
with garlic and parsley
skewered
Baked spiced smelts or sardines
Coulibiac of salmon
with rice
Scalloped salmon
Salmon cheeks
Salmon tart
French seafood sausages
with shrimp
with crab
Seafood en brochette
Cocotte of seafood manzanilla
Hellenic seafood stew
Bouillabaisse
Solianka
with dill
Cioppino
with mussels
with oysters
Cotriade
Seafood à l’américaine
Mussels marinière
with garlic
with cream
with tomatoes
clams marinière
Curried seafood with rice pilaf
Tuna tart
Clam hash
Sauté of clams
with white wine
with tarragon
with mustard and Worcestershire sauce
Scalloped clams
Clam pie
Baked oysters on the half shell with shrimp sauce
Stuffed oysters
Fried oysters
oyster loaves
Oyster sausages
Shrimp jambalaya
with crabmeat
Shrimp on a stick
Shrimp with curry butter
with dill butter
Shrimp floridian en papillote
Chuck’s baked shrimp
Shrimp loaf
Stuffed baked lobster
Lobster napoule
Lobster soufflé
Crab soufflé
Crab parisienne
Deviled crab
deviled clams
Broiled soft-shell crabs
Sautéed scallops provençal
Poached scallops
with heavy cream and tarragon
Lo-cal coquilles St. Jacques
fines herbes
provençal
niçoise
Italian style
deviled
southern-fried
southern-fried with Madeira sauce
Deep-fried frogs’ legs
batter-fried
Poached codfish
codfish béchamel
codfish au gratin
codfish mornay
Codfish cakes
with ginger
with onion
codfish balls
Brandade of cod
codfish portugaise
brandade fritters
brandade tart
Raïto
Fish Fillets
I’m starting this chapter with fillets because that is the way fish is mostly sold across the country these days, although the types you find in your markets will vary according to where you live. They include sole, flounder, cod, haddock, ocean perch, trout, red snapper, sea bass, striped bass, blue-fish, mackerel, salmon, whitefish, and that great Eastern delicacy, shad.
According to the size of the fish and whether it is flat, like flounder, or round, like cod, the thickness of the fillets will vary from about ⅓ inch up to 1½ inches or even more. No matter what the thickness, there is one simple, reliable rule for broiling, sautéing, or poaching fillets or, for that matter, steaks or whole fish, that I have followed successfully for years. Measure the depth of the fillet at the thickest point (from underside to top side) and cook for 10 minutes per inch or fraction thereof. If the fillets are thicker in the center than at the ends, cut down a little on the cooking time, or the ends will be overdone. Fish, like eggs or meat, goes on cooking with its own internal heat, so the thick part will be cooked through by the time it is served. Never overcook fillets, or they will be dry, flaky, and flavorless. Frozen fillets are best cooked from the frozen state, in which case you should double the cooking time.
Broiled Fish Fillets
This is really my favorite way of cooking fillets. The quick-cooking process seems to retain all the natural flavor and goodness, and lends itself to all kinds of interesting flavor variations. I discussed broiling fillets at some length in Theory & Practice, so I’m just going to give a brief summary of the main points and the basic method, then give you some flavoring suggestions. I like to allow ⅓ to ½ pound fillets per serving.
Unless the fillets are very thick (¾ inch or more), they are best broiled on one side only, without turning. Thick fillets should be turned halfway through the cooking time. Turning and lifting is a rather tricky process, especially with thin fillets, which break easily. I find the best solution is to broil the fish on a long piece of aluminum foil laid the length of the broiler rack, with overlapping ends for handles. Then all you have to do, with the aid of the foil, is slide the cooked fillets onto a serving platter or plates. Brush the foil well with oil to prevent the fish from sticking (if you are broiling thin fillets, heat the broiler rack first, while you are preheating the broiler, which helps to cook the underside of the fish), then arrange the fillets on the foil in a single layer.
Makes 4 servings
2 pounds fish fillets
½ cup unsalted butter or vegetable oil (or a combination of the two)
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Chopped parsley (optional)
Preheat the broiler. Arrange the fillets on a long piece of oiled aluminum foil on the broiler rack. Melt the butter or warm the oil in a small pan and add the salt, pepper, and lemon juice to make a basting mixture. Brush the fillets well with this mixture, then broil 3 inches from the preheated broiler, allowing 10 minutes per measured inch of thickness, or fraction thereof, and turning once with a broad-bladed spatula or turner if the fillets are thick. Baste well as they cook. When done, slide the fillets onto hot plates or a heated platter and pour over them any of the basting mixture left on the foil or in the pan. If you wish, sprinkle the fish with chopped parsley. Serve with lemon wedges, small new potatoes dressed with melted butter and chopped parsley, and a green vegetable or salad.
Broiled Fish Fillets with Almonds. Just before the fillets are done, sprinkle them with thinly sliced or slivered almonds and baste well with the butter mixture, making sure the almonds do not scorch or burn.
Broiled Fish Fillets with Peanuts. Combine finely chopped peanuts and melted butter and spoon over the fillets just before they are done.
Broiled Fish Fillets with Lemon Butter. Increase the lemon juice to 4 tablespoons and add 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest. Use to baste the fillets.
Broiled Fish Fillets with Herbed Butter. Omit the lemon juice and combine the melted butter with 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herb (dill, basil, chives, or parsley). If you use dried herbs, use 2 teaspoons and soak in dry white wine for 15 minutes before using.
Broiled Fish Fillets with White Wine and Herbs. Use dry white wine instead of lemon juice, and add 2 teaspoons chopped chives or parsley.
Broiled Fish Fillets with Cheese. Three minutes before the fillets are done, sprinkle each one with 1 to 2 teaspoons grated Parmesan or Romano cheese, and add a grind or two of pepper.
Broiled Fish Fillets with White Wine and Garlic. Combine butter with ¼ cup white wine (omit lemon juice) and 2 finely chopped or crushed garlic cloves.
Broiled Fish Fillets with Bread Crumbs. Three minutes before the fillets are done, sprinkle each one with 1 tablespoon buttered crumbs and baste well.
Broiled Fish Fillets with Bacon and Green Onion. Sauté 3 slices finely chopped bacon for 3 to 4 minutes, drain well, and combine with 3 tablespoons finely chopped green onion, or scallion, and 1 peeled, seeded, and finely chopped tomato. Baste the fillets with butter and lemon juice, spoon the bacon mixture over them, and broil as before, without further basting.
Broiled Fish Fillets, Provençal. Sauté 3 finely chopped shallots in 4 tablespoons olive oil until soft. Add 3 peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped tomatoes, 1 finely chopped garlic clove, 1 teaspoon basil, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and 2 tablespoons chopped parsley. Arrange fillets on foil and brush well with olive oil. Broil for half the cooking time, spoon tomato mixture over them, and continue broiling until done. Serve with saffron rice.
Leftover Marinated Fish Fillets. Arrange any leftover cold broiled fillets in a baking dish in a single layer. Top with thin slices of onion, green pepper rings, and slices of peeled orange or lemon. Add olive oil barely to cover. Sprinkle with your favorite herb (dill, tarragon, basil, or thyme) and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate 24 hours or overnight. Serve with a rice salad or a green salad.
The classic method of sautéing fish, which I gave in Theory & Practice, is the sauté meunière. The fish is lightly floured; cooked quickly in clarified butter (see page 543) or a mixture of butter and oil, which can be heated to a fairly high temperature without burning; turned once; seasoned and served with the butter from the pan, lemon, and chopped parsley. The following recipes are a little more unusual.
Walnut-Breaded Sole
The walnuts, especially if you can get black walnuts, lend a satisfying crunchiness and flavor to the fish. Serve the fillets with boiled or steamed potatoes and perhaps a cucumber salad.
Makes 6 servings
6 large fillets of sole, flounder, or other white fish
Flour
2 eggs
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1½ cups coarsely chopped walnuts, preferably black walnuts
6 tablespoons clarified unsalted butter, or 3 tablespoons unsalted butter and 3 tablespoons oil
Salt, freshly ground black pepper
Lemon wedges
Flour the fillets lightly. Lightly beat the eggs and mix in the cream. Dip the fillets in the egg-cream mixture, then into the crumbs and then the nuts. Arrange on cookie sheets lined with wax paper for a few minutes to set the coating. Heat the clarified butter, or butter and oil, until hot but not smoking, add the fillets, 2 or 3 at a time (do not crowd the pan), and sauté until lightly browned on one side, then turn, using a broad-bladed spatula, and sauté the second side. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and serve at once, with lemon wedges.
Sautéed Sole Fillets with Curry Sauce
Makes 6 servings
2 pounds ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped, or 4 cups canned Italian plum tomatoes, drained and chopped
3 onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon curry powder, or more to taste
Salt, freshly ground pepper
6 tablespoons clarified unsalted butter
6 large or 12 small sole or flounder fillets
Flour
Chopped parsley
½ cup heavy cream
Combine the tomatoes and the onions, and let them cook down over low heat for 1 to 1½ hours. The mixture should be well concentrated. Melt the 1 tablespoon butter in a pan and cook the curry powder gently in the butter for 3 or 4 minutes, to remove the raw taste. Add to the tomato-onion mixture, season to taste with salt and pepper, and continue cooking while sautéing the fish.
Melt the clarified butter in a large skillet. Dip the fillets in flour and sauté them quickly until nicely browned on both sides, being careful not to break them when you turn them. Salt and pepper to taste, and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Arrange on a hot platter.
Combine the cream with the sauce and let it heat just to the boiling point. Pour the sauce over the fish and serve at once.
Poached Whole Fish
It never ceases to surprise me how many good cooks overlook the possibilities of poached fish. Not only is this the most satisfactory way of cooking the delicate flesh, but a whole fish makes a most attractive presentation for a dinner party or buffet, either hot with a white butter or white wine sauce, or cold with a green mayonnaise or an herbed yogurt sauce.
According to the part of the country you live in, you can usually find large fish weighing 5 pounds or more that make excellent candidates for poaching, among them pike, whitefish, salmon, striped bass, red snapper, and sea bass. Although salted water with a sprig or two of parsley is perfectly adequate for poaching large, flavorful fish, I prefer to make a simple court bouillon of water and wine with aromatic vegetables and herbs, which gives the fish a richer flavor. The court bouillon can then be reduced and strained if you wish to make a white wine sauce.
The timing for poaching whole fish, whether they are large or as small as trout, is the same. Measure the fish at the thickest point—its depth, not across the fish—and cook exactly 10 minutes per inch. Start timing after the fish has been lowered into the poaching liquid and the liquid has returned to a simmer. Remember that fish will continue to cook by its own internal heat after it is removed from the liquid, so remove and drain it immediately.
Whether I’m using the traditional fish poacher or just a large pot for poaching fish, I find it’s a good idea to lay the fish on a double thickness of heavy-duty aluminum foil long enough so the ends can act as handles for lowering the fish into the liquid and taking it out. Leave the head and tail on the fish, which keeps it intact and makes it look more attractive on the platter. I’ve never been able to understand people who shudder at the sight of a fish with its head on.
Poached Pike with White Butter Sauce
Makes 8 to 10 servings
1 pike, weighing 5 pounds or more (or substitute other large fish suitable for poaching)
White-wine court bouillon (see page 203)
WHITE BUTTER SAUCE (BEURRE BLANC)
¼ cup dry white wine
¼ cup white wine vinegar
¼ cup finely chopped shallot
¼ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
12 ounces (3 sticks) unsalted butter, well chilled
Put the fish in a fish poacher or cooking pot large enough for it to lie flat, and add sufficient water and wine (from recipe for court bouillon), half and half, barely to cover the fish. Remove fish. Add other court bouillon ingredients to the liquid, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer 10 to 15 minutes.
Measure the fish at the thickest point, lay it on a double thickness of aluminum foil, and lower it carefully into the simmering liquid. Start timing when the liquid returns to a simmer, allowing 10 minutes per inch. Immediately remove fish from the liquid with the aid of the foil, drain, and arrange on a warm serving platter.
While the fish is poaching, prepare the beurre blanc, or white butter sauce. This is a tricky sauce as the butter must not melt but remain a creamy emulsion. I prefer to use a small, heavy enameled cast-iron saucepan. Put the wine, wine vinegar, shallot, salt, and a grind of pepper into the pan and reduce over brisk heat to about 1 to 2 tablespoons. There should be just a mushy glaze in the bottom of the pan. While the liquid is reducing, cut the chilled butter into 24 slices, keeping them cold. Remove the pan from the heat to cool a little, and quickly beat in 2 pieces of butter with a wire whisk until creamy, then beat in the remaining butter, piece by piece, over the lowest possible heat, until the sauce has the consistency of very heavy cream. Lift the pan off the heat any time it seems to be getting too hot and do not add more butter until each piece has been incorporated. Serve the sauce immediately with the fish; it can’t wait. I like to serve poached fish with tiny new peas, buttered and flavored with a touch of tarragon, and steamed or boiled new potatoes.
Poached Fish with White Wine Sauce. Serve the fish with white wine sauce (see page 534), using 1 cup of the reduced, strained cooking liquid.
Poached Fish with Egg Sauce. Serve the fish with a béchamel sauce (see page 531) to which you have added 2 peeled and sliced hard-boiled eggs. (This is the traditional sauce for poached salmon on the Fourth of July in New England.)
Poached Fish with Parsley or Dill Sauce. Serve the fish with béchamel sauce into which you have stirred ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley or 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill and a few drops of lemon juice.
Poached Fish with Green Mayonnaise. Serve the poached fish cold, but not refrigerated, with green mayonnaise (see page 77).
Poached Fish with Yogurt-Herb Sauce. Serve the fish cold with a sauce of 1½ cups plain yogurt mixed with 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives, tarragon, or dill, 1 finely chopped garlic clove, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, and horseradish to taste.
Poached Fish Fillets with Garlic Mayonnaise
(Bourride)
Garlic is the very breath of Provence, and in this recipe, which came from my friend Elizabeth David, the poaching liquid is thickened with aïoli, the headily garlicky Provençal mayonnaise, which does something quite wonderful for bland white fish fillets. The traditional way to make aïoli is to pound the garlic and egg yolks in a huge marble mortar with a pestle and then gradually work in the olive oil until the mayonnaise is very stiff. I find this arduous, time-consuming process can be considerably simplified if you use a food processor or blender.
Makes 8 servings
WHITE-WINE COURT BOUILLON
2 quarts water
2 cups dry white wine
1 onion, stuck with 2 cloves
1 rib celery
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon salt
1 strip lemon peel
2 sprigs parsley
4 pounds fillets or white fish (bass, sole, flounder, haddock)
AÏOLI
4 large garlic cloves
3 large egg yolks
2½ cups fruity olive oil
4 or 5 large egg yolks, beaten
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
8 slices toast
Combine the court bouillon ingredients in a fish poacher or a large sauté pan, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Add the fish fillets and poach gently for 10 minutes for each measured inch of thickness. Remove fish to a hot platter and keep warm. Strain the court bouillon.
To make the aïoli, put the garlic cloves and 3 egg yolks in a blender and blend at high speed until combined, about 30 seconds. If you use a food processor, process the garlic and 3 egg yolks for about 2 to 3 seconds, just until blended, using the metal blade. With the machine running, very slowly pour in the olive oil, in a thin trickle at first until the mayonnaise starts to thicken, then more rapidly. When stiff, season with salt and lemon juice.
Combine the aïoli and the 4 or 5 egg yolks, and stir in 2½ to 3 cups of the strained court bouillon, whisking over low heat until the sauce is thick, creamy, and foamy. Arrange the fish on pieces of toast in soup plates and spoon the sauce over them.
Sole Poached in Vermouth
In certain French recipes, instead of being poached in court bouillon or wine and water, fish fillets are poached in undiluted wine, dry vermouth, or sometimes spirits. The aromatic cooking liquid becomes the basis for a rich and flavorful sauce.
6 large fillets of sole
1 ¼ cups dry vermouth
4 egg yolks
¼ pound butter, cut in small pieces
3 tablespoons heavy cream
Salt
Measure the thickness of the fillets, then arrange them in a large skillet in one layer. Add the vermouth, which should just cover them, bring to the boiling point, reduce the heat, and poach, allowing 10 minutes per measured inch, until just cooked through. Remove the fillets with a spatula to a large baking dish and keep warm. Increase the heat to high and reduce the cooking liquid until it is practically a glaze.
Put the egg yolks and pieces of butter in the top of a double boiler over hot water. Beat with a wire whisk or electric hand beater until smooth and thickened, then beat in the cream, reduced cooking liquid, and salt to taste. Don’t let the water boil at any time or the eggs will curdle. Pour the sauce over the fillets and brown the top quickly under a hot broiler.
Sole Poached in Whisky with Caviar. Poach sole in Scotch whisky to cover. Remove fish to a hot platter. Blend 1 cup heavy cream and 4 egg yolks, add a little of the poaching liquid to warm the yolks, then stir gradually into poaching liquid in pan. Stir and cook over low heat until slightly thickened. Do not allow to boil. Add 1 teaspoon black or red caviar and salt to taste. Arrange the fish on serving plates, put a small dab of caviar on each one, and spoon the sauce around it.
Turban of Sole Mousseline
Makes 6 to 8 servings
1 ¼ pounds raw salmon
3 egg whites
1½ cups heavy cream
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
A dash or two of Tabasco
6 to 8 sole fillets
WHITE WINE SAUCE
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup strong fish stock (see page 530)
Salt, freshly ground black pepper
½ cup heavy cream
2 egg yolks
If you have a food processor, you may prepare the mousseline by placing the salmon and egg whites in the beaker of the food processor. Process for 30 seconds to make a smooth paste. With the machine on, gradually pour the cream into the paste until absorbed, then blend in the seasonings.
Otherwise, grind the salmon two or three times, using the finest blade of the meat grinder. Pound in a mortar, or work with a heavy spoon, to a very smooth paste. Place the salmon in a bowl over cracked ice and gradually beat in the egg whites, using a wooden spoon or whisk, until the mixture is smooth and all liquid is absorbed. Gradually beat in the cream until the mixture is stiff and the cream absorbed. Season to taste with salt and pepper, nutmeg, and Tabasco. Beat a few seconds longer and let the mixture stand over ice for an hour until very firm.
Arrange the sole fillets in a heavily buttered 9-inch ring mold, with the darker sides facing inward, draping them so that they overlap slightly and the ends of the fillets hang over the edges of the mold.
Carefully spoon the fish mousseline into the ring mold and fold the ends of the fillets over the top of it. Stand the mold in a roasting pan, add boiling water to come halfway up the mold, and bake in a 375° oven for 35 to 40 minutes.
While the mousseline is in the oven, make the white wine sauce. Melt the butter in a pan, stir in the flour, and cook until the roux is bubbling and golden. Gradually stir in the fish stock, and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the sauce is smooth and thickened. Simmer 3 or 4 minutes, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Blend the cream and egg yolks, stir a little of the hot sauce into them, then return to the remainder in the pan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring, until smooth and thick, but do not let sauce boil or the eggs will curdle.
Unmold the mousseline onto a round platter and serve with the white wine sauce.
Turban of Sole with Shrimp Mousseline. Instead of the raw salmon, use 1 pound raw shelled shrimp for the mousseline. Process or grind and prepare in the same way. Season the mousseline with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and ½ teaspoon finely chopped fresh dill.
Individual Turbans of Sole. Cut the sole fillets into largish pieces and use to line 6 buttered custard cups. Divide the mousseline among the cups and cover tops with pieces of sole. Stand the custard cups in a baking pan of hot water and cook in a 425° oven for 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, unmold each Turban onto a dinner plate and spoon over white wine sauce.
This is an excellent way to recycle leftover cooked fish fillets. Serve with a tossed salad as a luncheon dish, or with tomato relish or chili sauce and toasted muffins for breakfast.
Makes 6 servings
1½ cups coarsely chopped onion
3 tablespoons bacon fat or butter
3 cups diced cooked potatoes
2 to 2½ cups flaked cooked fish fillets
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
¼ teaspoon Tabasco
½ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro or parsley
Sauté the onion in the bacon fat or butter over medium-high heat until just delicately colored and limp. Add the potatoes and toss well with the onions. Cook over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the flaked fillets, blend well, and add the seasonings. Press down in the pan with a spatula. Add the cream and let it cook down with the hash. Add the cilantro or parsley. Cook until the hash is crusty on the bottom then turn it out onto a serving plate.
Broiled Fish Steaks
I’m a great lover of broiled fish steaks. They hold their juices and their shape and any leftovers are delicious cold with a little mayonnaise or yogurt mixed with chopped fresh herbs. Good candidates for broiling are sword-fish, halibut, salmon, cod, haddock, tilefish, bluefish, striped bass (known as rockfish below the Mason-Dixon line), sea bass, redfish, sablefish, carp, sturgeon, fresh tuna or albacore, and mako shark.
Whenever possible, I like fish steaks cut at least 1 inch thick, or up to 2 inches for large fish such as swordfish or halibut—a thin steak never has quite the juiciness of a thick one. Follow the same rule of timing, 10 minutes per measured inch, as you would for fillets or whole fish to determine cooking time. I find oil preferable to butter for brushing and basting fish steaks; it seeps into the flesh better. For flavoring, fresh or dried herbs go well with fish and I also happen to believe that garlic is a friend of fish at all times. Try it in the variations for broiled swordfish steak and you’ll see what I mean.
Broiled Swordfish Steak with Pepper
The firm, dense flesh of swordfish tends to dry out if not well lubricated, so it should be brushed frequently with oil during the broiling.
Makes 4 servings
1 large or 2 smaller swordfish steaks (about 2 pounds), cut 1½ inches thick
2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
¼ cup olive oil
Preheat the broiler. Put a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil on the broiler rack and brush with oil. Press the pepper into both sides of the fish with the heel of your hand. Brush top side with oil and arrange fish on the foil. Broil about 2 inches from the heat for 6 to 7 minutes a side, turning once and brushing with more oil during the broiling.
Broiled Swordfish with Rosemary. Substitute dried rosemary for the pepper.
Broiled Swordfish with Garlic and Olives. Omit the pepper. Broil the swordfish on one side, turn, broil 3 minutes, then top with a mixture of 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic, ½ cup coarsely chopped Italian or Greek black olives, and 2 teaspoons lemon juice, and broil 4 minutes longer.
Broiled Marinated Swordfish. Before broiling, marinate the fish for 15 minutes, turning once or twice, in a mixture of ⅓ cup lemon juice, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh mint or crumbled dried mint, salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Broil, basting with the marinade, but cut the broiling time to 5 to 6 minutes a side as the lemon juice will have penetrated and partially “cooked” the fish.
Baked Swordfish Steak
Press pepper or rosemary into the flesh of the fish, as in the previous recipe, and brush with oil. Arrange in an oiled baking dish and bake in a preheated 450° oven for 15 minutes, without turning.
An excellent way to treat this white-fleshed, rather bland-flavored fish, which takes kindly to strong flavoring. Cod, haddock, or tilefish may be treated the same way. Serve with steamed rice.
Makes 4 servings
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
½ red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 large or 4 small halibut steaks, 1 to 1½ inches thick
Salt, freshly ground black pepper
2 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 lemon, halved and thinly sliced, blanched in boiling water 1 minute
½ cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons dry vermouth
½ cup strong fish stock (see page 530) or bottled clam juice
4 tablespoons cold butter
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped chives
Make a bed of the shallots and peppers in a buttered baking dish large enough to hold the steaks. Arrange steaks on top, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cover with the chopped tomatoes and the lemon slices. Combine the wine, vermouth, and fish stock, pour over the fish, and bring slowly to a simmer over low heat. Transfer the dish to a 400° oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, just until the fish is done.
Drain the cooking liquid into a small, heavy pan and boil down over high heat to 2 to 3 tablespoons. Remove from heat and beat in the cold butter with a whisk, to make a creamy sauce. Add the chopped herbs, correct the seasoning, pour over the fish, and serve.
Baked Stuffed Shad
This superb fish is in season on the Atlantic Coast from early in January, when the first catch arrives from the South, to May, when the northern supply is at its peak. Because of its intricate bone structure, which makes filleting a highly paid art, most shad is sold boned and may be broiled or sautéed like other fish fillets. It is also excellent baked. In the old days, people baked shad for hours in the mistaken belief that this would dissolve the bones (a French recipe for shad stuffed with sorrel specified 10 hours’ baking time). All it did was ruin the fish.
STUFFING
2 large onions, sliced thin
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup bread crumbs
¼ cup chopped parsley
½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 shad, split and boned
2 tablespoons finely chopped celery leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
Sauté the onions in the butter until soft. Combine with the other stuffing ingredients, mixing well. Stuff the shad and either sew it up or tie it with string. Place in an oiled baking dish and bake in a 450° oven, allowing 10 minutes per inch of thickness, measured at the thickest point. Serve with boiled potatoes and a green vegetable.
Shad Roe Poached in Butter
Shad roe is so delicate that it needs little more than a gentle simmering in plenty of butter. I find this much preferable to broiling, which hardens and dries out the roe. Crisp bacon and little boiled potatoes go well with shad roe.
Makes 2 servings
6 ounces unsalted butter
2 pairs shad roe
Salt, freshly ground black pepper
Lemon wedges
1 tablespoon chopped parsley (optional)
Melt the butter in a heavy skillet with a cover. When warm, but not hot, add the roe, coating them well with the butter, cover and cook very gently over low heat for about 12 to 15 minutes, turning once. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve with the pan juices poured over them and lemon wedges. You can sprinkle them with parsley if you like, but I think the butter and lemon are all they need.
Eel
I think of eels as fascinating and rather romantic fish. Both the European and American varieties breed in the deep Sargasso Sea (ranging in size from 1½ to 7 feet; see Concordance) and then, by some ancient instinct, swim east or west to live in the freshwater streams where we catch them.
I don’t know why so many people shun eel. I love its sweet, delicate flesh and gelatinous quality, whether it is broiled, sautéed, poached, baked, cooked in wine with chopped herbs and left to chill in the rich green jelled juices, or made into a matelote, the traditional eel stew of Normandy. If you have never tried eel, start with smoked eel and you’ll find how good that succulent flesh can be.
Most good fish markets will skin and clean eel. If they don’t, first remove the skin by cutting it around the head and peeling it back in one piece, like a glove (pliers will help you get a good grip on the skin). Then remove the innards, wash the fish and cut it into pieces about 3 inches long.
Flemish Green Eel
A marvelous cold dish that can be served as a first course or for a summer buffet.
Makes 6 servings
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons oil
3 pounds eels, skinned, cleaned, and cut in 3-inch pieces
¼ pound finely chopped sorrel or spinach
½ cup finely chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon or 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
A good pinch each of savory, rosemary, sage, thyme
Salt, freshly ground black pepper
White wine to cover
4 egg yolks
1½ teaspoons lemon juice
Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet with a cover. Add the eels and brown on all sides. When just colored, add the sorrel or spinach and the herbs. Season to taste with salt and pepper and mix well. Add enough white wine to cover. Cover skillet and simmer gently until the eel is just tender, about 20 minutes. Remove the fish with a slotted spoon to a large serving dish. Lightly beat the egg yolks, add a little of the hot pan juices to them, and mix well. Stir them into the juices in the pan and stir until lightly thickened, taking care the liquid does not come near the boiling point. Taste and adjust the seasoning, add the lemon juice, and pour over the eel. Chill and serve cold.
Matelote of Eel, from Normandy
For this stew, the eel is cooked, Normandy style, in dry cider from that region of apples, cider, and Calvados. Don’t on any account use sweet cider or you’ll ruin the dish. You can buy imported dry cider from Europe in most liquor stores, or in a pinch substitute white wine.
Makes 6 servings
3 onions, cut in fine julienne strips
2 carrots, cut in fine julienne strips
3 ribs celery, cut in fine julienne strips
2 to 3 pounds eel, skinned, cleaned, and cut in 3-inch pieces
Salt, pepper, thyme, tarragon
1½ cups dry cider
24 small white onions, peeled
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 egg yolks
½ cup heavy cream
A handful of chopped fresh sorrel, if available, or lemon juice
GARNISH: 12 small bread croutons, fried in butter
Put the finely cut vegetables in the bottom of a saucepan and arrange the pieces of eel on top. Season with salt, pepper, and herbs to taste and pour the cider over the mixture. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the eel is tender, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the whole onions in salted water until tender.
Remove the cooked eel to a hot serving dish. Strain the broth and reduce to 1 cup. Melt the butter in a saucepan, blend in the flour, and slowly mix in the broth, stirring until thickened. Mix the egg yolks and cream and stir a little of the hot sauce into them. Stir this into the sauce in the pan and continue cooking and stirring over low heat until smooth and well blended. Do not allow it to boil. Add the chopped sorrel, if available. If not, substitute lemon juice to taste. Garnish with croutons.
Mrs. Rockey’s Shad Roe
Makes 6 servings
2 pairs shad roe
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ cup bouillon
1 cup buttered bread crumbs
6 hard-boiled egg yolks, mashed
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Blanch the shad roe for 1 minute. Remove the membrane and gently break the roe up and place in a 2-quart casserole. Mix and add the remaining ingredients, reserving some of the bread crumbs to sprinkle over the top. Bake in a 350° oven for 20 minutes. Serve at once.
Broiled Trout
An old recipe from the fabled Poodle Dog Restaurant in San Francisco, which opened in the days of the Gold Rush. This is a variation of the fisherman’s method of cooking freshly caught trout by rolling them in cornmeal and sautéing them over the campfire.
Makes 6 servings
6 brook trout
1 cup melted butter
1 cup cornmeal
Salt, freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup lime juice
¼ cup chopped chives
¼ cup chopped parsley or chervil
Dip the trout in some of the melted butter, reserving ½ cup or more for the sauce. Roll the trout in cornmeal and broil about 3 to 4 inches from the heat, allowing 10 minutes per measured inch of thickness, turning once. Be careful not to let the coating scorch. If necessary, lower the rack so the fish is farther from the heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Heat the remaining melted butter and combine with the lime juice and chopped herbs. Serve as a sauce for the trout.
Sautéed Trout in Crêpes
A different and effective way to prepare trout or other small fish. Serve with asparagus or a salad.
Makes 6 servings
½ pound mushrooms, finely chopped
10 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt, freshly ground black pepper
½ cup or more flour
4 tablespoons heavy cream
6 brook trout
⅔ cup clarified unsalted butter (see page 543)
6 savory crâpes (see page 265)
Juice of ½ lemon
Sauté the mushrooms in 4 tablespoons butter until soft. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and 2 tablespoons flour. Stir until the flour is absorbed by the mushroom juices and cooked through, then add the cream and stir until the mixture is thick.
Sprinkle the trout with salt and pepper and dust both sides with flour. Melt the clarified butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet or sauté pan until bubbling but not browned. Measure the thickness of the trout, add to the pan and sauté for 10 minutes per measured inch, turning once, until nicely browned on both sides.
Spread each crêpe with some of the mushroom mixture, place a trout on top and roll the crêpe so the head and tail of the trout stick out at either end. Arrange the trout in an oval baking dish. Discard the butter in the pan, rub out the pan with paper towels, and add the remaining 6 tablespoons butter. Heat until lightly browned, but not burned, and pour over the crêpes and trout. Sprinkle with lemon juice and put in a 375° oven for a few minutes to reheat. Serve at once.
Fried Smelts or Sardines
Inexpensive smelts and sardines are ideal candidates for deep-frying because the backbones are soft and easily removed. If the fish market has not already cleaned the little fish, slit them along the belly and pull out the entrails. Then loosen the bone at the tail end with your fingers and pull it away from the flesh. Remove the heads but leave the tails on. Flour the fish, dip them in beaten egg and then in bread crumbs or cornmeal until well coated.
Heat deep fat to 370°, drop in the fish and fry for 2 or 3 minutes, until brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels. Salt and pepper them well and serve with rémoulade or tartare sauce (see page 77). Half a dozen of these little fish makes a good hearty serving.
Fried Smelts with Garlic and Parsley. Add finely chopped garlic and parsley to the crumbs or cornmeal. Serve with a well-seasoned tomato sauce.
Skewered Smelts. Arrange the boned fish on small metal skewers, about 3 to a skewer, dip in flour, egg, and crumbs and deep-fry. Drain, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve on the skewers. You can, if you wish, add a few drops of Tabasco to the egg mixture to make them a little zestier. Alternatively, after boning the smelts or sardines, flatten them and string them on the skewers, placing 2 skewers through each one lengthwise.
Baked Spiced Smelts or Sardines
These pickled fish should be served very cold, with potato salad, pickled beets, rye bread, and beer.
Makes 6 to 8 servings
36 to 48 smelts or sardines
2 large onions, thinly sliced
2 carrots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
6 peppercorns
5 slices lemon
½ cup olive oil
½ cup wine vinegar
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon whole cloves
2-inch piece cinnamon stick
2 cups water
1 cup dry white wine
Clean the fish and arrange in a large baking dish. Put all the other ingredients in a pan and bring to a boil. Simmer 15 minutes, then pour the hot mixture over the fish and bake in a 400° oven for 12 minutes. Let the smelts cool in the liquid.
Coulibiac of Salmon
This famous Russian specialty is perfect for a buffet as it looks spectacular, slices well, is easy to eat with a fork, and will serve up to 10 guests. With a spinach salad, it makes a complete meal.
Makes 10 servings
¼ pound butter
2 pounds salmon fillets, cut in small strips (sturgeon or fresh tuna may be substituted)
½ pound sole fillets, cut in small strips
Salt, freshly ground black pepper
6 shallots, finely chopped
½ pound mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon paprika
¼ cup chives
½ cup buckwheat groats (kasha)
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 cups boiling water
Double recipe brioche dough (see page 477), refrigerated overnight
3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
3 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
1 beaten egg (egg wash) for brushing the brioche
ACCOMPANIMENTS: Hollandaise sauce (page 532) or melted butter and chopped parsley
Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a skillet and sauté the fish strips lightly for about 2 minutes, until just firm. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a second skillet and sauté the shallots and mushrooms until soft, and season with salt and pepper, paprika, and chives. Mix the buckwheat with the lightly beaten egg and stir in a third skillet over medium heat until each kernel is separate. Add boiling water, cover tightly, and steam for 20 minutes over very low heat.
Roll out the brioche dough to a rectangle 14 by 20 inches and ½ inch thick. Roll it onto a rolling pin and unroll onto a lightly floured cloth or a piece of heavy aluminum. Brush the surface of the dough with melted butter. Put in the center layers of the fish, buckwheat, shallots and mushrooms, and sliced eggs, ending with the remainder of the buckwheat. Fold the ends and sides of the dough over the filling so that it is completely covered, and seal by pressing the edges of the dough together well. Butter a baking sheet large enough to hold the coulibiac, invert it onto the coulibiac and, with the aid of the cloth or foil, turn the whole thing over so the smooth side is uppermost. Let rise on the baking sheet in a warm place for 20 to 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375°. Brush the surface of the brioche with beaten egg. Cut a center vent in the top for the steam to escape.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the brioche is nicely browned and cooked through. Slice, and serve with hollandaise sauce, or use melted butter as a sauce and accompany it with a bowl of chopped parsley.
Coulibiac of Salmon with Rice. Use 1½ cups boiled rice in place of the buckwheat groats and mix it with 2 tablespoons chopped parsley and ¼ cup melted butter before putting it into the coulibiac. Accompany with hollandaise sauce (page 532).
Scalloped Salmon
Makes 4 servings
16-ounce can salmon
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1½ cups coarse cracker crumbs
½ cup melted butter
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup milk or other liquid
Butter
Combine the salmon, lemon juice, and onion. Blend the crumbs, melted butter, and seasonings. Pile in alternate layers in a buttered baking dish and add just enough milk (or fish broth or tomato juice) to moisten the crumbs. Dot with butter and bake in a 350° oven for about 30 minutes or until nicely browned.
Salmon cheeks are best lightly sautéed.
Makes 4 servings
2 dozen salmon cheeks
All-purpose flour
4 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon cut into wedges
Dredge the cheeks lightly with flour and sauté very quickly in butter. Cook for approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Turn once and season with salt and pepper. Serve with wedges of lemon.
Salmon Tart
A pleasant and unusual first course or light luncheon entrée for summer. Serve it hot or cold with thin slices of dill pickles.
Makes 8 servings
CREAM CHEESE PASTRY
½ pound cream cheese
½ pound unsalted butter
½ cup heavy cream
2½ cups flour
SALMON FILLING
2 pounds fresh salmon (or halibut, swordfish, or fresh tuna)
1 cup white wine
1 onion stuck with 3 cloves
1 tablespoon dried dill weed
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon Tabasco
2 cloves garlic, peeled
Salt, freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
3 egg yolks
⅔ cup sour cream
Egg wash
The pastry should be chilled 2 to 3 hours. Overnight is even better. Blend the cream cheese, butter, heavy cream, and flour in an electric mixer or by hand. Form into a ball, wrap in wax paper, and chill.
Put the fish in a large pan, add the white wine and enough water to cover the fish. Remove fish. Add to the pan the onion, dried dill, bay leaves, Tabasco, garlic, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Bring to a boil. Simmer 20 minutes, then add fish and poach gently, allowing 10 minutes per measured inch of thickness. Do not overcook.
Remove the fish. When it is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and bones and flake the fish. Blend with dill, parsley, egg yolks, sour cream, and a teaspoon each of salt and black pepper.
Remove the pastry from the refrigerator and divide in half. Roll out one half on a floured board in a circle large enough to fit a 9 inch pie pan. Roll out the other half to fit the top. Line pan with first piece of dough and chill lined pan and top dough thoroughly for about 30 minutes. Remove from refrigerator and fill the pastry-lined pan with fish mixture. Cover with top layer of dough and cut a vent to allow the steam to escape. Brush top with egg wash and bake in a 400° oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until crust is nicely browned and filling hot and bubbly.
Mixed Seafood and Seafood Stews
French Seafood Sausages
(Cervelas aux Fruits de Mer)
An elegant, haute cuisine version of seafood sausage, made with a mousseline of fish studded with pieces of lobster, scallops, and salmon. Serve this as a first course for a special dinner party with a velouté or Nantua sauce.
Makes 8 servings
¾ pound sole or pike fillets
1 egg white
⅔ cup heavy cream
½ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper
Dash of paprika
3 drops Tabasco
¼ cup finely chopped parsley
¼ cup finely chopped mushrooms
¼ cup finely chopped scallops
2 tablespoons finely chopped salmon (smoked salmon may be used)
Meat from a 1¼- to 1½-pound lobster, finely chopped
2 to 3 feet of sausage casings
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Put the fish through the fine blade of a meat grinder. Transfer to a large bowl over a bowl of ice cubes or ice water. Beat in the egg white until smooth and absorbed. Gradually beat in the cream, a teaspoon at a time, until the mixture is smooth, thick, and stiff. Season with salt, pepper, paprika, and Tabasco. Stir in the parsley, mushrooms, scallops, salmon, and lobster meat. Using a sausage stuffer or funnel, stuff the mixture into well-rinsed casings, twisting and tying the casing at intervals until you have 8 sausages. Try to eliminate air bubbles. Prick the casings with a fork and poach sausages gently in salted water to cover for 1½ hours. Drain and brown quickly in hot oil.
FOOD PROCESSOR METHOD: Make the fish mousse by processing the sole or pike, cut in pieces, with 1 whole egg (not egg white) to a smooth paste. Gradually pour in the cream, with the motor running, then the seasonings. Process just until thick and liquid absorbed. Combine with the other ingredients.
Seafood Sausages with Shrimp. Use ⅓ cup finely chopped shrimp instead of lobster.
Seafood Sausages with Crab. Use ⅓ cup finely chopped crabmeat instead of lobster.
Seafood en Brochette
Makes 4 servings
1½ pounds halibut, sturgeon, or other firm white fish cut 1½ inches thick
12 sea scallops
8 to 10 mushroom caps
½ cup peanut or olive oil
⅓ cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
Beurre blanc (see page 201)
Cut the fish in 1½-inch cubes. Using 4 to 6 skewers, alternate the fish and scallops, using a mushroom cap at each end of the skewer.
Combine oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and parsley in a bowl. Brush the fish on the skewers well with the mixture. Arrange skewers on a broiling rack, and broil 3 inches from the heat for 5 minutes on each side, brushing several times with lemon juice and oil. Remove from the broiler and either slide the fish off the skewers with a fork onto hot plates or leave on the skewers. Serve with a beurre blanc.
Cocotte of Seafood Manzanilla
A breakaway from the usual method of serving seafood mixtures in a creamy sauce. The combination of flavors is different and delicious. You could use any combination of seafood and/or cold cooked fish. The flavor of a good dry sherry makes a world of difference in this dish.
Makes 6 to 8 servings
¾ pound softened butter
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon or 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Dash of nutmeg
1 cup soft bread crumbs
⅔ cup dry sherry
1 pound shrimp, cooked and deveined
½ pound bay scallops, uncooked
½ pound crabmeat
1 cup buttered crumbs
GARNISH: Lemon slices, chopped parsley
Cream the butter, garlic, shallots, and seasonings and mix with the soft crumbs. Add enough of the sherry to flavor. Combine seafood and divide among 6 or 8 ramekins or individual baking dishes, sprinkle with remaining sherry, cover with the butter mixture, and top with buttered crumbs. Bake in a 400° oven for 10 to 15 minutes. Serve as a first course with lemon slices and chopped parsley.
Hellenic Seafood Stew
This is one of the many delicious soup-stews found around the Mediterranean shores, each offering basically the same ingredients, but varied by different seasonings and techniques. Long a favorite of mine, this stew is quick to make and can be stretched or reduced according to the number of guests.
Makes 6 servings
6 frozen lobster tails, thawed
½ cup good fruity olive oil
4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
2½ cups canned Italian plum tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon oregano
1 cup dry white wine
18 small clams, well washed and scrubbed
18 raw shrimp, shelled but with the tails left on
1 cup finely chopped parsley
Cut the thawed lobster tails in thirds crosswise and snip through the underside of the shell with kitchen shears (the lobster is cooked in its shell to retain the tenderness and flavor, and removed with a fork by the diner). Heat the oil in a large, heavy sauté pan or skillet, add the lobster tail pieces and garlic, and sauté over medium-high heat for 3 or 4 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes, bay leaves, oregano, and wine, and bring to a boil. Add the clams, arranging them around the sides of the pan, hinged side down, cover the pan, and cook over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the clam shells have been steamed open. If any are not opened, steam 5 minutes longer. Add the shrimp, cover the pan, and cook another 3 minutes, or until they are pink. At this point, discard any clams that have not opened and the bay leaves. Add the parsley to the soup and serve immediately in heated soup bowls or plates, with toasted French bread.
Bouillabaisse
Although this specialty of the South of France is basically simple, its excellence lies in the fact that the taste and texture of each fish comes through. Timing is all, or you will end up with a mess of overcooked fish. Although we cannot find here the same fish that are used in France, it is perfectly possible to make substitutions. On the Atlantic Coast you have a choice of halibut, striped bass (rockfish), cod, or even swordfish for the firmer fish; flounder, snapper, or sole for the less firm; mussels, clams, and lobsters for the shellfish. On the West Coast you might use halibut, black cod, or sablefish for the firm-textured types; sand dabs, snapper, or rex sole for the softer, and crabs instead of lobster.
Makes 10 servings
5 pounds fish, firm and softer types from those listed above
½ cup good olive oil
5 or 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 large onions, finely chopped
4 or 5 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped, or 2 cups canned Italian plum tomatoes
1 stalk dried fennel or 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
Pinch of saffron
2 tablespoons salt
1½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 lobsters or 4 crabs, cut or broken into bite size pieces
1 quart mussels or 24 small clams
1 loaf French bread, sliced and lightly toasted
ROUILLE
4 or 5 dried hot red chili peppers, soaked for several hours in hot water
3 garlic cloves, peeled
¼ teaspoon salt
4 to 5 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup bouillabaisse broth
1 tablespoon hot paprika (optional)
For the bouillabaisse, clean all the fish and cut in slices about 1 inch thick. If heads are available, cut them in half. Separate firm fish from soft.
Heat the oil in a wide braising pan or kettle large enough to hold all the seafood. Add the garlic, onion, tomatoes, fennel, a good pinch of saffron, salt, pepper, firm fish, fish heads, lobster or crabs, and enough boiling water to more than cover the seafood. Boil briskly for 7 to 8 minutes (this makes the oil and water combine, giving a richer broth). Add the soft fish and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, but at not so high a heat. Be careful not to overcook the fish. Meanwhile, in a separate kettle cook the well-scrubbed and bearded mussels or the clams with 1½ cups water over high heat, covered, until the shells open (discard any with closed shells). Strain the broth through cheesecloth into the bouillabaisse.
Transfer the fish and shellfish, discarding the fish heads, to a hot serving dish and keep warm while reducing the broth over high heat for several minutes. Correct the seasoning.
Prepare the rouille. Drain the soaked peppers and pound to a paste in a mortar. Work in the garlic, salt, and oil until the mixture is smooth and well blended. Stir in the broth and the hot paprika, if desired.
Line a soup tureen or large bowl with some of the sliced toasted bread, add the fish and mussels or clams. Cut the lobsters or crabs into serving pieces with shells on, discarding inedible parts, and add to the tureen. Pour the broth over the top. Serve the bouillabaisse in bowls or soup plates with the rest of the bread and the rouille, to stir into the bouillabaisse to taste.
Solianka
This fish stew, introduced to the Pacific Northwest by Russian immigrants, became very popular in Oregon and Washington, where it is made with salmon from the Columbia River.
Makes 4 servings
2 pounds fish bones and heads, or 2-pound bony fish, with head
1½ quarts water
Salt, freshly ground black pepper
3 large ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
7 tablespoons unsalted butter
1½ pounds salmon, cut in strips
2 onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon each of chopped black olives and chopped green olives
4 dill pickles, finely chopped
2 teaspoons capers
1 bay leaf
GARNISH: Additional chopped green or black olives, chopped parsley, lemon slices
Simmer the fish bones and heads in the water, well seasoned with salt and pepper, for 1½ hours. Strain the broth and reserve. Simmer the tomatoes in 3 tablespoons butter for 15 minutes. Season to taste. Arrange the salmon strips in a deep pot with the onions, olives, pickles, tomatoes, and capers. Cover with the fish broth, add the bay leaf, and simmer 12 to 15 minutes. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons butter. Serve in bowls, garnished with the chopped olives, parsley, and lemon slices.
Solianka with Dill. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or 2 teaspoons dried dill weed to the soup before serving.
Cioppino
This marvelous fish soup-stew originated among the Italian and Portuguese fishermen of the California coast. Serve it in deep plates or bowls with forks and spoons and lots of French or Italian bread.
Makes 6 servings
1 quart clams
1 cup dry white or red wine
½ cup olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
¼ pound dried mushrooms, soaked in water and drained
4 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
4 tablespoons Italian tomato paste
2 cups red wine, such as Pinot Noir or Zinfandel
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil
1 sea bass or striped bass, about 3 pounds, cut into serving pieces, or 3 pounds thick fish fillets, cut into serving pieces
1 pound crabmeat
1 pound raw shrimp, shelled
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
Steam the clams in the 1 cup white or red wine until they open—discard any that do not open. Strain the broth through two thicknesses of cheesecloth and reserve.
Heat the olive oil in a deep 8-quart pot and cook the onion, garlic, pepper, and mushrooms for 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook 4 minutes. Add the strained clam broth, tomato paste, and 2 cups red wine. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for about 20 minutes. Taste and correct seasoning. Add the basil and the fish, and just cook the fish through about 3 to 5 minutes. Finally, add the steamed clams, crabmeat, and shrimp. Heat just until shrimp are cooked. Do not overcook. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Cioppino with Mussels. Substitute mussels for clams.
Cioppino with Oysters. Substitute oysters for the clams.
Another good fish stew is the Breton bouillabaisse, cotriade.
Makes 6 servings
4 large potatoes, peeled and quartered
4 large onions, peeled and quartered
2 or 3 fish heads
Bouquet garni of thyme, bay leaf, rosemary, and parsley tied in cheesecloth
Salt
3 pounds fish (mackerel, mullet, cod, eel, fresh sardines), cut in serving-size pieces
Put the potatoes, onions, fish heads, and bouquet garni in a pot with salt to taste, and cover with water, allowing about 1 pint per serving. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the fish heads and the cheesecloth pouch of bouquet garni and add the fish. Cook until the potatoes are tender and the fish cooked through, about 15 minutes. Serve the broth in one bowl, the fish and vegetables in another.
Seafood à l’Américaine
Makes 2 cups
SAUCE À L’AMÉRICAINE
3 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
6 shallots, finely chopped
2 cups canned tomatoes
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon or 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1½ teaspoons thyme
½ bay leaf
3 tablespoons tomato paste
Makes 6 servings
2- to 2½-pound lobster
6 tablespoons olive oil
12 raw shrimp
4 to 6 tablespoons butter
4 fillets of sole
4 fillets of tilefish (or substitute haddock or flounder)
12 scallops
Flour
Salt, freshly ground black pepper
Prepare the Sauce à l’Américaine: Melt the butter in a skillet, add the onion, and cook for a few minutes without letting it brown. Add the shallots, tomato, garlic, and herbs, and simmer for 1 hour, or until the water from the tomatoes has cooked away. Add the tomato paste.
Split the lobster down the back from the head to the tail and remove the tomalley and coral. Sear the lobster in 4 tablespoons of the olive oil, turning until the shell has become brilliant red. Remove the lobster to absorbent paper. Remove the pieces of lobster from the shells and keep hot in the sauce.
Shell and devein the shrimp. Melt the butter and the remaining oil in one large or two small skillets. Dust the fillets, scallops, and shrimp with flour and sauté until delicately browned and just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
Arrange the fish, scallops, shrimp, and lobster in a deep serving dish and cover with the sauce. Serve with rice.
Mussels Marinière
This is far and away the most popular of all the mussel dishes served in French restaurants in this country, yet surprisingly few people make it at home, considering how easy it is. Maybe they are daunted by the thought of having to scrub and beard the mussels, but the result is well worth the time and effort. All you need with this is plenty of hot crusty French bread to sop up all the goodness.
Makes 4 servings
2 quarts mussels
1 large onion, finely chopped
⅓ cup chopped parsley
⅛ teaspoon thyme
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
Freshly ground black pepper
1 to 1½ cups white wine
Scrub the mussels well with a scouring pad and scrape off any encrustations on the shells. Wash them thoroughly in several changes of water and pull or snip off the beard—the stringy black thread attached to the shells.
Put the mussels in a deep, heavy pan with the onion, ¼ cup of the parsley, the thyme, 4 tablespoons butter, a couple of grinds of pepper, and the wine—no salt; the mussel liquid will be salty enough. Cover and steam over medium-low heat just until the shells open, about 8 or 10 minutes. Remove the opened mussels, in their shells, to a big tureen, add the remaining butter and parsley to the pan to heat, and taste for salt as you do so. Pour the liquid over the mussels. To serve, ladle the mussels and their broth into deep soup plates.
Mussels Marinière with Garlic. Instead of onion, use 4 or 5 finely chopped garlic cloves.
Mussels Marinière with Cream. Stir ⅔ cup heavy cream into the liquid after removing the mussels, and bring to a boil.
Mussels Marinière with Tomatoes. Add 1 cup canned Italian plum tomatoes to the broth with the remaining parsley and omit the butter.
Clams Marinière. Substitute hard-shell clams for mussels in any of the above recipes.
Curried Seafood with Rice Pilaf
Makes 6 servings
THE RICE PILAF
1 onion, chopped
6 tablespoons butter
1½ cups long-grain rice
3 cups fish stock or 1½ cups bottled clam juice and 1½ cups water
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
½ teaspoon crumbled tarragon
Salt (you probably won’t need this if you have used bottled clam juice)
Chopped parsley
3 cups dry white wine
1 cup water
½ cup chopped scallions, or green onions, including the green tops
1 carrot, finely chopped
A handful of parsley
1 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
¾ pound fresh shrimp
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 quart (about 30) hardshell clams, scrubbed and soaked in several changes of cold water
1 quart (about 30) mussels, scrubbed, debearded, and soaked in several changes of cold water
1 pound cod fillets, cut into strips about 1 inch wide and 2 inches long
8 large mushrooms, quartered and sautéed in 2 tablespoons butter
Chopped cilantro or parsley
Prepare the rice pilaf. Sauté the onion in the butter until soft. Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, until the grains become translucent—3 to 5 minutes. Add the fish stock and seasonings and put the mixture into a 1½-quart casserole. Cover and bake at 375° for about 45 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed. Sprinkle parsley on top.
Meanwhile, shell the shrimp and set aside, reserving both shrimp and shells.
About 15 minutes before the rice will have finished cooking, prepare the seafood. In a deep saucepan, bring the wine, water, vegetables, herbs, shrimp shells, ½ teaspoon salt, and a few grindings of fresh pepper to a rapid boil. Cook for about 3 minutes to evaporate the alcohol, then set aside. Melt the butter in a heavy medium-size saucepan. Add the flour and curry powder and cook the mixture gently for 2 minutes, without browning. Immediately set the bottom of the pan in cold water to stop the cooking and prevent the curry powder from burning. Set aside.
Bring the seasoned cooking liquid back to a boil and add the clams. Cover the pot and steam for 3 minutes. Then uncover the pot and add the mussels. Cover and steam for 3 minutes longer, or until the shells are open. Remove the clams and mussels to a warm bowl, baste them with a few spoonfuls of the cooking liquid, and cover them loosely with foil. Strain the cooking liquid through several thicknesses of cheesecloth. Proceed immediately to the sauce.
Bring the roux back to bubbling over medium heat and whisk in the strained liquid. Bring the sauce to a simmer, and gently fold in the cod fillets and shrimp. Poach them in the sauce for about 3 minutes, until the shrimp have turned from their grayish raw color to a pale pink. Add the mushrooms.
Remove the rice from the oven and fluff it with a fork. Make a circle of the rice on the heated serving platter, sprinkle with parsley, and fill the center of the dish with the hot curried seafood. Arrange the clams and mussels around the rice, and sprinkle the platter generously with chopped parsley or cilantro.
Tuna Tart
Makes 6 to 8 servings
Cream cheese pastry (see page 216)
7-ounce can white-meat tuna
½ pound shrimp, cooked and shelled
¾ cup tiny green olives or anchovy-stuffed cocktail olives
¼ cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon Tabasco
2 cups rich béchamel sauce (see page 531)
Line an 8-inch tart mold that has a removable bottom with pastry, rolled a little thicker than usual. Place a piece of foil over the pastry and weight it down by filling with dry beans. Bake in a 400° oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the shell is nicely browned and done. Remove from the oven and take out the beans and foil. Keep the tart shell warm until ready to use.
Flake the tuna quite fine. Cut the shrimp into rather small pieces, reserving a few whole shrimp for garnish. In a saucepan, mix the seafood with the olives, reserving a few for garnish. Add the cream and seasonings and enough hot béchamel sauce to fill the shell. Heat to the boiling point. Fill the shell with the mixture and decorate with the whole shrimp and the olives. Serve the remaining béchamel sauce separately.
Clam Hash
I’ve been a clam lover ever since my childhood in Oregon, when we used to dig for clams at the beach and cook them in every way imaginable. This hash was a family favorite.
Makes 4 to 6 servings
6 tablespoons butter
½ cup finely chopped onion
1½ cups minced steamed clams (see steaming directions on page 222) or drained canned clams (reserve clam liquid)
1½ cups finely diced cooked potatoes
Salt, freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3 eggs
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
Melt the butter in a heavy skillet, preferably cast iron. Add the onion and sauté until just transparent. Add the drained clams and potatoes and press down with a spatula. Salt and pepper lightly and add the Worcestershire sauce. Cook about 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a fork or spatula and mixing in some of the crust from the bottom. Press down again. Beat the eggs with ¼ cup of the reserved clam liquid (this intensifies the clam flavor), combine with the cheese and pour over the hash. Cover tightly until the egg is set, about 6 to 8 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.
Sauté of Clams
A simple way to cook clams that keeps them plump and juicy. You can think up your own variations on the basic recipe. Serve them on hot buttered toast.
Makes 4 to 6 servings
4 cups shucked and drained hardshell clams
¼ pound unsalted butter
Salt, freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon finely cut chives
Trim the tough necks from the clams. Heat the butter in a large, heavy skillet, add the clams, and cook just until the edges curl and they are plump and heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper and sprinkle with the chopped herbs.
Sauté of Clams with White Wine. After the clams are plumped, add ½ cup white wine to the pan juices and let them cook down for 1 minute.
Sauté of Clams with Tarragon. Sprinkle the clams as they cook with 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon or 1 teaspoon dried tarragon. Omit the parsley and chives.
Sauté of Clams with Mustard and Worcestershire Sauce. Stir 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard and 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce into the pan juices. Omit the herbs.
Scalloped Clams
Makes 4 servings
3 tablespoons grated onion
2 cups minced drained clams
¼ cup finely chopped parsley
1 teaspoon salt
Dash of Tabasco
½ cup bread crumbs
1 cup coarsely crushed cracker crumbs
½ cup melted butter
Additional butter
½ cup heavy cream
Combine the onion, clams, parsley, salt, and a dash of Tabasco in a mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly the bread crumbs and cracker crumbs with the melted butter. Set aside one-third of the mixture. Combine the remaining two-thirds with clam mixture and put in a buttered baking dish. Top with remaining crumbs, dot with butter, and pour the heavy cream over the top. Bake for 25 minutes in a 375° oven or until top is browned and crisp.
Clam Pie
Makes 6 to 8 servings
1 carrot, cut in julienne strips
1 onion, cut in julienne strips
1 bay leaf
Salt, freshly ground black pepper
2 cups dry white wine
2 quarts clams in shell, well scrubbed
1 pound mushrooms
5 tablespoons butter
2 cups white wine sauce (see page 534)
3 tablespoons sherry or Madeira
Lard Pie Crust (see page 509)
1 egg, beaten with a little water
Combine the carrot, onion, bay leaf, 1 teaspoon pepper, and white wine in a large kettle. Add the clams. Cover and steam over medium heat until the shells open. Remove the clams from the shells and strain the broth through a linen cloth to remove the sand. Reserve for other uses, or use to make the white wine sauce.
Clean and slice the mushrooms and sauté quickly in the butter, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Mix the mushrooms and clams with the sauce and the sherry or Madeira. Taste for seasoning.
Pour into a deep baking dish or pie dish and cool. Roll out pie crust to ¼-inch thickness. Place a support such as a metal or porcelain cup in the center of the dish to hold up the crust and top the pie with the pastry. Brush with egg mixture and bake in a 450° oven for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350° and continue baking until the crust is nicely browned, about 20 minutes.
Oysters
Baked Oysters on the Half Shell with Shrimp Sauce
Makes 4 servings
½ pound medium raw shrimp
6 tablespoons butter
2 dozen fresh oysters, shucked (reserve the deeper half of the shell plus all oyster liquor)
½ to 1 cup milk
2 tablespoons dry white wine
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup soft fresh bread crumbs
½ cup freshly grated Gruyère or Emmenthaler cheese
Preheat the oven to 450°. Shell and devein the shrimp, then chop fine. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a small skillet, drop in the shrimp, and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until they turn pink. Set aside.
Pour the oyster liquor into a large measuring cup and add enough milk to make 1¾ cups. Stir in the wine. In a skillet melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter over moderate heat, stir in the flour, and cook, stirring, until golden and bubbly. Gradually pour in the milk-oyster-liquid-wine mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk, and cook over high heat until the sauce thickens slightly. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 3 minutes. Then beat the egg yolk lightly in a bowl, add about ¼ cup of the sauce, and whisk the egg yolk mixture into the sauce in the pan. Add the salt and pepper and taste for seasoning. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the shrimp.
Fill a large shallow baking dish to a depth of about ¼ inch with rock or coarse salt. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the shrimp sauce into each oyster shell, top with an oyster, and blanket the oyster with a second tablespoon of the shrimp sauce. Arrange the filled shells side by side in the salt-lined baking dish. Bake in the top third of the oven for about 8 minutes, or until the sauce has barely begun to bubble. Sprinkle the oysters evenly with the bread crumbs and the cheese. Return to the oven for another 4 minutes, until the cheese melts and the crumbs brown lightly. You may then slide them under the broiler, about 3 inches from the heat, for a few minutes to brown the tops even further. Serve at once.
Stuffed Oysters
Makes 2 servings
6 shallots, finely chopped
½ cup chopped parsley
¼ cup chopped chervil
3 ounces butter, softened
12 oysters on the half shell
Blend the shallots, parsley, and chervil well with the butter. Spoon the herbed butter onto the oysters in their shells. Arrange the oysters in a large pan and place them under the broiler until the butter is melted and the edges begin to curl.
Or, if you have flat casseroles of sufficient size, you may fill them with rock salt and heat them. Arrange the oysters on the beds of rock salt and place them in a 500° oven for a few minutes or run them under the broiler.
Fried Oysters
Makes 4 servings
Unsalted butter or butter and oil
3 eggs
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 quart freshly opened oysters of medium size
3 to 4 cups freshly rolled cracker crumbs
Salt, freshly ground black pepper
Lemon wedges or tartare sauce (see page 77)
Heat enough butter or mixed butter and oil in a heavy 12-inch skillet, preferably iron, to a depth of half an inch. Lightly beat the eggs and mix in the cream. Dip the oysters in the egg-cream mixture, then roll them in the cracker crumbs. Arrange on cookie sheets lined with waxed paper. Let them stand several minutes for the coating to set. Drop them into the hot fat, a few at a time so as not to crowd the skillet, and fry just long enough to brown the coating and heat them through, no more than a minute or two. Remove, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve on hot plates with lemon wedges or tartare sauce. Allow 6 or more oysters, according to appetite.
Oyster Loaves. For each serving, use a small loaf of unsliced white or French bread. Cut off the top crust about 1 inch down from the top and remove nearly all the crumb. Butter well. Place in a 350° oven to toast. Fill each loaf with fried oysters and replace the toasted top. Serve with lemon wedges and chili sauce.
Oyster Sausages
In the fishing communities of New England, there are many versions of seafood-and-suet sausages. They make excellent breakfast fare with scrambled eggs, or you could serve them for lunch on a bed of rice with a green vegetable or a salad.
Makes 4 servings
2 cups minced raw oysters
1⅓ cups finely chopped or shredded beef suet
1 cup fresh white bread crumbs
1½ teaspoons lemon juice
2 eggs
⅛ teaspoon allspice
⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon oil
LEMON-PARSLEY BUTTER
½ cup melted butter
Lemon juice to taste
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Combine the oysters, suet, bread crumbs, lemon juice, eggs, and seasonings in a bowl. Mix well. Stuff the mixture into well-rinsed sausage casings, using a small sausage stuffer. Tie one end of the casing and force the mixture in, making small, fat links of sausage about 5 inches long. Twist the casing and tie tightly with string. Continue until you have 8 or 10 sausages. Prick the sausages with a fork and poach in salted water in a skillet for 10 to 15 minutes, until just firm. Drain. When ready to eat the sausages, brown them quickly on both sides in the butter and oil. Combine the ingredients for lemon-parsley butter and serve with the sausages.
Shrimp Jambalaya
Makes 6 servings
5 tablespoons bacon fat or butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2½ cups canned Italian plum tomatoes (reserve the juice)
¾ cup cubed country ham
2 teaspoons crushed dried basil, or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Salt, freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 dried red peppers, crushed
2 cups long-grain white rice
3 cups chicken or fish stock, boiling
2 pounds medium shrimp, shelled, deveined, and well rinsed
Melt the fat and stir in the flour. Cook, stirring, over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and continue cooking over medium heat for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes and ham and cook for a few minutes more. Add the basil, salt, pepper, dried red peppers, and the rice. Pour the boiling stock over to cover by more than 2 inches. Cover the pan tightly and simmer the mixture over low heat for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the rice is almost tender. If the mixture should become too dry, add additional stock or some of the reserved tomato juice. Just before serving, add the shrimp. They should not cook for more than about 8 minutes with the mixture or they will toughen. If you prefer, cook the shrimp separately and add them to the pot at the last minute before serving.
Crabmeat Jambalaya. Use 1½ pounds crabmeat in place of the shrimp. Merely heat the crabmeat through before serving, lest you overcook it.
Shrimp on a Stick
Makes 8 servings
2 pounds raw jumbo shrimp or prawns (16 to 24)
2 cups dry white wine
6 cups water
¼ cup white wine vinegar
1 onion, sliced
1 carrot, sliced
1 tablespoon salt
2 whole cloves
1 stalk celery, sliced
Bouquet garni (bay leaf, parsley, thyme)
½ pound soft butter
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill or 2 teaspoons dried dill weed
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Dash of Tabasco
Thread each shrimp on a long, thin bamboo skewer. Insert the point of the skewer at the tail of the shrimp and impale its full length, so that the point of the skewer just shows at the head end of the shrimp. Refrigerate until cooking time.
Make a court bouillon of the wine, water, wine vinegar, onion, carrot, salt, cloves, celery, and bouquet garni. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for ½ hour. Strain.
Cream the butter with the fresh or dried dill, lemon juice, and Tabasco. Divide mixture among 8 small dishes, one for each guest.
When guests have assembled, bring the court bouillon to a boil, pour into an electric frying pan or other table cooker which has been placed on the cocktail table. Bring on the skewered shrimps, attractively arranged on a platter, and give each guest a napkin, a dish of prepared dill butter, and a small tray or plate. When the court bouillon is bubbling, add one skewer of shrimp for each guest, allowing the handles to stick out, but completely immersing the shellfish. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until they have lost their translucent look. Serve one to each guest, to be dipped in the dill butter and eaten right from the skewer. Cook the remaining shrimp in 1 or 2 batches.
Shrimp with Curry Butter
An easy, quick party dish, especially if you arrange the shrimp on the skewers and make the curry butter ahead of time. Serve with rice and a green salad.
Makes 6 servings
2 pounds large shelled raw shrimp
½ pound lean bacon
CURRY BUTTER
2 shallots or 1 very small onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 to 3 teaspoons good curry powder
1 tablespoon chopped chutney
¼ pound softened butter
GARNISH: Chopped parsley
Arrange the shrimp on 6 skewers, lacing the bacon strips in between them. Set aside until ready to broil.
To make the curry butter, sauté the shallot or onion in the 2 tablespoons butter until limp, then blend in the curry powder and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in the chopped chutney and let the mixture cool slightly before blending it with the soft butter. Form into balls and chill well in the refrigerator.
Preheat the broiler. Put the skewers of shrimp under the broiler and broil for 5 to 7 minutes, according to thickness, turning once, until the shrimp are cooked through and the bacon is slightly crisp. Serve on hot plates and put a ball or two of curry butter on each one. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Shrimp with Dill Butter. Blend ¼ pound butter with 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Shrimp Floridian en Papillote
Makes 4 servings
½ pound blue cheese
8-ounce package cream cheese
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
¾ cup dry white wine
2 pounds raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
4 slices lemon
Blend the blue cheese with the cream cheese and the chives, parsley, and garlic. Thin the mixture with the wine.
Take 4 large squares aluminum foil and heap one-quarter of the cheese mixture on each. Top with a quarter of the shrimp and a slice of lemon. Bring the edges of the foil up over the shrimp and fold them together. Fold up the ends of the foil to make a tight package. Arrange the packages on a baking sheet and bake in a 400° oven for 20 minutes.
Chuck’s Baked Shrimp
My friend Chuck Williams is a past master at turning out a good dinner in next to no time. His baked shrimp are easy and quick and can be prepared well in advance, except for the final anointment of oil. Serve them with rice and a green salad.
2 pounds medium-size shrimp, in the shell
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon, or 1½ teaspoons dried tarragon soaked in 1 tablespoon dry white wine
Salt, freshly ground black pepper
⅓ cup melted butter or olive oil
Split the shrimp down the back with scissors so they can almost be spread flat, butterfly fashion. Peel off the body shell, but leave the tail shell on. Arrange the shrimp, tails up, in a lightly buttered round oven-to-table baking dish, and sprinkle with the tarragon, salt and pepper to taste, and enough butter or oil to moisten them. Bake in a 350° oven for 10 minutes, or until just cooked through.
Shrimp Loaf
Makes 2 servings
1 pound shrimp, shelled, deveined, and cooked
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
½ cup chili sauce
¼ cup cream
½ cup bread crumbs
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon Tabasco
Combine all ingredients and place in a buttered casserole. Bake in a 350° oven for 20 minutes. Serve at once.
Lobster
Stuffed Baked Lobster
One of my long-time favorite lobster recipes, because of its earthy Provençal combination of flavors. Serve it with shoestring potatoes and a green salad.
Makes 4 servings
Four 1½-pound lobsters, boiled and cooled
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
⅓ cup olive oil
½ cup chopped parsley
¼ cup lemon juice
Salt, freshly ground black pepper
2 to 3 tablespoons butter
½ cup buttered bread crumbs
Split the lobsters lengthwise and crack the claws. Remove the body and claw meat, the tomalley and the coral, if there is any. Clean and reserve the shells. Chop the meat quite fine and blend with the garlic, oil, parsley, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix in the tomalley and the coral. Generously butter the lobster shells and stuff them with the mixture. Sprinkle with buttered crumbs, dot with butter, and arrange on a rack in a shallow baking pan. Bake in a 350° oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until stuffing is well heated and crumbs delicately browned.
Lobster Napoule
This dish of lobster and vegetables à la Grecque, which I first ate in Nice many years ago, looks perfectly ravishing on a summer buffet table. Use all your artistic talents to make the arrangements spectacular. Serve with crisp rolls and a cucumber salad.
Makes 8 or more servings
FOR THE VEGETABLES À LA GRECQUE
2 cups water
1 cup white wine
⅓ cup olive oil
½ cup white-wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
16 peppercorns
8 small zucchini, all the same size
36 very tiny pearl onions, or 12 to 18 very small white onions
Pinch of saffron
1 tablespoon tomato paste
6 boiled lobsters, cooled
2 cups mayonnaise, made with lemon juice and olive oil (see page 76)
Watercress or leaf lettuce
GARNISH: Black olives, hard-boiled eggs
Put the water, wine, oil, vinegar, garlic, parsley, salt, thyme, bay leaf, and peppercorns in a large skillet. Add the zucchini and bring slowly to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and poach the zucchini until just crisply tender when tested with a knife point. Remove and cool. Add onions and saffron to the poaching liquid and poach until crisply tender, stirring in the tomato paste for the last 5 minutes of cooking time. Remove and cool.
Crack the lobster claws and remove the meat in one piece (if necessary, split the claws down the side with lobster shears or scissors). Remove the meat from the tail in one piece. Remove the tomalley and coral, if any, pound in a mortar until smooth, and mix into the mayonnaise, along with any bits of meat from the body shell.
Make a bed of greens on a large serving platter. Arrange the zucchini on it like the spokes of a wheel, with lobster meat in between, curved sides up. Pile onions in the center. Decorate the platter with the lobster claw meat, olives, and halved hard-boiled eggs. Serve with a bowl of the mayonnaise.
Lobster Soufflé
Makes 6 servings
Three 2-pound live lobsters or 6 rock lobster tails
SAUCE À L’AMÉRICAINE
3 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
6 shallots, finely chopped
2 cups canned tomatoes
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon or 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1½ teaspoons thyme
½ bay leaf
3 tablespoons tomato paste
¾ pound mushrooms
3 tablespoons butter
1 ounce cognac
½ cup cream
4 egg yolks
5 egg whites
Prepare the Sauce à l’Américaine as in the recipe on page 223. Do not cut the lobsters in pieces; rather, split them in half. Remove the meat from the shell halves, and reserve the shells.
Cut the mushrooms in slices. Sauté them in the butter with a little cognac added when they have cooked lightly. Cut the lobster meat into scallops and remove the meat from the claws. Add lobster meat to the mushrooms with half the Sauce à l’Américaine and the cream. Let it cook about 3 minutes: the mixture should be nicely thickened.
Spread a little of the Sauce à l’Américaine in the bottom of each lobster shell. Fill the shells with the lobster mixture. Arrange in a deep baking dish. Add 4 well-beaten egg yolks to the remaining sauce à l’Américaine.
Beat the egg whites very stiff and fold the yolk mixture into them. Spread this over the lobsters, about ½ inch deep. Bake in a 425° oven until it is delicately browned and puffy, approximately 20 minutes; do not overcook. The top should be set and the rest rather runny. Serve at once.
Crab Soufflé
The tomato sauce makes this very different from the usual crab soufflé.
Makes 4 servings
1 pound crabmeat
1½ cups fresh tomato sauce (see page 534)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons flour
4 egg yolks
½ cup Parmesan cheese
5 egg whites
Arrange the crabmeat in the bottom of a 2½-quart soufflé dish. Pour ½ cup of the tomato sauce over the crab.
Melt the butter in a saucepan, blend in the flour, and cook, stirring, until golden and bubbling. Mix in the remaining tomato sauce. Stir until well blended and thickened. Remove from the heat and mix in the egg yolks. Stir in the cheese. Beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry, and fold them into the sauce mixture, as for any soufflé. Cover the crab with the soufflé mixture and bake in a 375° oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until risen and brown on top.
Crab Parisienne
Makes 4 servings
4 slices bacon
2 onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 teaspoon basil
Salt, freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons tomato purée
1 pound crabmeat
¼ cup cognac
1 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Pinch of sugar
Sauté the bacon until crisp. Remove the slices, break into bits, and set aside. Sauté the onion and garlic in the fat until just soft. Add the tomatoes, sprinkle with the basil and salt and pepper to taste, and cook down over low heat until well blended. Stir in the tomato purée, add the crabmeat, pour the cognac over all and blaze. When the flame dies down add the white wine, parsley, and sugar. Cook and stir until well blended and hot through. Garnish with the crumbled bacon. Serve with rice.
This is far and away my favorite of the many versions of this most traditional of American dishes. I often serve a small helping as a first course before broiled or roast meats.
Makes 4 to 6 servings
1 cup finely chopped celery
1 large green pepper, finely chopped
1 cup finely sliced green onions
½ cup chopped parsley
2 pounds crabmeat
2½ cups coarsely crushed cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons dry mustard
Dash of Tabasco
½ cup heavy cream
1 cup melted butter
Combine the vegetables, parsley, crabmeat, 1½ cups crumbs, seasonings, cream, and butter, and toss lightly. Spoon into a buttered baking dish, top with remaining cup of crumbs and bake in a 350° oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the top is delicately browned. Serve at once.
Deviled Clams. Substitute 2 cups steamed minced clams or drained chopped canned clams for the crabmeat.
Broiled Soft-Shell Crabs
Soft-shelled crabs, a specialty of the East Coast, are not a variety of crab, but merely blue crabs caught after they have molted or busted out of their old shells (hence, they are often known locally as “buster crabs”), before the brand-new shell has had a chance to harden. The soft-shell crabs sold in the market are usually sold cleaned and ready to cook. Sautéing (see Theory & Practice, page 200) and broiling are the simplest and best ways to cook these delicious morsels. The smaller crabs are the most desirable for eating. Allow 2 or 3 per serving.
Makes 4 servings
8 to 12 soft-shell crabs, cleaned
Flour
½ to ¾ cups unsalted butter
½ cup chopped parsley
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon salt
According to size, allow 2 or 3 crabs per serving. Dust crabs lightly with flour and arrange on the broiler pan, lined with foil, or in a flat broiling dish. Preheat the broiler. Cream the butter with the parsley, paprika, and salt. Dot the crabs liberally with the butter mixture. Broil about 3 inches from the heat, basting with melted butter in the pan. Turn once during the cooking (they will take from 5 to 8 minutes’ total cooking time, depending on size) and dab second side with more of the butter mixture. Serve with the pan juices poured over them.
Scallops
Sautéed Scallops
If you use the little bay scallops, they need to be cooked very briefly or they will toughen. The larger sea scallops will take slightly longer. I like to sauté scallops in a Teflon-lined pan, to prevent them from sticking.
Makes 4 servings
Flour
1½ pounds scallops, well dried
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt, freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 teaspoon each chopped fresh tarragon and chives (optional)
Lemon wedges
Lightly flour the scallops. Heat the butter in a skillet until foaming. Add the scallops and sauté very quickly, tossing them in the pan, until lightly browned and just cooked through. Bay scallops will take about 2 to 3 minutes, sea scallops 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, parsley, additional herbs, if you like, and serve with lemon wedges.
Scallops Provençal. Finely chop 2 or 3 garlic cloves and mix with ¼ cup finely chopped parsley. Sauté the scallops in hot oil, adding the garlic-parsley mixture and tossing until they are well coated. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
Poached Scallops
Makes 4 servings
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup water
Bouquet garni (parsley, thyme, celery leaf)
6 shallots, finely chopped
2 pounds scallops
¼ cup chopped parsley
Lemon wedges
Put the wine, water, bouquet garni, and shallots in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, add the scallops, and simmer until just cooked through, about 2 minutes for bay scallops, 3 or 4 minutes for sea scallops. Drain and serve sprinkled with parsley and accompanied by lemon wedges.
Scallops with Heavy Cream and Tarragon. After draining scallops, strain and reduce the cooking liquid by two-thirds over brisk heat. Combine with ½ cup heavy cream blended with 2 egg yolks and stir over medium heat until sauce starts to thicken; do not let it boil. Stir to thicken and add scallops, 1 teaspoon tarragon, and 1 tablespoon chopped parsley.
Lo-Cal Coquilles St. Jacques
A dieter’s version of this classic dish, without the rich sauce. I find you can really taste the delicate scallops done this way.
Makes 4 servings
1 cup dry white wine
5 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine
1 small onion, chopped
3 sprigs parsley with stems
½ teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, strained
1½ pounds sea scallops
1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 3 tablespoons cold water
1½ teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese
Bring the wine, butter, onion, herbs, and lemon juice to a boil. Reduce the heat, add the scallops, and simmer them until tender—about 5 minutes. Remove the scallops with a slotted spoon and set aside. Boil the liquid for about 5 minutes, reduce to a simmer, add the cornstarch-water mixture, and stir this sauce until it thickens. Remove from the heat and strain. Place the scallops in ovenproof shells or a baking dish. Top with sauce, sprinkle with cheese, and run under the broiler until nicely browned.
Frogs’ Legs
Sautéed Frogs’ Legs
Tender, meaty frogs’ legs are delicate morsels and, like fish, low in calories. They come in various sizes, of which the smallest are the best. They should be soaked in milk for 1 hour before cooking. Sautéing is the most usual way of cooking frogs’ legs, but as they have a tendency to stick, you must shake the pan as they cook so they move around, and keep turning them with a spatula. Fast cooking is also essential.
Makes 4 servings
12 pairs frogs’ legs
Milk
½ cup flour
6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons olive oil
Salt, freshly ground black pepper
GARNISH: Lemon wedges
Soak the frogs’ legs in milk to cover for 1 hour. Drain, dry well, and roll in the flour. Heat the butter and oil in a heavy skillet or sauté pan, add the frogs’ legs and sauté quickly, turning them often and shaking the pan, until nicely browned on both sides. They should take only about 5 minutes to cook. Season with salt and pepper and serve with lemon wedges.
Sautéed Frogs’ Legs Fines Herbes. Mix 1 cup bread crumbs with 2 tablespoons each chopped parsley, chives, and tarragon. Add to sautéed frogs’ legs and mix well before seasoning with salt and pepper.
Frogs’ Legs Provençal. Add 2 finely chopped garlic cloves and ¼ cup chopped parsley to sautéed frogs’ legs before seasoning.
Sautéed Frogs’ Legs Niçoise. Peel, seed, and finely chop 4 tomatoes and cook down to a paste in 2 tablespoons butter. Add a spoonful of paste to each serving.
Sautéed Frogs’ Legs Italian Style. Add 1 finely chopped onion and ¼ pound chopped mushrooms to the pan with the frogs’ legs. Season and serve with parsley.
Deviled Frogs’ Legs. After rolling in flour, dip in beaten egg, and roll in bread crumbs. Sauté frogs’ legs as before. Remove from pan. Add to the pan salt and pepper to taste, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, and 1 tablespoon brandy. Swirl around and mix well, then pour over frogs’ legs.
Southern-Fried Frogs’ Legs. Roll legs in flour, dip in milk, then roll in dry bread or cracker crumbs. Sauté as before. Remove frogs’ legs. Pour off all but 4 tablespoons fat from pan. Mix in 4 tablespoons flour and 1½ cups light cream; stir and cook until thickened. Season and pour over legs.
Southern-Fried Frogs’ Legs with Madeira Sauce. Add 3 tablespoons Madeira to sauce in preceding variation before pouring over legs.
Soak frogs’ legs in milk. Dry, roll in flour, dip in a mixture of beaten egg and milk, then roll in bread crumbs. Deep-fry in 370° fat for 2 minutes, or until brown. Drain on paper towels, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve with lemon wedges or tartare sauce.
Batter-Fried Frogs’ Legs. Make a beer batter by combining ¾ cup flour, 2 egg yolks, 1½ teaspoons salt, 2 tablespoons salad oil, ¾ cup room-temperature beer, and a few grinds of pepper. Cover and leave for 1 to 2 hours. Just before using, stir in 2 stiffly beaten egg whites. Dip frogs’ legs in batter and deep-fry in 375° fat for 3 or 4 minutes, until brown and crisp. Serve with tartare or rémoulade sauce (page 77).
Salt Cod
I have always been a lover of salt cod, an important part of our food heritage that has been almost forgotten, except perhaps in New England, where codfish cakes and codfish balls are still much in favor. In the cooking of France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal you will find infinite variations on the salt-cod theme—Portugal alone is said to have a recipe for almost every day of the year. When using salt cod, it is essential to soak it well, changing the water once or twice, to get rid of the salt, after which it is usually poached, although it may also be sautéed or fried.
Poached Codfish
Makes 4 servings
Soak 1 pound codfish in cold water for several hours or overnight, changing the water once or twice. Rinse well, put in a skillet or saucepan with fresh cold water to cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and arrange on a hot platter. Surround with boiled potatoes sprinkled with parsley, and serve with either melted butter or a sauce, such as egg sauce (see page 531), parsley sauce (see page 531), or hollandaise sauce (see page 532).
Codfish Béchamel. Flake the poached codfish and combine with 2 cups béchamel sauce (see page 531). Serve hot on toast fried in olive oil, and sprinkle with parsley.
Codfish au Gratin. Put the Codfish Béchamel in a baking dish, sprinkle with buttered crumbs and grated Gruyère cheese, and put under the broiler for a few minutes to melt the cheese.
Codfish Mornay. Stir 1 cup grated Cheddar, Gruyère, or Swiss cheese into the béchamel sauce before combining with the codfish. Put in a baking dish, sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese, and put under the broiler until the cheese melts.
Codfish Cakes
Makes 4 servings
2 cups flaked poached codfish
2 cups potatoes mashed with 3 tablespoons butter
1 egg
1 egg yolk
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons butter
GARNISH: Chopped parsley
Combine the codfish, potatoes, egg, egg yolk, and pepper, mix well, and form into cakes about 3 inches across and 1 inch thick. Melt the butter in a heavy skillet and sauté the cakes until crisply brown on both sides, adding more butter if needed. Garnish with parsley and serve with toast. You can accompany these with strips of bacon or fried salt pork if you wish.
Codfish Cakes with Ginger. Add 1 teaspoon ground ginger or 1½ to 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger to the codfish mixture.
Codfish Cakes with Onion. Add 2 tablespoons finely chopped green onion to the codfish mixture.
Codfish Balls. Form the mixture into balls, roll in flour, beaten egg, and bread crumbs, and deep-fry in 370° fat for about 3 minutes, until browned.
Brandade of Cod
A specialty of Nîmes in Provence, this gloriously garlicky, creamy paste is without doubt one of the greatest and most exciting of all salt-cod dishes. Serve it warm in a mound and eat with fried toast as a first or main course.
1 pound poached salt cod, finely flaked
⅔ cup olive oil
⅓ cup heavy cream
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Remove any bits of bone from the flaked codfish. Heat the oil and cream separately in small saucepans. Pound or work the fish and garlic to a paste, either with a mortar and pestle, a blender, a food processor or a mixer with paddle attachment, adding the warm oil and cream alternately by the spoonful as you do so. When the oil and cream are completely absorbed and the mixture has the consistency of mashed potatoes, season with the pepper and heap in a serving dish. Serve warm, surrounded with triangles of fried toast (bread fried in olive oil).
Codfish Portugaise. Beat 2 cups mashed potatoes into the brandade. Turn into a buttered baking dish, sprinkle the top with ½ cup buttered crumbs, and bake in a 350° oven until very hot, about 35 minutes.
Brandade Fritters. Drop the brandade mixture by teaspoons into deep fat heated to 365°. Fry until lightly browned, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Brandade Tart. Turn the brandade into a partially baked 9-inch pie shell. Bake in a 350° oven for 20 minutes.
Raïto
Makes 6 servings
2½ pounds salt codfish
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
Olive oil
Flour
1¾ cups red wine
1½ cups boiling water
1 sprig parsley, chopped
½ teaspoon thyme
2 or 3 slices lemon
2 tablespoons tomato paste
Soak the cod for several hours or overnight, changing the water once or twice. Rinse and drain.
Sauté the onion and garlic in 6 tablespoons olive oil until nicely browned. Stir in 2 tablespoons flour and cook 3 minutes. Add the liquids, herbs, lemon slices, and tomato paste and simmer until well reduced. Correct the seasoning and strain the sauce. Return to the pan.
Cut the cod into serving pieces, roll in flour and brown well in olive oil. Remove the browned pieces to the sauce and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Serve at once.