James Beard's New Fish Cookery (13 page)

STUFFED FILLETS IN WHITE WINE

Fish forcemeat (page 41)

6 haddock fillets

Chopped shallots
or
green onions

1 cup white wine

Butter

18 cooked, shelled shrimp

Prepare a fish forcemeat or your favorite stuffing for fish. Spread this on the fillets and fold them over. Arrange the stuffed fillets on a bed of chopped shallots or green onions in a baking dish and add the wine. Dot with butter and bake at 450° according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 8). Baste often with the pan juices. Remove the fish to a hot platter, and prepare a wine sauce with the pan juices. Pour this over the fillets and garnish with the shrimp.

HADDOCK FILLETS IN PAPER CASES

1/2 pound mushrooms

5 tablespoons butter

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

6 haddock fillets

Dash of lemon juice for each fillet

Finely chopped green onion

Butter

Mustard sauce (page 24)

Chop the mushrooms and sauté slowly in 5 tablespoons of butter until they are black and rich. Salt and pepper to taste. Spread each fillet with this mixture, add a dash of lemon juice and a little chopped onion and fold over.

Cut large heart-shaped pieces of cooking parchment or foil, and place one fillet on each piece, putting it toward the edge so that you can fold a layer of paper over the top. Dot the fillets with butter, spread with a little mustard sauce, and fold the paper over the top. Crimp the edges so that you have a tightly closed bag. Arrange on a baking sheet and bake at 450° according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 8).

BAKED STUFFED HADDOCK

Clean a 3-pound haddock and split it for stuffing. Leave the head and tail on the fish.

Prepare the following clam stuffing:

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup butter

2 cups buttered crumbs

1 can (7 ounces) minced clams with liquid

1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Nutmeg

2 eggs, well beaten

Sauté the onion in butter and mix with all the other ingredients. Stuff the fish with this, sew up the sides, and put strips of bacon or salt pork on top. Place on an oiled baking dish and bake at 425° according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 8). Serve with a tartar sauce (pages 35–36) or with lemon butter (page 31).

HADDOCK PROVENÇALE

1 good-sized haddock

1 large onion cut in paper-thin slices

12 to 16 anchovy fillets

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

18 to 20 ripe olives

1 green pepper, finely shredded

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup olive oil

Fennel seeds

Sliced tomatoes

3 tablespoons tomato paste

11/2 cups red wine

Chopped parsley

Chopped tarragon

Clean and split the haddock. Mix together the onion, anchovies, garlic, olives, and green pepper. Salt and pepper to taste.

Pour over this the olive oil and a sprinkling of fennel seeds. Stuff the fish with the mixture, sew it up, and place it in a well-oiled pan or baking dish. Top with sliced tomatoes and pour over it the tomato paste and red wine mixed together. Bake at 450° according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 8), basting the fish often with the tomato-wine mixture. Just before serving, sprinkle well with the chopped parsley and tarragon, mixed.

STUFFED WHOLE HADDOCK

1 haddock

1 cup fine bread crumbs

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
or
chives

1 teaspoon salt, or more

1/2 cup melted butter

1 teaspoon fennel
or
tarragon

2 eggs

White wine court bouillon (pages 19–20)

Choose a 3-pound haddock, or larger. Have your fish dealer make a gash in the fish and remove all the meat and bones, leaving the skin intact and the head and tail on. Grind the meat well and combine it with all the other ingredients except the court bouillon.

Blend well, stuff the fish skin with this mixture, and sew it up after pressing it into shape.

Poach in the court bouillon according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 12). Remove the fish to a hot platter and serve with a white wine sauce (page 23) prepared with the court bouillon after reducing it.

BOILED HADDOCK, NEW ENGLAND STYLE

Split a 3-to-4-pound haddock, clean it, and rub the inside well with salt. Let it stand for 3 hours. Rinse it and wrap it in cheesecloth, leaving long ends of the cloth for handles. Simmer in boiling salted water according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 12). Remove it to a hot platter, garnish with crisp bits of salt pork, and surround with boiled potatoes and boiled buttered beets. Serve with parsley sauce or egg sauce (page 23).

HADDOCK CUSTARD

5 eggs, well beaten

2 cups light cream

2 teaspoons finely grated onion

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Nutmeg

2 cups flaked, cooked haddock

Beat the eggs thoroughly, add the cream, beat another minute, and then add all the seasonings. Arrange the flaked fish in a well-buttered baking dish and pour the custard over it. Bake at 350° for about 40 minutes or until it is just set in the middle. Serve with crisp fried potatoes and a distinctive relish.

VARIATIONS

1. Line a deep pie tin with pastry and pour the mixture into this. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes. Then reduce to 350° for 25 minutes or until the custard is just set. Serve with a shrimp sauce (page 21).

2. Line a 12-inch pie tin with pastry. Arrange the flaked fish, chopped parsley and onion, and bits of crisp bacon in the bottom. Add a good sprinkling of grated Swiss or Parmesan cheese or a mixture of the two. Pour the custard over this and bake at 375° for 35 minutes or until the custard is just set.

HADDOCK LOAF

2 cups flaked cooked haddock

1 cup fine bread crumbs

1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
or
scallions

1 cup chopped toasted almonds (canned)

1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

3 egg yolks, well beaten

3 egg whites, beaten stiff

Combine all the ingredients except the eggs. Then blend in the egg yolks, and finally fold in the egg whites. Turn into a well-buttered mold and bake at 375° for 35 to 40 minutes or until set. Serve from the mold, or unmold on a hot platter and serve with a shrimp or oyster sauce (page 21).

COLD HADDOCK

Follow the recipe for cold ocean perch, pages 158–159.

Finnan Haddie

Finnan haddie — or smoked haddock — comes in fillets and whole fish, and there is great argument over the merits of each type. Sometimes I think that the whole fish has a better flavor and other times I think that the fillets I happen to be eating are as good as anything could possibly be.

BROILED FINNAN HADDIE

Arrange fillets or a whole fish on a broiling rack over a little hot water. Dot the fish with butter and broil according to the Canadian cooking theory (pages 9–10).

FINNAN HADDIE BROILED IN MILK

Place a whole fish or fillet in a broiling pan and dot with butter. Pour warm milk over the fish to cover the bottom of the pan. Broil according to the Canadian cooking theory (pages 9–10). Baste it often with the milk. Serve with boiled potato.

POACHED FINNAN HADDIE

Poach the finnan haddie in milk, or in half milk and half water, or in a mild court bouillon (page 18). Serve with parsley butter (page 33).

VARIATIONS

1. Poach the finnan haddie, flake it, and combine with 1/4 cup butter in a saucepan. Add 1 cup heavy cream, 4 sliced hard-cooked eggs, and flavor with cayenne pepper, nutmeg, and freshly ground black pepper. Blend thoroughly.

2. Combine flaked, poached finnan haddie with sauce béchamel (page 23), sprinkle with buttered crumbs, and run under the broiler for a few minutes.

3. Combine flaked, poached finnan haddie with sauce Mornay (page 22), sprinkle with grated Swiss cheese, and brown under the broiler.

4. Combine 2 cups flaked, poached finnan haddie with 11/2 cups sauce béchamel, 1/4 cup chopped pimiento, 1/2 cup chopped olives, 3 sliced hard-cooked eggs, and 2 teaspoons onion juice. Arrange in a baking dish, sprinkle with grated cheese, and brown under the broiler for a few minutes.

FINNAN HADDIE SOUFFLÉ

11/2 cups flaked, poached finnan haddie

3/4 cup heavy sauce béchamel (page 23)

4 egg yolks

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Nutmeg

6 egg whites

Butter

Combine the finnan haddie with the sauce béchamel. Beat in the egg yolks. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add a few grains of nutmeg. Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold them into the mixture. Pour into a buttered soufflé dish and bake at 375° for 35 to 40 minutes or until well puffed and brown. Serve with a sauce Mornay (page 22) or a sauce béchamel.

FINNAN HADDIE CAKES

11/2 cups flaked, cooked finnan haddie

11/2 cups seasoned mashed potatoes

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1 egg, well beaten

Combine the finnan haddie with the mashed potatoes — potatoes which have been mashed with plenty of butter and well seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the ginger and egg. Form into small flat cakes and sauté in butter until nicely browned on both sides. Serve with crisp bacon.

FINNAN HADDIE VINAIGRETTE

2 to 3 cups cold poached finnan haddie

1 cup cold sliced potatoes

1 cup cold sliced onions

1 cup cold sliced cucumbers

Garlic-flavored vinaigrette

Black olives

Hard-cooked eggs

Parsley

Dill

Combine the finnan haddie with the potatoes, onions, and cucumbers. Toss with the vinaigrette and garnish with the olives and hard-cooked eggs. You may sprinkle this with parsley and dill, if you wish.

Hake

A tremendous amount of hake is marketed all over the country, but I suspect that the number of people who actually recognize the fish when they see it on the stands is amazingly small. Filleted and salted, it is sold, along with haddock, cod, and other white fish, as “deep sea fillets.”

The whole fish is readily identified. It is long and streamlined, with large eyes and only two dorsal fins, the second being very long. It is also equipped with a feeler.

The flesh of the hake is delicate, soft, and white. Prepare it in any of the ways you would cod or haddock.

COLD HAKE

To me, a cold hake is one of the most delicate and delightful dishes.

Poach the fish in a court bouillon (page 18) and serve it, chilled, with your favorite sauce. My choice with hake is mayonnaise, but many people may prefer something more highly seasoned.

SALT HAKE

A great deal of the salted codfish sold throughout the world is actually salted hake. Salt hake can be prepared in the same manner as salt cod (pages 91–101).

Halibut

The halibut is popular, but not nearly so popular as it ought to be. It resembles the famed turbot of Europe,
^*
and many of the fine turbot recipes may be used in its preparation.

The Latin name for halibut is most appropriate —
Hippoglossus hippoglossus.
An ordinary halibut may weigh 50 to 100 pounds. Some weigh as much as 600 pounds. Small members of the species, known as chicken halibut, are caught occasionally on the West Coast and still less frequently on the East Coast.

Halibut is usually bought in steaks, sometimes in fillets. For an unusual occasion, such as a very large gathering, you might buy a whole fish. Halibut cheeks are available from time to time on the West Coast, where they are cooked in the same way as salmon cheeks.

BROILED HALIBUT

A steak about 11/2 to 2 inches thick seems to me to be the ideal piece for broiling. Follow the Canadian cooking theory for broiling fish steaks (page 9), brushing well with butter and lemon juice several times during the cooking process. Sprinkle with salt and paprika before serving.

Serve with maître d’hôtel butter (page 31), lemon butter (page 31). Hollandaise sauce (pages 25–26) or parsley butter (page 33).

HALIBUT SAUTÉ

Select a halibut steak about 1 to 11/2 inches thick. Dip it in flour and sauté it gently in butter or oil according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 10), turning once during the process. Salt and pepper well and serve with lemon butter or parsley butter (pages 31, 33).

VARIATIONS

1. Dip the halibut steak into flour mixed with 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon paprika, and 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Sauté as above, sprinkling with additional paprika if needed. Remove to a hot platter. Add 1 cup sour cream to the pan and blend well. Heat through but do not let it boil. Pour the sauce over the fish and serve with steamed rice.

2. Dip the halibut steak in lemon or lime juice, then in flour, again in lemon or lime juice, and then in fine bread crumbs. Or dip in beaten egg and crumbs. Sauté very quickly in butter or, preferably, olive oil according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 10). Salt and pepper to taste and remove to a hot platter. Serve with plenty of chopped parsley, boiled potatoes, and peas.

3. Follow the preceding recipe. When you have removed the fish to a hot platter, add to the pan 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce, 1/4 cup white wine or sherry, 1 tablespoon prepared mustard, and 1 teaspoon dry mustard. Blend well with the pan juices. Pour the sauce over the fish.

4. Sauté the halibut steak in butter according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 10); add 1 teaspoon dried tarragon or 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. When the fish is cooked and nicely browned, remove it to a hot platter and add 1/2 cup white wine to the pan. Let it cook down very quickly and pour over the fish.

BAKED HALIBUT

You may bake either a large piece of the fish or steaks, depending on the number you are feeding. Bake according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 8).