James Beard's New Fish Cookery (49 page)

Omit the mushrooms and add more shrimp.

SHRIMP AND ASPARAGUS MORNAY

2 pounds shrimp

Court bouillon (page 18)

11/2 cups sauce béchamel (page 23)

Salt

Few grains cayenne pepper

24 large asparagus tips,
or
36 medium ones

2 egg yolks

1/2 cup grated Gruyère cheese

3 tablespoons heavy cream

Shell and clean the shrimp. Cook in a court bouillon for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove to a hot dish. Reduce the bouillon to 1 cup and strain. Prepare a sauce béchamel using the fish broth and a little milk. You will need about 11/2 cups of sauce. Season to taste with salt and cayenne.

Cook the asparagus tips and arrange them on the bottom of a large oval baking dish. Top with the shrimp. Combine the sauce with the egg yolks and cheese and heat until the cheese is melted.
Do not let it boil.
Add the cream and pour over the shrimp, but leave the tips of the asparagus uncovered. Top with additional cheese, run under the broiler to brown, and serve at once.

VARIATION

This may be prepared with broccoli instead of asparagus.

SHRIMP FLORENTINE

1 pound shrimp

1 package frozen chopped spinach

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

2 cups milk

4 egg yolks, slightly beaten

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Pinch of nutmeg

2 teaspoons chopped parsley

2 teaspoons minced onion

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Shell and clean the shrimp and cook in boiling salted water for 3 to 5 minutes. Cook spinach according to the directions on the package. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in the flour and make a smooth paste. Gradually add the milk and continue stirring until the sauce thickens. Add the egg yolks and heat the mixture through, but do not let it boil. Season to taste and add the nutmeg, parsley, and onion. Butter 4 individual casseroles and place a layer of spinach in the bottom of each one. Add a layer of shrimp and pour the sauce over the top. Sprinkle with the grated cheese. Bake in a 400° oven for about 10 minutes, or brown under the broiler.

SHRIMP AND CORN SAUTÉ

This is a delicious dish to make in the summer when fresh corn is in season.

1 green pepper, finely chopped

4 to 6 tablespoons butter

11/2 cups corn kernels

11/2 cups cooked shelled shrimp

1/2 cup heavy cream

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Paprika

Sauté the green pepper in the butter. Add the corn and let it heat through. Add the shrimp and the cream and mix thoroughly. Cover the pan and let it simmer for 3 or 4 minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and paprika.

FRENCH-FRIED SHRIMP LOAF

1-pound loaf of unsliced bread (Italian, French,
or
regular)

1/4 pound butter

1 clove garlic, minced

French-fried shrimp (page 450)

Curry (pages 22, 29)
or
Hollandaise sauce (pages 25–26)
or

Russian (page 35)
or
Louis dressing (page 36) with greens, olives, pickles

Cut the top off the loaf of bread and scoop out the center, leaving a wall about 1/2 inch thick. Brush well with the butter mixed with the garlic. Toast in a slow oven until nicely browned and crisp, but not hard.

Fry the shrimp and stuff the loaf with them, using a little additional melted butter if needed.

This dish may be served hot with a curry or Hollandaise sauce or cold on a bed of greens with an olive and pickle garnish, and Russian or Louis dressing.

Shrimp Salads

SHRIMP SALAD I

Shell and clean 2 pounds of shrimp. Cook in a court bouillon (page 18) for 5 minutes. Remove and chill. Combine with a well-seasoned mayonnaise and arrange in a bowl lined with greens. Garnish with sliced hard-cooked eggs and onion rings.

VARIATION

Add walnut halves.

SHRIMP SALAD II

Combine cooked, chilled shrimp with greens in a salad bowl and toss with a sauce vinaigrette (page 36), well flavored with dry mustard.

VARIATIONS

1. Shrimp may be added to any tossed salad.

2. Combine shrimps with anchovy fillets and toss with greens. Dress with an olive oil dressing heavily laced with garlic.

SHRIMP AND ORANGE SALAD

Combine cooked, chilled shrimp with orange sections and onion rings and toss with a sauce vinaigrette (page 36). Serve on romaine or endive.

OLD-FASHIONED SHRIMP SALAD

I remember from childhood the shrimp salad that was always served at our family’s favorite resort hotel. Its sauce was, I realize now, a true old-fashioned boiled dressing.

Combine 2 cups of broken pieces of cooked, chilled shrimp with 2 cups of finely chopped cabbage. Dress with a boiled dressing (page 37) and add a little sour cream. Let it stand for 1 hour.

SHRIMP LOUIS

Make beds of shredded lettuce or other greens on salad plates. Top with cooked, chilled shrimp. Dress with a Louis dressing (page 36) and decorate with tomato wedges and quartered hard-cooked eggs.

I think that the smaller shrimp are much better for this dish than the larger varieties.

SHRIMP SALAD EDWARDIAN

Marinate 2 cups cooked shrimp in a vinaigrette sauce (page 36) heavily flavored with dill. Let it stand for 2 hours. Drain, and combine with 1 cup finely cut celery, 2 tablespoons grated onion, and enough mayonnaise to bind the salad. Serve with asparagus tips and quartered hard-cooked eggs.

Terrestrial Animals Prepared like Fish

Frogs’ Legs

There are plenty of wild frogs in this country for people who enjoy the sport of catching and skinning them. Fortunately for most of us, frogs are also grown commercially in the Middle West and in Florida, Louisiana, and California. Besides our native product, we receive some frogs’ legs shipped frozen from Japan.

Frogs’ legs come in many sizes — for my taste the small ones are by far the best. They are delicately flavored, tender, and cook very quickly. About 6 pairs of the small sort are a good portion.

Frogs’ legs are better if soaked in milk for an hour or more before cooking.

FROGS’ LEGS SAUTÉ

Sautéing is by far the most common way of preparing frogs’ legs. There are a number of variations, but the general procedure is the same. It’s a good idea to use half butter and half olive oil. The oil prevents burning and adds a great deal of flavor to the frogs’ legs.

Use one or two good-sized spatulas to turn the legs. They are very tender and are apt to stick to the pan. Cook them quickly — they need only about 5 minutes. Flavor them at the last, just before serving.

For a plain sauté, soak frogs’ legs in milk for an hour or more. Dry them on a towel, then roll in flour and sauté very quickly in butter and olive oil mixed, turning them so that they become delicately browned on all sides. Salt and pepper to taste and serve with lemon wedges.

FROGS’ LEGS SAUTÉ FINES HERBES

Soak the frogs’ legs in milk. Dry on a clean towel and roll in flour. Chop parsley, chives, and tarragon very fine and add to toasted buttered bread crumbs. (For four people use 1 cup of crumbs and 2 tablespoons each of the herbs.)

Melt butter and olive oil in a skillet. Sauté the legs very quickly and, when they are nicely browned, add the herbed crumbs. Mix these well with the frogs’ legs, salt and pepper to taste, and serve with lemon wedges.

FROGS’ LEGS SAUTÉ PROVENÇALE

Soak the frogs’ legs in milk, dry and roll them in flour. Sauté them very quickly in olive oil (omitting the butter). When nicely browned, add chopped garlic and parsley and blend well. (Use about 1 clove of garlic for each portion. Plenty of parsley, of course.) Salt and pepper to taste.

FROGS’ LEGS SAUTÉ NIÇOISE

Follow the recipe for sauté Provençale above. For each person, peel, seed, and chop one tomato. Cook the tomatoes down in butter until they are a paste. Add a spoonful or so of this paste to each serving of frogs’ legs.

FROGS’ LEGS SAUTÉ ITALIENNE

Soak the frogs’ legs in milk, dry them, and roll them in flour. Sauté in olive oil. Just before they are done, add mushrooms and onion, very finely chopped, to the pan. Salt and pepper to taste and serve sprinkled with chopped parsley.

DEVILED FROGS’ LEGS

Soak the frogs’ legs in milk and dry them. Roll them in flour, dip them in beaten egg, and roll in crumbs. Sauté in butter and olive oil. When nicely browned remove from the pan. Add salt, pepper, lemon juice, dry mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and a dash of brandy or whiskey to the pan. Swirl it around and mix well. Pour this sauce over the frogs’ legs.

FROGS’ LEGS POULETTE

Poach frogs’ legs for about 5 minutes in just enough white wine to cover them. Serve with a sauce poulette (page 25), using some of the white wine broth as a base.

FROGS’ LEGS VINAIGRETTE

For this dish you really must have the small frogs’ legs. Use about 3 pairs per serving as a first course at dinner or as a main luncheon course.

Poach the legs in a light court bouillon (page 18) for about 5 minutes. Or poach them in a mixture of half white wine and half water. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Chill.

Serve on romaine or Boston lettuce leaves and top with the following very highly seasoned sauce vinaigrette:

For 4 servings:

1 cup olive oil

1/4 cup wine vinegar,
or
half vinegar and half lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1 tablespoon chopped shallot
or
green onion

1 tomato, peeled, seeded and finely chopped

1 tablespoon capers

3 tablespoons chopped parsley

Mix all together thoroughly. You may add anything you choose to this sauce — chopped pickle, hard-cooked egg, chopped olives. Spoon the sauce over the frogs’ legs.

SOUTHERN-FRIED FROGS’ LEGS

Soak the frogs’ legs in milk. Roll them in flour, dip in the milk again, and roll in dry bread crumbs or cracker crumbs. Melt 6 tablespoons butter and 5 tablespoons oil in a large skillet. Sauté the frogs’ legs quickly in the hot fat and, when nicely browned, remove them to a hot platter. Pour off all but 4 tablespoons of the fat. Combine this with 4 tablespoons flour and mix well, being sure to scrape up all the bits of brown from the pan. Add 11/2 cups light cream and stir until thickened. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper and pour over the frogs’ legs or serve separately.

VARIATION

Add 3 tablespoons of sherry or Madeira to the sauce just before pouring over the frogs’ legs.

FRIED FROGS’ LEGS I

Soak frogs’ legs in milk for 30 minutes. Roll in flour, dip in beaten egg and milk, and roll in crumbs. Heat fat for deep frying to 370°. Fry the legs for 2 minutes or until brown. Remove to absorbent paper and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve with lemon or with tartar sauce (pages 35–36).

FRIED FROGS’ LEGS II

Soak frogs’ legs in milk for 30 minutes. Dip them in beer batter (page 99). Fry in deep fat heated to 375° for 3 or 4 minutes or until brown and crisp. Drain on absorbent paper and serve with a sauce rémoulade (page 35) or a tartar sauce (pages 35–36).

NOTE
: It is my opinion that frying frogs’ legs robs them of their delicate flavor and their delightful juiciness. I much prefer one of the methods for sautéing, frogs’ legs poulette, or vinaigrette.

Snails

Snails can be terrestrial, freshwater, or marine. The terrestrial variety, which is the most commonly eaten, is admittedly not a shellfish, but a land-loving vegetarian. It is included in this book because it is similar in many ways to the sea snail, or periwinkle, and because all snails, whether native to land or water, may be cooked by the same recipes.

Most snails eaten in this country come canned, accompanied by a bag of polished shells so that they may be served in the approved way. Moroccan and Tunisian snails are available fresh in the markets, along with a smaller quantity of periwinkles.

French cookbooks give startling directions for cooking snails, and some of the French dishes take days or even weeks to achieve. Complicated procedure is not necessary for preparing and cooking the fresh snails found in American markets. Soak them in warm water just long enough to break the membrane that covers the shell. Any snails that do not emerge should be discarded. The remaining snails should be brought to a boil in salted water or court bouillon. They can then be used in several fashions.

SNAILS BOURGUIGNONNE (WITH CANNED SNAILS)

1 cup creamed butter

1/2 cup minced parsley

3 or 4 garlic cloves, minced

Salt to taste

Cream the above ingredients together to make a
beurre d’escargots
(snail butter). Rinse the snails with 1/2 cup of white wine. Butter the inside of each shell lightly. Insert a snail and cover the entrance of the shell with the snail butter. Arrange on snail platters or on a large baking sheet, and let them stand for several hours before you cook them, if you have the time. About 10 minutes before serving, place the snails in a 450° oven and let them heat through thoroughly. Serve with plenty of good crisp French bread and white wine.