James Beard's New Fish Cookery (27 page)

2 Dover soles, about 11/4 pounds each

4 tablespoons butter

1/2 small clove garlic

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 to 3 shallots, finely chopped

4 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped

1/2 cup of fish stock

1/2 cup of dry white wine

1 cup of heavy cream

Beurre manié (page 475)

1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon

1 egg yolk

Lemon juice

Tabasco

Chopped parsley

Fillet the sole, keeping the bones and skins for making a fish stock. Rub an ovenproof dish with 1 tablespoon of the butter, greasing the bottom completely. Cut the garlic and rub it lightly around the dish. Carefully dry the sole with a clean cloth. Arrange the fillets in a single layer in the dish; season with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle the shallots over the fish and top with the tomatoes. Strain the stock and wine and pour it over the fish; cover the dish with a buttered piece of parchment paper. On the top of the stove bring the pan to a simmer, then lower the heat. Poach the sole gently according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 12).

Carefully lift the fillets out, strain and cool them. Bring the cooking liquid, with the shallots and tomatoes, to the boil and reduce by at least a third. Take the pan from the heat and stir in the cream. Add small bits of the beurre manié and whisk until completely absorbed. You should have a medium-thick sauce. Add the tarragon. Melt the remaining butter and beat with the egg yolk. Blend this into the cream sauce, heat just to thicken slightly, and combine. Correct seasonings.

Just before serving, arrange the sole fillets on a large flat tray and sprinkle them with a little lemon juice. Stir a few drops of Tabasco into the sauce. Coat the fillets with the sauce and sprinkle with parsley.

FILLETS OF SOLE WITH SCALLOPS MORNAY

4 fillets of sole

1/2 pound scallops

White wine

Sauce Mornay (page 22)

Paprika

Toast points

Poach the fillets and the scallops in white wine according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 12) and season to taste. Remove from the liquid and keep hot. Reduce the wine broth and use it to make the sauce Mornay, which should be well seasoned. Place the fillets in a flat baking dish. Add the scallops to the sauce and pour it over the fish. Run under the broiler to glaze, sprinkle with paprika, and serve garnished with fried toast points.

DEEP-FRIED SOLE

Fillets of sole should be fried at a temperature of 375° according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 11). If you overcook it, you will have a dish that resembles sawdust and that has no more flavor than the breading materials. It is much more difficult to fry fish well than to grill or poach it.

Fish fillets for frying should be dredged with flour, dipped in a mixture of well-beaten eggs and milk, then rolled in crumbs or corn meal until they are thoroughly covered. Then they should be carefully lowered into the hot fat. When cooked, drain on absorbent paper. Salt and pepper.

For the average frying you will want 2 eggs beaten with about 3/4 cup of milk. Corn meal is exceedingly popular with many people as a covering for fish because of the added flavor it gives. Others use cracker crumbs, bread crumbs, prepared cereals, and various mixes for pancakes and foodstuffs. But whatever you use, be sure the pieces of fish are thoroughly covered.

FRIED FILLET OF SOLE

Follow the directions above and serve with a tartar sauce (pages 35–36), sauce Béarnaise (page 26), or with lemon wedges.

JULIENNE OF SOLE

These are also called goujons
^*
of sole. Cut the fillets into small strips and fry as you do whole fillets. These make a most unusual appearance on a platter — the small strips, golden brown, piled high, with a garnish of parsley and a bowl of sauce. They taste wonderful, too. Serve them with cocktails and have a bowl of tartar sauce (pages 35–36) at hand for dunking. Pass plenty of paper napkins.

VARIATIONS

1. Serve fried fillets with French-fried parsley and a good tomato sauce (page 23). French-fried parsley is simple: Merely dip a bunch of parsley into the hot fat and fry for about 2 minutes, or until crisp. The flavor is unforgettably good.

2. Serve fried fillets on a bed of onions fried in butter until soft. Make a sauce by frying 1 chopped onion and 1/2 pound of chopped mushrooms in plenty of butter. Add 4 chopped dill or sour pickles, some chopped parsley, and a good slug of lemon juice. Heat this well, season to taste, and pour over the fillets on the bed of onions. Sprinkle with paprika.

3. Fry julienne of sole and arrange on a mound of rice. Serve with a sauce made with 11/2 cups of sauce velouté (page 21) flavored with 1 tablespoon of curry powder and 3 tablespoons of chutney. Top with grated coconut.

ROLLED FILLETS

Spread fillets with anchovy butter (page 32) or herb butter (page 33), roll, and fasten with toothpicks. Roll in flour, dip in a beaten egg and milk mixture, roll well in crumbs, and fry according to the directions above.

STUFFED SAUTÉED FILLETS

4 fillets of sole

Fish forcemeat (page 41)

Flour

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup milk

Crumbs
or
corn meal

6 tablespoons butter

3 ounces sherry

4 tablespoons tomato paste

1 cup sauce béchamel (page 23)

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

6 grilled tomatoes

Spread the fillets with forcemeat, roll, and secure with toothpicks. Dust with flour, dip in beaten egg and milk, and roll well in crumbs or corn meal. Sauté the rolls in butter according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 10). Remove to a hot platter. Rinse the pan well with sherry, add the tomato paste and the béchamel, blend thoroughly, and let it come to a boil. Taste for seasoning. Surround the fillets with grilled tomatoes and serve the sauce separately.

STUFFED FILLETS

4 fillets of sole

Fish forcemeat (page 41)

Mirepoix (carrots, onions, celery)

4 tablespoons butter

White wine

1 cup cream

Beurre manié (page 475)

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

11/2 cups mashed potatoes

2 eggs

Spread the fillets with the forcemeat, roll them, and secure with toothpicks. Chop the vegetables very fine and steam them in butter until soft. Add the fillets and enough white wine to cover the bottom of the pan. Poach the fish, basting with the wine, according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 12). Remove them to a hot plate. Strain the cooking liquid, add the cream, and return it to the stove to cook down for a few minutes. Thicken slightly with beurre manié. Season to taste.

Mix the seasoned mashed potatoes with the eggs and blend well. Arrange small rosettes of the potatoes (piped through a pastry tube, using the large rosette end) on a serving dish. Place the fillets in the center and cover with the sauce. Dust with paprika and run under the broiler to brown the potatoes and the sauce.

HERBED ROLLED FILLETS

11/2 cups finely chopped mushrooms

4 tablespoons butter

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup chopped chives

1/2 cup chopped parsley

1/2 cup chopped onion

6 to 8 fillets of sole, depending on size

Flour

2 eggs beaten with 3/4 cup of milk

Crumbs

Butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup (about) white wine

1 cup cream

Grated Parmesan cheese

Sauté the mushrooms in 4 tablespoons butter until well cooked. Add the chives, parsley, and onion, and season to taste. When thoroughly blended and cooked, remove from the heat and spread the mixture on the fillets. Roll the fillets and secure with toothpicks. Dip each fillet in flour, then in beaten egg and milk, and roll in crumbs. Sauté in butter according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 10). Remove to a hot platter. Add the 2 tablespoons flour to the pan and mix well with the juices. Add the 2 tablespoons flour to the pan and mix well with the juices. Add the wine and cook to reduce the liquid a bit. Add the cream and stir until well blended and thickened. Pour the sauce around the fillets, sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese, and run under the broiler to glaze.

ROLLED FILLETS WITH SHRIMP SAUCE

Fish forcemeat (page 41)

Tarragon

8 fillets of sole

1/2 pound shrimp

White wine

Sauce béchamel (page 23)

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Grated Parmesan cheese

Prepare a fish forcemeat and flavor it heavily with tarragon. Spread each fillet with the forcemeat, roll, and secure with toothpicks. Poach the fillets and the shelled and cleaned shrimp in white wine, according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 12), basting often so as to cook evenly. Remove the cooked fish to a hot serving dish. Remove the shrimp and chop very fine. Prepare a sauce béchamel, using the reduced cooking liquid as a base. Salt and pepper to taste and add additional tarragon. Add the chopped shrimp and pour over the fillets. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and run under the broiler to glaze for a minute or two.

FILLETS STUFFED WITH SALMON

1/2 pound salmon

2 eggs

1/2 cup chopped parsley

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

6 fillets of sole

White wine

11/2 cups sauce velouté (page 21)

12 mushroom caps

6 artichoke hearts

Butter

Sautéed potatoes

Grind the salmon and mix with the eggs and parsley until it is smooth and pasty. Season to taste and spread on the fillets. Roll and secure with toothpicks. Poach the fillets in white wine, basting well, according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 12). Remove the fillets to a baking dish. Prepare a sauce velouté, using the cooking liquid. Sauté the mushrooms and artichoke hearts in butter and season to taste. Pour the sauce over the fish, surround with the artichoke hearts, top with the mushrooms, and garnish with sautéed potatoes.

ROLLED FILLETS OF SOLE NIÇOISE

8 fillets of sole

Chopped parsley

Chopped shallots
or
green onions

Anchovy fillets

Court bouillon (page 18)

1/2 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined

24 clams

Sauce velouté (page 21)

Grated Parmesan cheese

Sprinkle the fillets heavily with the parsley and green onions or shallots. Lay several anchovy fillets on each one. Roll and secure with toothpicks. Measure the diameter, and poach in a court bouillon according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 12). About 3 minutes before the fillets are done add the shrimp to the bouillon. Remove the fillets to a hot platter.

Steam the clams until they open (page 358). Take the meat from the shells. Prepare a sauce velouté (11/4 cups), using the reduced court bouillon as a base. Add the clams and shrimp to the sauce and pour over the fillets. Sprinkle with the cheese and glaze under the broiler for a few minutes.

TOAD IN THE HOLE

6 large Idaho potatoes

6 fillets of sole

Fines herbes

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Flour

2 eggs, beaten with 3/4 cup of milk

Bread crumbs

6 tablespoons butter, or more

1/2 cup cream

2 egg yolks

1 teaspoon paprika

Bake the potatoes. Sprinkle the fillets with the herbs and season to taste. Roll and secure with toothpicks. Dip in flour, then in the egg mixture, and roll in the crumbs. Measure the diameter of the rolls and sauté in butter according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 10).

When the potatoes are baked, cut the tops off and scoop out most of the pulp. Mash and whip with the butter, cream, egg yolks, salt, pepper, and paprika. Place a fillet in each potato, surround with the whipped potato and put the potato shell back on. Serve any leftover potato filling in a separate dish.

Cold Fillets

COLD JELLIED FILLETS WITH FINES HERBES

8 fillets of sole

11/2 cups chopped herbs (dill, parsley, chives, tarragon)

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

White wine court bouillon (pages 19–20)

Egg white

2 envelopes gelatin

11/2 cups mayonnaise

Black olives

4 cups (or more) potato salad

Hard-cooked eggs

Spread the fillets well with the herbs and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roll and secure with toothpicks. Poach in court bouillon according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 12). Be very careful not to overcook. Remove the toothpicks.

Let the bouillon cook down to a little less than a quart — about 3 cups. Strain and clarify with egg white (page 18). Melt the gelatin in 1/2 cup of water; when it is thoroughly dissolved combine with the boiling bouillon. Let it cool until it is thick and syrupy. Combine 1 cup of the jelly with 1 cup of mayonnaise and taste for seasoning. Mask the fillets with this mixture and chill well until firm. Decorate with slices of ripe olives and brush with another coat of the jelly. Chill.

Arrange a bed of highly seasoned potato salad on a platter. Make a row or circle of the glazed fillets on top and decorate with hard-cooked eggs and olives. Serve with additional mayonnaise.

JELLIED FILLETS OF SOLE NIÇOISE

4 hard-cooked eggs, chopped

12 to 15 anchovy fillets, chopped

1/2 cup chopped parsley

11/2 cups chopped onion

8 fillets of sole

White wine court bouillon (pages 19–20)

Egg white

2 envelopes gelatin

1 cup tomato sauce

1 teaspoon basil

Sliced hard-cooked eggs

Olives

Greens

Onion rings

French dressing

Tomato mayonnaise

Combine the eggs, and anchovy fillets, parsley, and onion. Spread each fillet with this mixture and fold over. Poach in court bouillon according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 12). Remove with a spatula, being careful that you do not break the fish. Reduce the liquid to about 3 cups, strain, and clarify with egg white (page 18). Melt the gelatin in 1/2 cup of cold water and combine with the boiling bouillon. Chill until thick and syrupy, but not set.