James Beard's New Fish Cookery - James Beard [116]
Pour enough of the jelly over the decorated (or plain) trout to mask it thoroughly. Put the platter with the fish and a bowl of the rest of the jelly in the refrigerator to chill. Just before serving, chop the rest of the jelly very fine and garnish the fish platter with it. Serve with mayonnaise (page 34) or rémoulade (page 35).
VARIATION
Reduce the broth to 1 cup. Soften 1 envelope of gelatin with 1 cup red wine or port; add to the broth. Boil a few minutes to dissolve the gelatin.
COLD TROUT WITH DILL SAUCE
Poach 6 or 8 trout in court bouillon (page 18) according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 12). Chill thoroughly. Remove part of the skin from the top of the trout, leaving the heads and tails intact. Sprinkle with finely chopped dill, parsley, and chives. Arrange alternate slices of cucumber and hard-cooked egg on each fish. Serve with a sour cream sauce made with 11/2 cups sour cream, 1 tablespoon fresh dill, 1 teaspoon grated onion, 1 teaspoon dry mustard, and 1/2 cup finely chopped hard-cooked egg. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
PICKLED TROUT
1 bottle white wine
6 peppercorns
1 carrot, thinly sliced
4 small white onions
2 cloves
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon tarragon leaves
Pinch of thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup wine vinegar
12 trout
1/2 cup olive oil
12 thin lemon slices
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
Prepare a court bouillon with the wine, peppercorns, carrot, small onions (two with cloves stuck in them), bay leaf, tarragon, thyme, salt, pepper, and vinegar. Bring it to a boil and let it boil for 15 minutes. Add the trout and poach according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 12). Remove the fish to a serving dish.
Add the olive oil, lemon slices, and onion to the broth. Reduce it to 1 cup and, when cool, pour it over the trout. Chill for 24 hours before serving.
These may be served with their own marinade for the sauce, or with mayonnaise. A salad of cucumbers, tomatoes stuffed with cucumbers, or salade Russe are good additions.
SMOKED TROUT
This is a rare treat if you can come by it. Skin the trout, cut it into long fillets, and serve with lemon for a truly distinctive hors d’oeuvre.
Whitefish
One of the most important freshwater food fishes, whitefish comes from the Great Lakes, from small lakes in many sections of the country, and from very far north in Canada. The supply has been noticeably reduced by overfishing and also by the activity of an eel called the lamprey, which attaches itself to the fish and chews off the flesh. The Fish and Wildlife Service of the government is now dealing effectively with this problem.
Whitefish available in the markets weighs from 2 to 6 pounds and is sold whole or in fillets. Smoked whitefish is sold widely in the East and Middle West as well.
Whitefish roe can be lightly salted and made into a caviar that is excellent if well prepared. There used to be a great deal of this in the markets, and you may find it today from time to time.
BROILED WHITEFISH
You may broil either the fillets or the whole fish, split or round. Follow the directions for broiling, pages 9–10.
Serve with lemon butter (page 31), maître d’hôtel butter (page 31), or parsley butter (page 33).
WHITEFISH SAUTÉ MEUNIÉRE
The small fish may be sautéed whole, or you may use fillets. Follow directions for sauté meunière, page 10.
VARIATIONS
1. Sprinkle the fish heavily with sesame seeds after sautéing and put them in a hot oven or under the broiler flame to brown the seeds.
2. Add buttered almonds, chopped or slivered, to the pan while the fish are cooking.
3. Add small mushroom caps while the fish are cooking.
OVEN-FRIED FILLETS OF WHITEFISH
Soak the fillets in salted milk for 1 hour. Roll them