James Beard's New Fish Cookery - James Beard [118]
COLD WHITEFISH
A whole poached whitefish that has been chilled makes a very good buffet dish or a good dish for any summer meal. Or you may serve it as a first course at dinner, followed by game or a red meat. This combination gives you a chance to serve a nice contrast of wines.
Garnish the whitefish with cucumbers in sour cream and dill and hard-cooked eggs stuffed with caviar in the yolks. If you use the fish as a luncheon dish, serve a real French potato salad made with a white wine and olive oil dressing, with the addition of a few slivered almonds and onion. An outstanding dressing for cold poached whitefish served as a salad or hors d’oeuvre course is mayonnaise mixed with lemon juice, finely chopped hard-cooked egg, caviar, grated onion, and just a touch of sherry or Madeira.
SMOKED WHITEFISH
Smoked whitefish is one of the greatest fish delicacies. The meat, being delicate and fat, lends itself to the smoking process as readily as sturgeon, salmon, or eel. I enjoy it served with cocktails or as a first course.
To serve with cocktails: Remove the skin and arrange the whole fish, with head and tail intact, on a bed of watercress. Garnish with wedges of lemon and have several fish knives available. On another plate arrange some buttered strips of pumpernickel and let people help themselves. If you want to do something especially fancy, accompany this with a bowl of caviar and some finely chopped onions.
To serve as a first course: Place a section of smoked white-fish on a bed of watercress. Garnish with a lemon wedge, some chopped onion and parsley. Thin sandwiches of buttered pumpernickel are a must.
SUNDAY BREAKFAST SPECIAL
Friends of mine serve a Sunday breakfast that is a delight. Their handsome oval table is dominated by a huge platter of smoked whitefish, smoked salmon, and smoked sturgeon with thinly sliced Bermuda onion and lemon wedges. When the guests are seated, a big dish of fluffy scrambled eggs is brought in, steaming hot, and hot rolls and toasted bagels are passed. This is a superb combination of flavors.
WHITEFISH ROE
The fresh roe of whitefish is very good when sautéed or poached. See directions for cooking shad roe, pages 222–224.
Yellow Perch
Many people think that the yellow perch is one of the best flavored of freshwater fishes. A small greenish-golden fish easily obtainable in markets in the Middle West, it is caught commercially in rather large quantities in the Great Lakes, and anglers take it in unrecorded quantities from lakes, streams, and ponds of the interior. It has been transplanted successfully to lakes in the Far West.
The yellow perch seems to flourish best in lakes. It likes shallow water and the company of its kind. Seldom exceeding 12 inches in length or 1 pound in weight, it is a relative of the sauger and pike perches and can be cooked in the same way. See pages 331–332.
Shellfish
Abalone
This univalve, native to the waters of California, has been popular for many years among the Chinese-Americans of the Far West, who dried and canned it in large quantities. Now that other Americans have learned to appreciate it, the supply is very small. No fresh abalone can be purchased outside California, but small amounts of canned abalone, including some imported from Mexico, are available in certain Eastern shops.
The fresh abalone meat needs tenderizing before cooking. Most of that bought in California markets is ready to use; if it has not been tenderized, you must soften the meat by pounding with a mallet. Never overcook abalone. It will be tough and disappointing.
ABALONE SAUTÉ
Have the abalone sliced thin and tenderized. Melt butter in a skillet and cook the fish for 45 to 55 seconds, turning once. Salt and pepper