James Beard's New Fish Cookery - James Beard [25]
Cut the poached roe into fairly small pieces. Arrange them in baking shells and cover with the sauce. Top with buttered crumbs and bake at 425°–450° for 10 minutes.
VARIATION
Poach the roe as above and serve in a Newburg sauce (pages 396–397) made with 1 cup heavy cream, 1/4 cup sherry, 3 egg yolks for thickening, salt, and cayenne pepper.
Black Drum
These are probably the most musical of all fish. They are loud and harmonious, and on a quiet evening a school of them can put on an impressive symphonic program.
Black drums are also gluttons. They often stand on their heads, sometimes with their tails showing above the water, while they suck up great quantities of clams, the shells of which they crush as they gorge.
Drums grow to a large size, but those marketed average only 8 to 20 inches long. They are more popular in the South, especially in Texas and Louisiana, than in other parts of the country.
BROILED DRUM
The drum is a rather dry fish, so oil it well before broiling and baste it frequently with oil or butter. Follow directions for broiling, pages 9–10. Serve with tartar sauce (pages 35–36), lemon butter (page 31), parsley butter (page 33), or browned butter (page 31).
BAKED DRUM
Follow any of the recipes for baked redfish.
Blowfish (Sea Squab)
Also called the puffer or globefish, this creature can suck in water and air and enlarge itself until it is nearly round. Only the meat around the spine is eaten. In Eastern markets you will see the prepared fish looking something like large chicken drumsticks from which the skin has been pulled. In this form it is known commercially as sea squab. It’s good eating but expensive.
If you catch your own blowfish, there is a special procedure for extracting the edible portion. Hold the tail of the fish in your left hand, and with a sharp knife cut right through about 1 inch back of the eyes, removing the head. Then peel the skin back, stripping it off the fish. Cut away the entrails. This will leave you one solid round piece of meat with the spine bone running through it—a sea squab.
SAUTÉED SEA SQUAB
Follow directions for sauté meunière, page 10.
BROILED SEA SQUAB
Follow directions for broiling, pages 9–10.
FRIED SEA SQUAB
Follow directions for deep frying, page 11.
Bluefish
This fine-looking, fine-tasting fish is fairly common all along the Atlantic Coast and in the Gulf. It is a spirited fish that often puts up a good fight before landing.
Bluefish may run up to 10 pounds, but about 3 to 6 pounds is its usual weight. It is nicely meated and may be prepared a number of ways, although I think it is best broiled or baked. Bluefish is so delicate in flavor that it does not need heavy seasonings to enhance it. Simple herbs, white wine, salt, and freshly ground pepper are the only additions necessary.
BROILED BLUEFISH
You may either split the fish or broil it whole, whichever you prefer. Follow the Canadian cooking theory for broiling (pages 9–10).
VARIATIONS
1. Serve the broiled fish on a bed of dried herbs: thyme, fennel, bay leaf, parsley. Pour 1/4 cup cognac or rum over the fish and herbs and ignite it. Let it burn, smoking the herb flavors into the fish. Serve with lemon butter and plain boiled potatoes.
2. Split the fish, dot it with butter, and add bacon strips. Broil it about 4 inches from the flame until the bacon is crisp and the fish cooked through.
SAUTÉED BLUEFISH
Small whole bluefish or pieces of bluefish may be sautéed à la meunière (page 10) or à l’Anglaise (page 142).
Avoid the highly spiced sauces for this delicate fish. Serve with something simple, such as lemon butter (page 31), parsley butter (page 33), or anchovy butter (page 32).
BAKED BLUEFISH
Clean and split a bluefish and place it on an oiled baking dish or pan. Dot it heavily with butter, sprinkle with