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VARIATIONS

1. Stuff the bluefish with crabmeat; sprinkle the stuffing with salt, pepper, and butter. Tie the fish up, place it on an oiled baking dish, dot with butter, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bake at 425° according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 8). Serve with lemon butter (page 31).

2. Arrange a split bluefish on an oiled baking dish. Lay strips of bacon or salt pork across the top of the fish. Bake at 425° as above. Serve with lemon wedges, boiled potatoes, and a cucumber salad made with a sour cream and dill dressing.

3. Stuff a bluefish with a few sprigs of parsley, fresh dill, and 2 or 3 lemon slices. Dot the interior with butter and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Oil a baking dish and cover the bottom with 3 shallots and 4 green onions, finely chopped. Lay the stuffed fish on top, dot with butter, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add 1 cup white wine. Bake at 425° as above, basting often. Remove the fish to a hot platter.

Take out the herbs and add them to the pan juices. Put the juices through a sieve or a food mill. Return to the stove and add 1/2 cup heavy cream and 2 egg yolks. Stir until thickened, but do not let it boil. Taste for seasoning and pour the sauce over the fish. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and dill.

BABY BLUES

The small bluefish, called “baby blues,” which are caught late in the summer, are bluefish that have not yet grown to full size. They should be cleaned and cooked whole. Follow the recipes for broiled or sautéed bluefish.

Butterfish

These small silvery fish are among the most delicately meated and thoroughly pleasing fish in the sea. They are caught in great quantities and are available in Eastern markets throughout most of the year.

BROILED BUTTERFISH

Since butterfish are very small — some weighing as little as 1/4 pound — they should be broiled very quickly. My preference, as usual, is to sauté them. However, if you do broil them, use plenty of butter and oil and place them near the flame. Serve with a sauce Béarnaise (page 26).

SAUTÉED BUTTERFISH

Follow the directions for sauté meunière (page 10). Serve with lemon wedges or lemon butter. A strong sauce is not good with this delicate fish.

VARIATION

Add buttered toasted almonds to the pan at the last minute.

BUTTERFISH NIÇOISE

Sauté butterfish as for sauté meunière, but substitute olive oil for the butter. Grill or sauté tomatoes in olive oil and season them with a little tarragon and garlic. Arrange the fish on a bed of the tomatoes, top them with strips of anchovies, and garnish with ripe olives. Serve this with sautéed potatoes and a bountiful salad and you will have a satisfying meal.

BUTTERFISH WITH CURRY AND TOMATOES

Sauté 1 medium onion, finely chopped, in butter. Dip 4 small butterfish in flour that has been heavily seasoned with curry powder and salted to taste. Sauté the fish in the pan with the onion. Remove the fish to a hot platter and rinse the pan with a little white wine. Serve with rice and a tomato sauce laced with more curry (page 23).

BUTTERFISH IN CASES

This is definitely a party dish.

To prepare a breadcase, remove the crusts from an unsliced loaf. Cut bread into a rectangle large enough to hold an entire fish comfortably with a 1-inch margin on all sides. Scoop out some of the crumbs, butter the case well, and dry it out in a 300° oven until it is a delicate brown.

Make a sauce duxelles (page 27). For each fish, sauté 3 large mushroom caps in butter.

Flour the fish and sauté them according to the directions for sauté meunière (page 10). Spread a little sauce duxelles in each bread case, place a fish in each case, add more sauce, top with the mushroom caps, and garnish with chopped parsley. Serve with additional sauce.

PAN-FRIED BUTTERFISH

Dip in seasoned flour, then in beaten egg, and roll in any of the following: buttered crumbs, cracker crumbs, corn meal,