James Beard's New Fish Cookery - James Beard [34]
2. Southerners are apt to add finely chopped green onion to the traditional codfish cake mixture, which gives it a different flavor. Sometimes a bit of finely chopped green pepper is also added.
3. For cocktails, make the cakes very small, roll them in flour and crumbs, and deep fry them for about 3 minutes at 390°. A demitasse spoon is perfect for dropping this size ball into the basket for frying.
BRANDADE DE MORUE
1 pound salt codfish
2/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Toast triangles fried in olive oil
Soak the codfish for several hours. Wash it and bring it to a boil in cold water. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Drain the fish and shred it very fine, removing any bits of bone.
Heat the olive oil and the cream separately. Crush the garlic — in a mortar if you have one — and add the fish; if you don’t have a mortar, put both garlic and fish through the food grinder twice, using the fine blade. The fish must be very fine, so if two grindings do not seem enough, work it with a heavy wooden spoon in a bowl. This brandade can be prepared quickly and easily in a food processor. When the mixture is practically a paste, put it in a heavy saucepan over very low heat and stir well with a fork. Now add the olive oil and the cream alternately and work them both in well. Continue until all the oil and cream are absorbed and the mixture has the consistency of mashed potatoes. Season with the pepper, heap it up in the center of a serving dish, and surround it with fried toast triangles.
VARIATION
Beat mashed potatoes into the mixture. This gives a completely different texture to the dish and a more delicate flavor. It is called Benedictine, and the true eggs Benedictine are served on a bed of this. Eggs Benedict is another dish entirely.
Croaker
This fish gets its name from the air bladder it uses to give off tuneful sounds. There are a number of varieties on both coasts, and in some localities they are marketed. The croaker is a good game fish.
BROILED CROAKER
Broil whole croakers according to the Canadian cooking theory (pages 9–10). Serve with any of the fish butters — anchovy, lemon, or parsley (pages 31–33).
CROAKERS SAUTé MEUNIÈRE
To my taste, this method of preparation is usually preferable to pan frying. Dust the fish with flour and sauté lightly in plenty of butter. Season to taste and serve the fish with chopped parsley, lemon, and more butter.
PAN-FRIED CROAKERS
Roll the fish in seasoned crumbs or corn meal and sauté in butter or oil. Serve with a sauce rémoulade (page 35) or tartar sauce (pages 35–36).
Cusk
Even more streamlined than the hake, this fish is distinguished by a long black fin extending from just behind the head to the tail. It is found in northern waters and is nearly always caught on line. It puts up a good fight when hooked.
You will not often see the whole fish in the markets, but quite a bit of it is sold as fillets that are labeled something else besides cusk. It has good flavor and texture and ought to be more popular in its own right.
Cusk may be prepared in any of the ways you prepare haddock or fresh cod.
Eels
Eels are erroneously called freshwater fish by most French authorities. They are both freshwater and marine. All the European and American eels are born in the same place, a deep spot in the ocean south of Bermuda. From there they migrate to localities previously frequented by their parents — European eels go to Europe, and American eels to America. They ascend the freshwater streams, stay for a while, and then return to the spawning grounds in the Atlantic.
Eels are a traditional dish during the Italian celebration of Christmas Eve, and they are in greatest demand at the holiday season. Smoked eels