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Break the fish into small pieces and mix with the green onion, green pepper, and celery. Moisten the mustard with the lemon juice, and blend it into the fish and vegetable mixture. Soak the gelatin in the cold water and stir it into 2 cups of the boiling fish broth. Mix the fish into the broth and gelatin, pour it all into a mold or loaf pan, and chill thoroughly.

When ready to serve, slice the fish loaf and arrange the slices on a bed of green. Serve with a sauce rémoulade (page 35) or with vinaigrette sauce (page 36).

Red Snapper

This delicate Gulf fish should not be confused with the more oily and less meaty West Coast snapper, a fish that abounds on the West Coast, especially around Astoria, Oregon. The red snapper is a magnificent fish, 2 or 3 feet long and weighing up to 30 pounds. To see one resting on the ice in a market showcase is most attractive, and its fine flavor is just as appealing to the appetite.

Red snappers weighing around 5 pounds are often sold whole. The larger ones are cut into steaks and fillets. The meat is excellent prepared in almost any manner.

Other species of snapper, smaller and less colorful, are caught in the Gulf region, but are usually marketed locally. These include the yellowtail of Key West, the gray snapper, the mutton-fish, and the schoolmaster. All are fine eating.

In general, snapper may be prepared according to any of the recipes suggested for sea bass (pages 214–216).

BROILED RED SNAPPER

Follow directions for broiling, pages 9–10.

SAUTÉED RED SNAPPER

Follow directions for sautéing, page 10.

VARIATIONS

1. Just before removing the fish from the pan, add chopped garlic and parsley in equal proportions.

2. When the fish is almost cooked, add to the pan 1 teaspoon fresh or dried tarragon and 1/2 cup white wine. Swirl this around for a few seconds and pour it over the fish. Parsley is a pleasant addition.

FILLET OF RED SNAPPER AMANDINE

4 fillets of red snapper

Flour

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Butter

1/2 cup blanched almonds

1/4 cup melted butter

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Dip the fillets in flour, season with salt and pepper, and sauté in butter according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 10). Meanwhile, chop the almonds and brown them in melted butter. Remove the fillets to a hot platter and add the almonds to the pan in which the fish was cooked. Add the lemon juice, heat the mixture through, and pour over the fillets.

VARIATION

Add 1/4 cup dry white wine to the pan juices along with the almonds and the lemon juice. Quickly bring to a bubbling boil and pour over the fillets.

RED SNAPPER STUFFED WITH SEAFOOD

1 4-pound red snapper

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Butter

Flour

1 cup dry bread crumbs

1 cup chopped raw shrimp

1 cup chopped green onions

1 cup chopped raw oysters

1/2 cup chopped celery

Bacon

Wash and clean the fish for stuffing. Season the inside with salt and pepper, rub it with butter, and sprinkle with flour. Mix the bread crumbs, shrimp, onions, oysters, celery, and season to taste. Add a lump of butter to the mixture and stuff the fish lightly. Sew it up and arrange it on well-greased baking pan.

Sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper. Score the skin in two or three places and strip with bacon. Place the fish in a 425° oven and bake according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 8). Baste often during the cooking.

BAKED STUFFED RED SNAPPER

1 4-pound red snapper

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Butter

1 large onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

4 cups dry bread crumbs

1 cup minced cucumber

1/2 cup chopped toasted almonds

1 teaspoon thyme

White wine or sherry

Prepare the fish for baking. Rub the inside with salt, pepper, and butter. Sauté the onion and garlic in butter until they are soft, then add them to the bread crumbs, cucumber, and almonds. Season all with salt, pepper, and thyme, and moisten, if you wish, with white wine or sherry. Stuff the fish lightly and sew it up.

Place the fish on a well-greased baking pan,