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Use either fillets or whole sea trout. Clean the fish and flour lightly. Sauté in butter according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 10). Season to taste and remove to a hot platter. Add the chopped parsley and tarragon to the pan. Add the wine and let it cook down for 1 minute. Pour this over the fish. Serve with boiled potatoes and sautéed mushrooms.

BAKED SEA TROUT

Follow the directions for striped bass, page 269.

BAKED SEA TROUT SCANDINAVIAN

2 small sea trout

Parsley sprigs

Fresh dill

Butter

Sour cream

Salt

Capers

Paprika

Clean and stuff the sea trout with parsley sprigs and fresh dill. Sprinkle with salt. Arrange them on an oiled baking dish, dot them with butter, and bake at 425° according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 8). Near the end of the cooking time, cover the fish with sour cream that has been seasoned with chopped dill and salt. Return to the oven to finish cooking the fish and heat the cream thoroughly.

Sprinkle with capers and a dash of paprika.

Shad

This great gastronomic delight is native to Europe and to our Atlantic Coast. In the 1870s it was transplanted to the Pacific Coast, where it has flourished ever since. The shad is in season from early January, when the first of the southern catch arrives, until May, when the northernmost supply is at its height.

Shad has such an intricate bone structure that boned fillets are most desirable for general use. A stuffed baked shad, however, offers so much pure eating joy that the task of extracting all the bones is worth the effort. There was a time when people felt that shad should be slowly cooked for hours to dissolve the bones. If you care to eat fish that has been overcooked and is tasteless, you may try it.

BROILED SHAD

Unless you are an expert, don’t try to bone shad for broiling. It is a tedious job that requires skill. Either use the boned fillets or a split shad. In my opinion, it is wiser to leave the skin on the fillets. Place the fish skin side down, and broil according to the Canadian cooking theory (pages 9–10), turning once during the broiling. Serve with parsley butter (page 33).

SAUTÉED SHAD

Roll boned shad in flour and proceed as for sauté meuniére (page 10). Serve with lemon wedges or tartar sauce (pages 35–36).

VARIATION

Dip pieces of shad in flour, then in beaten egg and in rolled bread crumbs. Sauté in butter or oil until nicely browned. Serve with lemon butter (page 31) or rémoulade (page 35).

BAKED SHAD

Split a shad or buy a whole boned shad. Place it on a flat oiled baking dish or pan. Dot with butter, and salt and pepper to taste. Bake at 450° according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 8). Baste several times during the cooking process. Serve with herb butter (page 33) or lemon butter (page 31).

BAKED STUFFED SHAD

1 split, boned shad

2 large onions, sliced

4 tablespoons butter

1 cup bread crumbs

1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

1/2 teaspoon thyme

2 tablespoons finely chopped celery leaves

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg, well beaten

Sauté the onions in the butter until they are soft. Add the other ingredients and mix well. Stuff a split, boned shad with this mixture and sew it up or secure it with string. Place it in an oiled baking dish or pan and bake at 450° according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 8). Serve it with boiled parsley potatoes and fresh green peas. The fish needs no sauce, but if you must have one, use Hollandaise (pages 25–26) or tartar sauce (pages 35–36).

VARIATIONS

1. Sauté 1 sliced onion in butter until just soft. Add 1/2 pound chopped mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes. Season to taste and mix with 1/4 cup chopped parsley and 1/2 cup crumbs. Stuff the fish and sew it or tie it with string. Cover the fish with rashers of bacon and bake as above. Serve with a sauce duxelles (page 27).

2. Sauté 2 sliced onions in butter until soft. Add I clove garlic, 1 green pepper, and 4 ripe tomatoes, all chopped. Season and mix well. Stuff the fish with this and sew or tie securely. Place it on an oiled baking dish,