James Beard's New Fish Cookery - James Beard [82]
3 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
1/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup minced green onions
Dash of Tabasco or cayenne pepper
Salt to taste
Ripe olives
Quartered limes or lemons
Dip the fish in lemon or lime juice, rub with flour, and sauté in butter until golden brown according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 10). Arrange in a dish (about 2 inches deep) in a symmetrical fashion. Remove any skin and bone, if it is steak.
Make a sauce by crushing the garlic and adding the lemon or lime juice, orange juice, olive oil, minced onions, Tabasco or cayenne, and salt to taste. Pour this over the fish, and let it stand in the refrigerator for 24 hours or more. To serve as a first course or one of the dishes at a buffet supper, garnish with ripe olives and quartered limes or lemons.
NOTE: You may add fresh coriander (sometimes called Chinese parsley) to the sauce. Also try ground cumin seed or toasted coriander seeds.
SOLE WITH SHRIMP SAUCE
2 medium-sized soles or flounders
White wine court bouillon (pages 19–20)
2 pounds shrimp, cleaned
2 cups sauce velouté (page 21), prepared with the broth
Grated Parmesan cheese
Poach the soles or flounders in the court bouillon according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 12). Four minutes before the fish is done, add the shrimp. When they are done, place the fish on a hot serving dish or gratin dish.
Select the 12 largest and best-looking shrimp and set them aside to use as a garnish. Chop the rest of the shrimp very fine or put them through a food chopper, using the finest blade. While you are doing this, let the bouillon reduce to 11/2 cups. Strain it and correct the seasoning. Prepare 2 cups of sauce velouté, using the bouillon as a base, and when it is smooth and thick add the chopped shrimp. Pour the sauce over the fish, garnish with whole shrimp, sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese, and brown quickly under the broiler.
NOTE: You may prepare this dish with fillets instead of whole fish.
FILLETS OF SOLE BENEDICTINE
Brandade de morue (page 100)
White wine court bouillon (pages 19–20)
6 fillets of sole
Chopped parsley
This has a delightful combination of flavors and is a wonderful dish for a buffet party. It’s so good, in fact, that it’s worth keeping secret as a “specialty of the house.”
Prepare a brandade de morue. Poach the fillets in a simple court bouillon. When done, arrange them on top of the brandade and sprinkle with chopped parsley. To serve, surround the fish with grilled whole tomatoes or sautéed zucchini.
FILLETS OF SOLE CLOVISSE
6 fillets of sole
White wine court bouillon (pages 19–20)
2 cans (7 ounces each) minced clams
Sauce velouté (page 21)
12 mushroom caps Chopped parsley
Poach the fillets in the court bouillon according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 12). Remove them to a baking or gratin dish. Add the juice from the clams to the court bouillon and let it reduce to 11/2 cups of liquid. Prepare 2 cups of sauce velouté, using the broth as a base. When it is thick, add the minced clams and taste for seasoning. Pour the sauce over the fillets and garnish with sautéed mushroom caps and chopped parsley. Run the dish under the broiler just long enough to brown lightly.
NOTE: Naturally, you may use fresh minced clams for this dish. If you do, use several whole poached clams as a garnish.
FILLETS OF SOLE CASANOVA
1 pound mushrooms
2 cups shredded celery root
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons curry powder
Butter
Garlic
6 fillets of sole
Beurre manié (page 475)
1 cup cream
Grated Parmesan cheese
Chop the mushroom stems, combine them with the celery root, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil. Add seasoning and simmer until the celery root is tender. Add the curry powder.
Sauté the mushroom caps in butter with just a touch of garlic. Season to taste.
Following the Canadian cooking theory (page 12), poach the fillets in the curry broth with the celery root and mushroom stems. When they are done, place them in a gratin or baking dish and top with the celery root.