James Beard's New Fish Cookery - James Beard [92]
Cook the salt pork in the butter. Add the onion, celery, and green pepper. Sauté until just soft. Mix in the crumbs, fennel or thyme, and toasted chopped almonds (the canned ones are excellent). Stuff the fish and sew it up or fasten it with skewers and twine. Season to taste, place in an oiled baking dish, and top with strips of bacon. Bake at 425° according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 8). Serve with a tomato sauce (page 23) or a cucumber and sour cream sauce (page 37).
STUFFED STRIPED BASS IV
Prepare an omelet fines herbes with 4 or 5 eggs and a mixture of herbs. Stuff the fish with the omelet and sew it up. Make a bed of sliced shallots or green onions on the bottom of an oiled baking dish or pan. Add enough white wine to cover halfway. Place the fish on top; oil and season it to taste. Bake at 425° according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 8), basting often. Remove the fish to a hot platter and strain the liquid in the pan. Reduce quickly to 11/2 cups. Correct the seasoning and add 1/2 cup of heavy cream mixed with 2 or 3 egg yolks. Stir until the sauce is thickened, being careful that it does not boil. Serve with the fish.
BAKED STRIPED BASS
Split a whole fish and place it on an oiled baking pan or dish. Dot with butter and salt and pepper to taste. Bake at 425° according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 8). Serve with parsley butter (page 33).
STRIPED BASS SAUTÉ
You may sauté either a small whole striped bass or the fillets. Follow directions for sauté meunière (page 10). The fish may be served in this manner with any of the following sauces:
1. Tomato sauce (page 23)
2. Sauce Provençale (pages 30–31)
3. Sauce duxelles (page 27)
STRIPED BASS EN PAPILLOTE
First, see the instructions on page 162 for cutting and folding parchment paper for baking.
1 striped bass, filleted, or 2 pounds fillets
White wine sauce (page 24)
1/4 cup chopped mushrooms, sautéed
1/4 cup chopped shallots, sautéed
1/2 cup finely chopped cooked shrimp
Truffles or mushroom caps
Cut a striped bass into fillets or buy the fillets. Cut these into portions small enough to fit a piece of parchment 8 by 11 inches. Prepare the white wine sauce and add to it the mushrooms, shallots, and shrimp. When the sauce is cool, spread it over half of each piece of paper. Place a piece of fillet on top of the sauce and top each fillet with another spoonful of sauce and a slice of truffle or a mushroom cap. Fold the paper over and crimp it securely.
Bake at 425° according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 8), adding 5 minutes for the paper. Serve at once in the paper. When you pierce the paper to get at the fish, a mouthwatering odor pours out – one reason why this method of serving fish is so delightful.
POACHED STRIPED BASS
Poach a striped bass in boiling salted water or in a court bouillon (pages 18–20) and serve it with any of the following sauces:
1. Hollandaise sauce (pages 25–26)
2. Sauce mousseline (page 26)
3. Shrimp sauce (page 21)
4. Lobster sauce (page 21)
5. Oyster sauce (page 21)
6. Sauce velouté (page 21)
7. Parsley sauce (page 23)
STRIPED BASS CURRY
Poach 2 pounds of filleted striped bass in boiling salted water according to the Canadiancooking theory (page 12). Remove and cool. Prepare a curry sauce (pages 22, 29). Flake the fish and mix it with the sauce. Heat thoroughly. Serve in a ring of saffron rice and pass chutney, chopped toasted almonds, chopped hard-cooked eggs, sliced cucumbers, and thinly sliced bananas in a vinaigrette sauce. The secret of this dish is to be sure not to over-cook the fish. It is wonderful for a buffet dinner.
COLD STRIPED BASS
Cold striped bass, which must resembles the French fish loup de mer, or bar, has become one of the most popular dishes in the great French restaurants in New York. It is often served as a main course in the spring, summer, and fall, and equally frequently as an hors d’oeuvre.
Poach the fish according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 12) and remove from the bouillon. Cool. Serve with a sauce