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Dredge the steak with flour and grind the pepper onto the surface. Press the pepper into the flesh of the fish with the heel of your hand. Brush with oil and sauté in 5 tablespoons of butter according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 10). Turn once during the cooking. Salt to taste and remove the steak to a hot platter. Add a little more butter to the pan and the wine. Swirl it around and pour it over the fish. Serve with lemon quarters, plain boiled new potatoes, and beets dressed with sour cream and dill.

VARIATION

Swordfish Steak with Rosemary. Follow the recipe above, but substitute dried or fresh rosemary for the pepper. The rosemary gives a rare and unusual flavor to the fish.

BAKED SWORDFISH STEAK

2 steaks, 1 inch thick

Flour

Oil

Fresh dill

Sliced onions

Butter

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 cup white wine

1 cup cream

3 egg yolks

Dust the steaks with flour and brush with oil. Place one in the bottom of a well-oiled baking dish. Spread it with a layer of dill and then a layer of onion slices. Dot with butter and season with salt and pepper. Top with the second steak, and dot this with butter and seasonings. Pour 1/2 cup of the wine into the pan and bake at 425° according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 8). Baste the fish several times during the cooking.

Remove the fish to a hot platter. Add the remaining 1/2 cup wine to the pan, bring it to a boil, and gradually stir in the cream mixed with the egg yolks. Stir until well thickened and smooth. Pour the sauce over the fish.

BAKED SWORDFISH WITH MUSHROOMS

2 steaks, 1 inch thick

Butter

Crumbs

3 cans of “broiled in butter” chopped mushrooms

2 tablespoons chopped shallots or onions

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup white wine

1 cup cream

Beurre manié (page 475)

Place one steak in the bottom of an oiled baking dish. Spread the steak with butter and top with crumbs. Open 2 cans of chopped mushrooms and drain, saving the juice. Spread the mushrooms over the steak. Add the shallots or onions, salt and pepper to taste, and dot with butter. Top with the second steak, dot this with butter and season with salt and pepper. Add the wine to the mushroom liquid and pour over the fish. Bake at 425° according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 8), basting with the pan juices.

Remove the fish to a hot platter. Open the third can of mushrooms and add them to the pan juices. Add 1 cup of cream and thicken with beurre manié. Taste for seasoning and pour over the fish. Serve with crisp sautéed potatoes and braised endive. A chilled rosé is the perfect complement.

BAKED SWORDFISH CASTILIAN

4 green peppers, shredded

Olive oil

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon lemon juice

3 medium onions, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 cups stewed or canned tomatoes

1 teaspoon oregano

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Fresh coriander or cilantro

1 thick swordfish steak

Butter

Sauté the peppers in the oil, season to taste, and add the lemon juice. Sauté the onion and garlic in oil. Add the tomatoes, oregano, chili powder, parsley, and coriander (or cilantro, if available). Simmer for 25 minutes.

Place the steak in an oiled baking dish. Dot it with butter and season with salt and pepper. Bake at 425° according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 8). Pour the sauce over the fish, top it with the green peppers, and return it to the oven for 5 minutes to blend thoroughly. Serve with rice and sautéed eggplant.

Tautog (Blackfish)

This is a good game fish that is well known to sportsmen on the North and Middle Atlantic Coast. In New England it is known as tautog; elsewhere it is called blackfish, or sometimes black porgy or saltwater chub. It is usually caught near shore, since it is a fish that likes rocks and ledges. It is also fond of snooping around piers and old wrecks.

The tautog, or blackfish, is taken commercially from Cape Cod to Delaware Bay. The average fish weighs 2 to 3 pounds and is 12 to 18 inches long. The flesh is white, juicy,