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HELEN EVANS BROWN’S BAKED ALBACORE

4 pounds albacore steaks or fillets

1 large onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

4 or 5 stalks of celery, chopped

6 sprigs of parsley, chopped

1 large clove garlic, chopped

1/2 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon oregano

1 cup red wine

1 No. 21/2 can of tomatoes

Sauté the onion, pepper, celery, parsley, and garlic in the olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, and oregano and add the wine and tomatoes.

Place the fish on a well-oiled baking dish and pour the sauce over it. Bake at 450° according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 8). Baste frequently during the cooking.

Serve it in the dish in which it was baked and pass plenty of sourdough bread with garlic butter or – if you live on the East Coast – garlic bread.

MARINATED ALBACORE

2 cups red wine

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 or 2 leeks, cleaned and chopped

1 or 2 stalks of celery, chopped

1 carrot, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon salt

1 heaping teaspoonful of dried basil or several leaves of the fresh basil

4-pound piece of albacore or other tuna

4 tablespoons butter

Beurre manié (page 475)

Make a marinade of the wine, vegetables, and seasonings. Soak the fish in this for 6 hours. Remove the fish and strain it. Melt the butter in a skillet, add the vegetables from the marinade, and cook until they are just soft.

Oil a baking dish, place the vegetables on the bottom, and top with the fish. Dot it with butter and pour the wine around it. Bake at 450° according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 8), basting often during the cooking process. Remove the fish to a hot platter. Force the sauce through a fine sieve, return it to the stove, and thicken with beurre manié. Taste for seasoning.

POACHED TUNA WITH VARIOUS SAUCES

Since albacore has the lightest meat, it is, of course, the best of the various tunas for poaching.

Poach a 3- or 4-pound piece of tuna in court bouillon (page 18) according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 12). Serve with sauce Béarnaise (page 27) or oyster sauce (page 21).

COLD POACHED TUNA

Serve the poached fish cold with a good olive oil mayonnaise, sauce rémoulade (page 25), or Russian dressing (page 35).

Canned Tunafish

The finest canned tuna is the albacore, or all white meat solid pack. Tuna flakes, tuna hunks, and tuna bits in cans are excellent for salads and other dishes in which the fish must be cut up.

CANNED TUNA AS HORS D’OEUVRE

I think one of the finest first courses or luncheon dishes is a good can of tuna with some capers, some homemade mayonnaise, and crisp French bread and butter.

TUNA AS A COCKTAIL SPREAD

1 No. 1 can of tuna, mashed

1/2 cup capers

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 teaspoon paprika

2 tablespoons onion juice

3 egg whites, stiffly beaten

Blend all ingredients. Spread on fingers of toast and place under the broiler flame until lightly browned and puffy.

CURRY OF TUNAFISH

1 large onion, chopped

1 unpeeled apple, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

6 tablespoons oil or butter

11/2 tablespoons curry powder

1/2 cup water

1 cup tomato sauce

Salt

1/2 cup white wine

11/2 cups canned tuna

Sauté the onion, apple, and garlic in oil or butter. Add the curry powder and blend well. Add the water and let it cook down. Gradually stir in the tomato sauce and blend thoroughly. Taste for seasoning. Stir in the wine and add the tunafish. Heat thoroughly. Serve with rice, chutney, French-fried onions, and chopped hard-cooked egg.

TUNAFISH PLATE

For each serving, arrange a bed of shredded greens topped with 1 small can of solid pack tuna broken into pieces. Garnish with paper-thin slices of onion, sliced hard-cooked egg, and capers. Serve mayonnaise separately.

TUNAFISH SAUCE FOR SPAGHETTI

This is an authentic Italian recipe. It is simple, but delicious.

1/4 pound dried mushrooms

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

11/2 cups tomato sauce

1 teaspoon basil

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper