Jane Grigson's Fish Book - Jane Grigson [238]
200 g (7 oz) mushrooms, chopped
salt, pepper, lemon juice
scant 300 ml (10 fl oz) dry white wine
scant 300 ml (10 fl oz) court bouillon* or light stock
1 tablespoon plain flour
300 ml (10 fl oz) cream
2 tablespoons chopped chives
Clean, scale and rinse the shad. Prepare the stuffing – liquidize the whiting with the egg white, then add the cream little by little. Transfer to a bowl and incorporate the egg yolk and chopped almonds. Add herbs and seasoning. Now stuff the shad.
Butter an ovenproof dish with half the butter. Put in the shallot and mushrooms, season with salt, pepper and lemon, then place the stuffed fish on top. Pour in wine and bouillon or stock. Cover with kitchen foil and bake in a fairly hot oven (gas 6, 200°C/400°F) for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile fork the flour into the remaining butter to produce beurre manié. When the fish is cooked, transfer it to a serving dish. Pour the cooking liquor, etc., into a pan, reduce it by boiling to half quantity, and pour in the cream. Thicken with the beurre manié in the usual way. Add chives and seasoning, and serve.
SKATE OR RAY Rajidae spp.
The ribbed wings of skate are sometimes described as ‘coarse’, which I resent. Those rosy wedges, leaved one over the other on a white tray at the fishmonger’s, do not deserve such an adjective. The French have more discrimination and describe the flesh as very fine; delicate.
It can be cooked in several different ways, and is always a success particularly with children. The ribs of flesh part sweetly and easily from the layer of soft, unvicious bone, a relief after the troublesome and spiky nature of herrings. Skate, like dogfish and shark, belongs to the cartilaginous Selachians: this makes all the difference to a child dealing with fish. I remember admiring the neat way it was all put together, but had no idea of the kite-shaped beauty of the total creature, with its long tail, until I saw the shimmering skate of James Ensor’s painting many years later. As children, our only contact with its reality was the black, four-handled egg sacs that washed up on the beach with the seaweed; we called them ‘witch’s purses’.
The pieces of skate one eats are taken from the wings only, though sometimes small nuggets are cut from the tail and sold as ‘skate nobs’ (in French, joues de raie, skate’s cheeks). Floured and fried in butter, and served with lemon, they are delicious. Apparently they are popular in the north-west, at Lytham in Lancashire, but I have never seen them in the south of England. They are worth looking out for. Incidentally do not be put off by a slight smell of ammonia, it disappears in cooking.
FRIED AND BATTERED SKATE
If the pieces are small, each whole wing weighing about 250 g (8 oz), they will be tender enough to be fried in clarified butter, or half butter and half oil. Turn them in seasoned flour first, and give them 4 minutes a side, until the flesh begins to part from the bone easily and loses its transparent look. Serve with a creamy caper sauce, or a shrimp sauce to which capers have been added: see pp. 49 and 281.
Pieces of skate make good fritters. Cut the wings into manageable strips or wedges. Dip them in batter* and deep-fry. Serve with lemon quarters or a piquant mayonnaise.
Large pieces of skate may also be fried, but they should first be cooked briefly in a court bouillon* as in the next recipe.
RAIE AU BEURRE NOIR
The classic recipe for skate, particularly suitable for larger wings. These are usually sold cut into pieces; choose the thick middle strips, rather than the side wedge pieces. Put them into cold court bouillon no. 2* and bring to the boil. After one strong bubble, lower the heat to keep the liquid below simmering point. In 15 minutes the skate should be cooked (10 minutes will be enough if you wish to fry it as in the recipe above).
For six people, you will need 1½ kg (3 lb) skate, prepared as above. Drain the pieces and put them on a warm serving dish, while you make the beurre noisette*.
Having poured the beurre noisette