Jane Grigson's Fish Book Part 27

The strangest octopus recipe I have been able to find is the Maltese one which follows, from a book by two sisters, Anne and Helen Caruana Galizia, Recipes from Malta Recipes from Malta.

OCTOPUS STEW (Stuffat tal-qarnit) You can cut the long cooking time of this recipe by adopting the dip-and-simmer method of preparing octopus outlined at the beginning of this section.

Serves 64 large onions, chopped2 tablespoons olive oil1 octopus weighing about 750 g (1 lb), cleaned and cut into pieces convenient for eating2 tablespoons tomato puree1 tablespoon small capers1 tablespoon chopped mint leaves8 black olives1 handful of walnuts1 handful of raisins300 ml (10 fl oz) red wine1 teaspoon mixed spice1 teaspoon curry powder Cook the onion in the oil, fairly slowly, until golden. Stir in the octopus pieces and continue to cook gently for a few minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 2 hours, stirring quite often, and adding a little hot water so that the octopus does not dry out it should bathe in enough liquid barely to cover.

Serve as a sauce over spaghetti. Alternatively, turn the dish into a main course by adding 750 g (1 lb) peeled and quartered potatoes (and extra water) for the last 3040 minutes.

'The addition of the curry and spice may sound outrageous,' say the authors, 'but it is a typical Maltese addition and we think it should be tried.'

Another Maltese cookery book gives a simpler variation of this stew minus capers, mint leaves and spices adding peas rather than potatoes at the end.

OPAH, MOONFISH OR SUNFISH Lampris regius Lampris regius A large fish, of curves and perfect beauty of colour. The aspect of its round eyes and rounded head is mild, almost dolphin-like. The huge, plump body, a taut oval up to 2 m (6 feet) long, is softly spotted with white. The main blue-grey and green of its skin reflects an iridescence of rose, purple and gold. The fins are a brilliant red. The sickly tail has reminded people of the moon's shape; the ribs of its fins have seemed like the scarlet rays of the sun. Earlier, scientists gave it the magnificent rank of Zeus luna Zeus luna. Now it is more correctly cla.s.sified as Lampris regius Lampris regius, which could be translated as 'creature of kingly radiance'.

The opah likes the warm waters of the world (opah from W. African from W. African uba uba), but in summer it is sometimes caught in the North Atlantic. I saw one at Swindon, in the warm autumn season of 1971. It had been taken on 29 October, off the North Cape of Iceland, by the trawler Lucida Lucida appropriate name and was in perfect condition over a week later. I was given two steaks cut from the centre of this 63 kg (9 stone) majesty; each one weighed 2 kg (5 lb). Round the central bone, the flesh fell into closely curved sections the colour of salmon. The flavour and richness, too, were salmon-like (the practical Norwegians eschew poetic names and call it, simply, the 'large salmon', appropriate name and was in perfect condition over a week later. I was given two steaks cut from the centre of this 63 kg (9 stone) majesty; each one weighed 2 kg (5 lb). Round the central bone, the flesh fell into closely curved sections the colour of salmon. The flavour and richness, too, were salmon-like (the practical Norwegians eschew poetic names and call it, simply, the 'large salmon', laksestrje laksestrje). The taste was less fishy than salmon; the texture more meaty yet not so dry as similarly meaty fish like tuna or porbeagle.

Ask your fishmonger about opah (or Jerusalem haddock, or sunfish, or moonfish; or mariposa, or kingfish if he happens to be American). He might have the chance of some one day. Then you will be able to try one of the best fish it is possible to eat.

Alan Davidson, friend and learned author of many books on fish, was able to track down this magnificent fish through another friend, Jack s.h.i.+ells, the liveliest and most erudite fish purveyor in Billingsgate. They tackled the fish in their own kitchens. Jack s.h.i.+ells liked the darker part sliced thin in j.a.panese sas.h.i.+mi style (p. 365). He also approved my sunfish in cream recipe. The Davidson family concluded that the best thing of all was steaks from the upper rear end, grilled, and the shoulder baked in the oven. On no account should the skin be neglected. Alan Davidson also gives a Danish recipe from the writer Mogens Brandt who lives at Skagen where opah is landed occasionally. Slices 1 cm ( inch) thick are floured and fried with curry powder in b.u.t.ter. Then they go on to a bed of chopped shallots, cooked gently until soft and transparent, surrounded with small peeled tomatoes. Double cream is stirred into the pan juices to make a sauce. Pour it over the fish. Put the whole thing into a low oven for 10 minutes. This is good, and it works well with salmon.

Opah is also very successful when pickled in the Danish or rather Scandinavian gravadlax style (p. 310). If you are given to Beef Stroganoff, try making it with opah instead.

POACHED SUNFISH.

Although sunfish can be poached in court bouillon of the usual kind, I think it is better to use a veal or chicken stock, sharpened with a spoonful or two of lemon juice or wine vinegar. Plenty of flavour without heaviness is the secret.

Put the piece of fish flat into a pan and cover it generously with the stock. Bring slowly to the boil. After three or four strong, convulsive bubblings, put the lid on and remove the pan from the stove to the larder to cool down. By this time the fish will be perfectly cooked.

Serve it with the kinds of salad appropriate to salmon cuc.u.mber in cream (p. 183), hard-boiled egg, slices of tomato and so on. Plus a large bowl of mayonnaise. Or you could flavour the cooking stock with tarragon, and serve with tarragon-flavoured whipped cream sharpened with lemon juice. A small amount of orange and tomato salad, with black olives, is also very good with sunfish.

Should you want to eat the sunfish hot, leave it to simmer gently until the centre loses all transparency. This takes about 10 minutes, but the time will vary according to the thickness of the fish, and how slowly it came to the boil. Serve with new potatoes turned in parsley b.u.t.ter. Sauces to choose are hollandaise* or Maltese*, sauce aurore* or a cream* or b.u.t.ter* sauce. Again tarragon is a good flavouring.

SCALLOPED SUNFISH.

Firm fish can be reheated successfully, provided this is done not too long after the original cooking. One way is to make a creamy sauce and add the fish to it at the last moment like the turbot recipe on p. 436 p. 436. Another is to construct a piquant gratin with a bechamel-based sauce. The second method is best if you have only a small amount of fish to go round. By using scallop sh.e.l.ls or individual pots, you can produce an excellent first course for a dinner party without the idea of left-overs crossing anyone's mind.

The thing is to flavour the sauce in an appetizingly positive way. Choose an anchovy (p. 49) or Mornay* sauce, for instance, rather than a plain bechamel*, and spice it with French mustard. Sauce aurore* and white wine sauces* can be enriched with grated Parmesan and Gruyere cheese.

Put a layer of whichever sauce you choose into the base of individual ramekins or scallop sh.e.l.ls. Then a layer of the flaked fish, then sauce to cover. Cook fine fresh breadcrumbs briefly in melted b.u.t.ter. Cool them and scatter them over the sauce and reheat the whole thing under the grill until bubbling and golden brown.

SUNFISH a LA CReOLE.

Fish stews need quite a different technique from meat stews. Meat, s.h.i.+n of beef say, or neck of lamb, goes into the oven with the sauce ingredients; they all cook together for several hours. Now with fish, the method must be quite different because even the most solid, meaty-looking piece of tuna needs a comparatively short cooking time. It is one of the advantages of buying fish. So get the sauce right first, see that it is properly reduced and correctly seasoned. Then add the fish, which may or may not need to be lightly browned first. This is the method of matelotes, chowders, Cacciucco, and of Sunfish a la creole: Serves 46creole sauce*salt, pepper750 g (1 lb) piece of sunfishb.u.t.ter Make the sauce and adjust the seasoning (this can be done well in advance the day before if you like). A good half an hour before the meal, brown the sunfish steak lightly in b.u.t.ter and then lower it into the pan of simmering sauce. Allow half an hour's cooking time, but test after 20 minutes to see if the fish is ready.

It may be imagination on my part, but I think that this kind of dish is best cooked in a large round shallow earthenware pot of the Spanish or Portuguese kind. Use a heat-diffuser if you cook by gas. Put the sauce in to reheat, add the browned sunfish and complete the cooking as above.

SUNFISH IN CREAM.

A beautiful recipe of great simplicity. Baked in cream, the sunfish becomes soft and unctuous, delicately flavoured with the aromatic seasonings.

Serves 61 kg (2 lb) piece of sunfishsmall onionspieces of carrotbay leaf, parsley, thymesalt, pepper, nutmegup to 500 ml (18 oz) single or or whipping cream whipping cream60 g (2 oz) b.u.t.ter2 large egg yolks Choose a pot into which the sunfish fits closely. Pack the gaps with onions and pieces of carrot. Lay a large bay leaf on top of the fish, tuck a couple of sprigs each of parsley and thyme down the side. Season well with salt, freshly ground black pepper and nutmeg. Pour in enough cream to cover the fish by cm ( inch) the better your packing, the less cream will be required. Dab the b.u.t.ter on top. Cover with kitchen foil or the lid of the pot and bake in a fairly hot oven (gas 56, 190200C/375400F). Test after 25 minutes. The centre should have lost its transparent look entirely on the other hand, you don't want to overcook fish, particularly solid-fleshed creatures like sunfish, tuna, sturgeon and so on.

When it is just cooked, transfer the fish with its bay leaf to a serving plate, and keep warm while you finish the sauce. Strain the cooking liquid into a small pan. Beat the egg yolks in a basin, add a little of the cooking liquid, then pour the lot into the pan again. Set over a low heat, and stir until the consistency is that of smooth, thick cream. Don't let it boil Don't let it boil or the eggs will curdle. Check the seasoning and pour over the fish. or the eggs will curdle. Check the seasoning and pour over the fish.

Serve with a few small boiled potatoes, or brown bread of not too strong a flavour.

RED SNAPPER Lutjanidae Lutjanidae spp. spp.

Red snappers are easily recognized. They look as if a designer has improved the conventional fish shape by emphasizing the curve of the head and back, flattening the belly and pointing the nose; an elegant adjustment. The scales blush from silver-pink to a deep rose-red; although much of this colour has to be removed before the fish is cooked, something remains of its beauty. The flesh is firm and pleasant.

Freshly caught red snapper on the Atlantic sea coast of America is good eating. In Britain, we used to have to buy from small frozen shoals which needed chiselling apart. Although they are more readily available now, bream or any firm-fleshed fish could be used instead.

BLAFF OF BOURGEOIS.

A lively cheerful dish, with an elegant turn, which is not surprising since it comes from Anne Rosenzweig, chef and co-proprietor of New York's Arcadia restaurant. She is one of the bright stars of American cookery. The red pepper marmalade can be made at the same time as the rest of the dish, or in advance; I've found that any left over goes well with other fish, with poultry and also with cheese and vegetable dishes.

Serves 6800 g (1 lb) fillet of snappersalt, freshly ground black pepper500 g (1 lb) red onions1 tablespoon chopped shallot1 tablespoon chopped garlic2 tablespoons olive oil2 litres (3 pt) sh.e.l.lfish stock*2 large heads of fennel, cut in julienne strips2 large potatoes, peeled and cut in julienne strips300 ml (10 fl oz) red pepper marmalade (below)4 spring onions, sliced diagonally Set the oven at gas 8, 230C, (450F). Cut the fish diagonally into 6 pieces and season them. Set aside in the refrigerator. Put the red onions into a dish and bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Cool, skin and slice them.

In a large pan, stew the shallot and garlic in the oil for 1 minute without browning them. Add the stock, onions, fennel and potatoes. Bring to the boil and simmer for 1 minute. Put in the fish pieces, cover and poach at barely a simmer until almost done but still a little pink. Remove the fish and keep it warm, but be careful not to complete the cooking.

Stir 175 ml (6 fl oz) of the red pepper marmalade into the pan and boil down until the sauce looks smooth and creamy. Taste for seasoning. Put the fish back to complete the cooking and heat through. Divide between six hot soup plates, arranging the pieces of fish and the julienne of vegetables in the centre. Garnish with the spring onions and remaining pepper marmalade, and serve toasted bread rubbed with fresh garlic separately. You could also serve the fish in one large hot serving dish, if this is easier.

Red Pepper Marmalade Makes 300 ml (10 fl oz)6 large red peppers, seeded, ribs removed2 large beefsteak or or Marmande tomatoes, halved and seeded Marmande tomatoes, halved and seeded1 large onion, peeled3 large cloves garlic, peeled4 tablespoons red wine vinegar1 tablespoon sugarsalt, freshly ground black pepper Preheat the oven to gas 8, 230C (450F). Put the vegetables and garlic into a dish. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes, or until the vegetables are completely soft. Process them and then sieve. Season to taste with the vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper.

FILIPINO FISH AND GUAVA SALAD.

This recipe, with slight alterations, comes from Maria Orosa, Her Life and Work Maria Orosa, Her Life and Work (with 700 recipes) which was published in the Philippines in 1970. It was given in Alan Davidson's (with 700 recipes) which was published in the Philippines in 1970. It was given in Alan Davidson's Seafood of South-East Asia Seafood of South-East Asia, a book I would recommend for a number of reasons, but particularly for its range of fish and fruit dishes. We do not always take into account the sweetness of fish, and how well this is emphasized by fruit other than lemon. The intention of the recipe, in a guava-growing country, was frugality, extending expensive fish. For us, economy might mean cutting down on the guavas: there is no reason why the salad should not be served in small ramekins, which means a saving of fifteen guavas.

Serves 6500 g (1 lb) snapper125 ml (4 fl oz) coconut cream, see recipe recipe25 ripe guavas1 orange, peeled3 bananas, peeled Poach the fish in well-seasoned water. Cool and flake the flesh. Make the coconut cream by breaking up some solid coconut cream which can be bought in blocks and diluting it with water or cream; mixed in the blender you can achieve a smooth, very white consistency. If all you can get is desiccated coconut, do not despair. Heat a cupful with a cupful of single cream, to just below boiling. Whizz in a blender and then leave to cool. Sieve into a basin, adding a cupful of boiling water towards the end. Add salt to taste.

Peel 10 guavas thinly, halve them and discard the seeds. Chop the rest into small pieces. Divide the orange into segments and remove the thin white skins and pips. Cut the banana into smallish pieces and mix all this fruit together, with the fish. Stir in the coconut cream gently. Cover the bowl with plastic film and chill thoroughly.

Cut lids from the remaining guavas. Scoop out the seeds to make 'sh.e.l.ls'. Put into a plastic bag and fasten, then leave in the refrigerator to chill until needed. Just before serving, divide the salad between the sh.e.l.ls and replace the lids.

RED SNAPPER CReOLE.

This is a good sauce which can be used for herrings as well. My feeling is that the Worcesters.h.i.+re sauce makes all the difference to the flavour.

Serves 66 red snappers (about 1 kg/3 lb), cleanedseasoned flour1 lemonSAUCE375 g (12 oz) chopped onion3 stalks celery, chopped175 g (6 oz) chopped green pepper60 g (2 oz) b.u.t.ter2 clovesgrated rind of the lemon60 g (2 oz) chopped parsley teaspoon each rosemary and thyme1 bay leaf2 cloves garlic, finely chopped2 400 g (14-oz) cans tomatoes 400 g (14-oz) cans tomatoes1 tablespoon Worcesters.h.i.+re sauceTabascosalt, freshly ground black pepper, sugar Make the sauce first, taking trouble to get the reduction and seasonings to your taste before baking the fish. It is an elaborated version of the creole sauce*.

Put onion, celery and pepper into a frying pan with the b.u.t.ter. Cook gently until soft. Add cloves, lemon rind and herbs, including the garlic. Quickly drain the tomatoes and add them (keep the juice for another recipe). Leave this mixture to boil down busily for about 20 minutes, or until it has lost its wateriness and has become a liquid puree. Stir in the Worcesters.h.i.+re sauce, then add the rest of the seasonings to taste.

Sprinkle the fish with seasoned flour and place them in an ovenproof baking dish. Arrange slices of lemon on top, two to each fish, and pour the sauce round and between them.

Bake in a moderate oven (gas 4, 180C/350F) for about 20 minutes until the fish is done. Baste occasionally.

NOTE One large red snapper can be used instead of six little ones; it will take longer to cook: 3545 minutes. One large red snapper can be used instead of six little ones; it will take longer to cook: 3545 minutes.

VARIATION Some recipes suggest making the sauce above in half-quant.i.ty, and adding enough breadcrumbs and egg to bind it to a stuffing. Chopped shrimps and prawns are sometimes mixed in as well. Filled with this mixture, the fish are then baked in the juice from the tomatoes, plus a little water and lemon juice, or simply in a well-b.u.t.tered dish. Some recipes suggest making the sauce above in half-quant.i.ty, and adding enough breadcrumbs and egg to bind it to a stuffing. Chopped shrimps and prawns are sometimes mixed in as well. Filled with this mixture, the fish are then baked in the juice from the tomatoes, plus a little water and lemon juice, or simply in a well-b.u.t.tered dish.

SAND-EEL, SAND-LANCE Ammodytes Ammodytes spp. spp.

Sand-eels and sand-lances look like miniature eels, long and silvery and darting but this is where the resemblance stops. The flavour is pleasant rather than distinguished. The flesh is firm and sweet, but without the rich delicacy of eel.

equilles and and lancons lancons are more popular in France than sand-eels and sand-lances are here or in America. We often see them at our weekly markets in the Bas-Vendomois, especially at the equinox when tides are full are more popular in France than sand-eels and sand-lances are here or in America. We often see them at our weekly markets in the Bas-Vendomois, especially at the equinox when tides are full 'a la Saint-Denis, on peche l'equille d'a.s.sis' 'a la Saint-Denis, on peche l'equille d'a.s.sis', around 9 October, which is the fete of France's patron Saint Denis, you can catch sand-eels without budging, according to fishermen in Normandy. In nineteenth-century Britain they provided a lively holiday occupation, as they still do in France today: 'When it is discovered that a shoal of sand-eels have hidden themselves in the sand' this is at low tide 'sea-side visitors should sally out, armed with spades, shovels, rakes and forks, and dig them out. When extricated from the sand-beds, the fish leap about with singular agility, and afford much sport.' So said Frank Buckland in his History of British Fishes History of British Fishes (1880). The professionals, whether or not they have to budge, use nets, and catch the fish at sea. (1880). The professionals, whether or not they have to budge, use nets, and catch the fish at sea.

The great pleasure of these fish is to eat them crisply fried. Some French cooks soak them in milk for half an hour after cutting off the heads and cleaning them. They are then dried, floured and deep-fried for 4 minutes, and served immediately with parsley, lemon wedges, bread and white wine. You can also fry them in clarified b.u.t.ter or olive oil, but the temperature has to be lower which means the fish will be less crisp.

They are also an excellent addition to a mixed bag of small fish for a Fritto misto di mare, Italian style.

SEA-URCHINS Strongylocentrus droebachiensis Strongylocentrus droebachiensis 'Sea-urchins (there are several edible varieties) are a menace to bathers on the sh.o.r.e of the Mediterranean, for they cl.u.s.ter by the hundred in shallow waters, hidden in the rocks, and anyone who has ever trodden on a sea-urchin with a bare foot knows how painful and tedious a business it is to remove their sharp little spines from the skin. They are, however, delicious to eat for those who like food redolent of the sea, iodine, and salt. They are served cut in half, and the coral flesh so exposed is scooped out with a piece of bread; they are at their best eaten within sight and sound of the sea, preferably after a long swim, and washed down with plenty of some cold local white wine... Sea-urchins are wrested from their lairs in the rocks with wooden pincers, or can be picked up by hand provided you wear gloves.'

So speaks the voice of experience Elizabeth David on sea-urchins in her Italian Food Italian Food.

If, the first time, you eat sea-urchins which are not perfectly fresh, you may well wonder why anyone bothers with them. But fresh from the sea, as Mrs David urges, they are an experience.

A special delight of Irish eating is the sea-urchins. They are dived for in England and Scotland too, so bully your fishmonger in the summer. In fact, they are at Billingsgate very nearly all the year round since native stocks are supplemented by imports from the Mediterranean. You can boil them for a few minutes like an egg, then cut off the cap, remove the bright orange creamy inside and mix it with a little cream (for eating hot) or with mayonnaise (for eating cold). Or you can make a sauce, as Colin O'Daly used to do at the Park Hotel in Kenmare. From the hotel dining-room, you could look down to the sea creek and across very nearly to where the O'Connors live and tend their stocks of sh.e.l.lfish and sea-urchins off the rhododendron-fringed Beara Peninsula. They bring in other fish too from the neighbourhood and supply all the good hotels.

FILLETS OF SOLE WITH SALMON SOUFFLe STUFFING AND SEA-URCHIN SAUCE.

Serves 2750 g (1 lb) sole, skinned (in Ireland, black sole)a few extra white fish bones for stock onion, diced carrot, diced1 small bay leaf175 ml (6 fl oz) dry white wineSTUFFING2 scallops350 g (1112 oz) salmon fillet1 egg white150 ml (5 fl oz) double creamsalt, pepperSAUCE300 ml (10 fl oz) fish stock (see (see recipe recipe)150 ml (5 fl oz) double cream5 sea-urchins60 g (2 oz) b.u.t.ter, dicedsalt, pepper Skin and fillet the sole, which will give you 4 fillets. Put bones and skin with extra bones into a pan with the diced vegetables, add the bay leaf and white wine and enough water to cover. Simmer gently for 3040 minutes, then strain and reduce to the 300 ml (io fl oz) required by the sauce.

Next make the stuffing. Blend or process scallops and salmon together. Transfer to a bowl set over ice and work in the egg white gradually, then the cream, using a wooden spoon. Taste for seasoning.

Spread it over the skinned side of two of the fillets, placed on two pieces of cling film. Roll them up with the aid of the cling film and put them to chill for at least an hour so that you can get two wooden c.o.c.ktail sticks through without squeezing out all the stuffing.

Take the two fillets left, cut each one into three lengthwise without cutting through at the top, so that the three pieces are held together. Then plait them.

Strain the fish stock into a pan, add the cream and bring back to the boil. Simmer down a little. Slice the tops from the sea-urchins, add their contents to the sauce and simmer down again.

Unwrap the rolled fillets, and steam them and the plaited fillets for 34 minutes. Whisk the b.u.t.ter into the sauce just before serving, then strain it and correct the seasoning.

Pour the sauce on to a hot serving dish. Arrange the sole on top. Decorate with empty urchin sh.e.l.ls and lemon quarters.

SHAD ALLIS SHAD, TWAITE SHAD AND AMERICAN SHAD Alosa alosa, A. fallax Alosa alosa, A. fallax and and A. sapidissima A. sapidissima The shad, of whatever kind, is a fine fat member of the herring family it is sometimes known as the king of the herrings which has the unherring-like habit of coming into rivers to sp.a.w.n. And it is in rivers that it is caught. The allis and twaite shads used to honour the Wye and Severn, but now you have to go to the Loire or Garonne, or even further south, if you want to enjoy one. Going there to eat shad with sorrel sauce, or sorrel stuffing, and beurre blanc is one of the springtime rituals of the French who are lucky enough to live near the Loire. And I notice a similar air of celebration about American recipes.

All three kinds of shad have the richness of herring, and a good flavour. Alas, they also have its bones. I pa.s.s on two American ways of causing the bones to disintegrate, but feel the price paid 5 and 6 hours in the oven is probably too high for any fish.

The great delight of shad is the roe. The soft milt is good, but the hard roe has a moist crunch, a most delightful texture that begins to approach the foothills of caviare. This is because the individual eggs are almost the size of those coloured beads which adorn some dressmaking pins.

How to get rid of Shad Bones 1. THE OLD WAY THE OLD WAY Grease the bottom of an oval, lidded, ovenproof pot. Put in the cleaned fish, without its roe, and with slices of unsmoked bacon in the central cavity and on top. Pour in enough water to leave the top part bare. Season. Bring to the simmer, then transfer to a very cool oven (gas , 130C/250F) and leave for 5 hours. Grease the bottom of an oval, lidded, ovenproof pot. Put in the cleaned fish, without its roe, and with slices of unsmoked bacon in the central cavity and on top. Pour in enough water to leave the top part bare. Season. Bring to the simmer, then transfer to a very cool oven (gas , 130C/250F) and leave for 5 hours.

2. THE MODERN WAY THE MODERN WAY Clean shad, brush inside and out with seasoned melted b.u.t.ter. Take a large sheet of foil, brush it with cooking oil and put the fish on it. Seal the edges tightly. Place in an oval covered pot and bake in a very cool oven (gas , 130C/250F) for 6 hours. Clean shad, brush inside and out with seasoned melted b.u.t.ter. Take a large sheet of foil, brush it with cooking oil and put the fish on it. Seal the edges tightly. Place in an oval covered pot and bake in a very cool oven (gas , 130C/250F) for 6 hours.

ALOSE a L'OSEILLE Shad, as I have said, is a favourite fish of the Loire springtime. Usually it is baked, and served with sorrel puree or sorrel stuffing. At other times, it is poached, and served with beurre blanc*. The second recipe I give combines both these accompanying delights in a dish of ceremony. The two recipes come from La Vraie Cuisine de l'Anjou et de la Touraine La Vraie Cuisine de l'Anjou et de la Touraine by Roger Lallemand: by Roger Lallemand: Serves 4500875g (11 lb) shad, cleaned and scaled125 g (4 oz) softened b.u.t.tersalt, pepper500 g (1 lb) sorrel90 ml (3 fl oz) double creamnutmeg b.u.t.ter an ovenproof dish generously. Place the shad in it and dab the rest of the b.u.t.ter on top. Season well, and bake in a fairly hot oven (gas 5, 190C/375F) until cooked about 30 minutes. Baste often. Meanwhile wash the sorrel and cut it into strips with a pair of scissors.

When the shad is ready, pour off the b.u.t.ter and juices into a saucepan. Cover the fish with foil; put it back into the oven reducing the temperature to keep warm. Stir the sorrel into the b.u.t.ter and juices, and cook rapidly to a thick puree. (Spinach with lemon, or tart gooseberries, can be subst.i.tuted: the point is to provide the fish with a sharp but rich sauce.) Stir in the cream. Season with salt, freshly ground black pepper, and nutmeg. Pour on to a long serving dish, and place the shad on top.

ALOSE FARCIE a L'ANGEVINE Serves 43 shallots, chopped or or 90 g (3 oz) mild onions 90 g (3 oz) mild onions60 g (2 oz) b.u.t.ter250 g (8 oz) sorrel250 g (8 oz) spinachsalt, pepper2 full tablespoons double cream2 hard-boiled eggs500875 g (11 lb) shad, cleaned and scaled Melt the shallots or onion in the b.u.t.ter. They should cook until soft, without browning. Cut the sorrel and spinach into strips, and stir in. Cook until the puree is thick and all wateriness has disappeared. Season and bind with the cream. Sh.e.l.l the hard-boiled eggs and fork them to crumbliness. Stir into the stuffing. Place this mixture in the cavity of the fish, and sew it up well so that none or very little can escape. Bake in b.u.t.ter, as in the recipe above.

Serve with beurre blanc*. Beurre blanc is also served with shad poached in a white wine court bouillon*, but I think that this recipe is better, as shad, to me at any rate, needs sharpness.

NOTE If you are lucky enough to buy a female shad, stir the eggs into the stuffing. If you are lucky enough to buy a female shad, stir the eggs into the stuffing.

BAKED STUFFED SHAD.

This is a French recipe with a delicious whiting stuffing.

Serves 61 (3 lb) shadSTUFFING300 g (10 oz) whiting fillet, without bones or skin1 egg, separated150 ml (5 fl oz) double cream3 tablespoons chopped almonds1 tablespoon each parsley and chivessalt, pepperSAUCE60 g (2 oz) b.u.t.ter3 tablespoons chopped shallot200 g (7 oz) mushrooms, choppedsalt, pepper, lemon juicescant 300 ml (10 fl oz) dry white winescant 300 ml (10 fl oz) court bouillon* or light stock light stock1 tablespoon plain flour300 ml (10 fl oz) cream2 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.

b.u.t.ter an ovenproof dish with half the b.u.t.ter. 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, 200C/400F) for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile fork the flour into the remaining b.u.t.ter to produce beurre manie. 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 quant.i.ty, and pour in the cream. Thicken with the beurre manie in the usual way. Add chives and seasoning, and serve.

SKATE OR RAY Rajidae Rajidae spp. spp.

The ribbed wings of skate are sometimes described as 'coa.r.s.e', 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 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 s.h.i.+mmering 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 n.o.bs' (in French, joues de raie joues de raie, skate's cheeks). Floured and fried in b.u.t.ter, and served with lemon, they are delicious. Apparently they are popular in the north-west, at Lytham in Lancas.h.i.+re, 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 b.u.t.ter, or half b.u.t.ter 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 see pp. 49 pp. 49 and and 281 281.

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 cla.s.sic 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 1 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 over the fish, swill out the pan with a couple of tablespoons of wine vinegar, bubble it for a few seconds and pour that over the fish, too. Scatter with capers and chopped parsley and serve immediately.

Boiled potatoes, preferably new, go well with this dish. Turn them in parsley b.u.t.ter.

RAIE a LA CReME.

This is a particularly rich and good recipe.

Serves 61 kg (3 lb) skate125 g (4 oz) unsalted or lightly salted b.u.t.ter150 ml (5 fl oz) double cream2 egg yolks, beaten23 tablespoons parsley Cook the skate in court bouillon no. 2* as in recipe above. Drain, arrange the pieces on a serving dish, and keep warm. Melt the b.u.t.ter in a frying pan, pour in the cream and stir until it is well amalgamated and bubbling; a few moments, that is all. Pour on to the beaten yolks, whisking with a fork, then return to the pan and heat without boiling until very thick. Add the parsley. Pour some of the sauce over the fish and serve the rest in a sauceboat.

SKATE MAYONNAISE.

Serves 61 (3 lb) skatevinaigrette dressing*mayonnaise*crisp lettuce, such as Webb's Wonder Cook the skate in court bouillon in the way described above. When just done, remove and drain well. Put on a plate and pour over it, while it is still warm, a little vinaigrette dressing, made with lemon juice and olive oil.