Jane Grigson's Fish Book Part 29

OYSTERS, CLAMS AND c.o.c.kLES CLAMS AND c.o.c.kLES Scrub them and then, holding each one in a cloth-wrapped hand, insert an oyster knife, or any thin, short, stubby knife, between the sh.e.l.ls as close to the hinge as seems practical. Lever off the top, i.e. flatter sh.e.l.l, freeing the attached oysters. Clams and c.o.c.kles have twin sh.e.l.ls, so it doesn't much matter which one you discard. Ease the fish from the sh.e.l.l to make it easier for the eater. Scrub them and then, holding each one in a cloth-wrapped hand, insert an oyster knife, or any thin, short, stubby knife, between the sh.e.l.ls as close to the hinge as seems practical. Lever off the top, i.e. flatter sh.e.l.l, freeing the attached oysters. Clams and c.o.c.kles have twin sh.e.l.ls, so it doesn't much matter which one you discard. Ease the fish from the sh.e.l.l to make it easier for the eater.

SCALLOPS I have never seen scallops on a French platter of sh.e.l.lfish, but there is no reason not to include them, especially if your choice is limited. Tiny queen scallops, if very fresh, could be served as they are, once washed well. So of course could the larger kind: slice them thinly across the disc. I have never seen scallops on a French platter of sh.e.l.lfish, but there is no reason not to include them, especially if your choice is limited. Tiny queen scallops, if very fresh, could be served as they are, once washed well. So of course could the larger kind: slice them thinly across the disc.

To cook them, rinse them well and remove the frill and tough muscle, leaving only the tender white disc and the coral. Halve the discs across and poach all the pieces in a little fish stock until they are just opaque. Serve the pieces from 3 or 4 scallops in one deeper sh.e.l.l, allowing 3 or 4 scallops per person.

Scallops at the fish counter have usually been opened, and the edible part cleaned, the rest thrown away. If, however, you get the chance of buying closed, uncleaned scallops, they are likely to be fresher. Open them like mussels, or put them into a preheated very hot oven. Inside you will finds an unaccustomed murkiness, the gritty frill and so on. Under the cold tap remove and rinse until you are down to the edible part.

FISH CAKES.

I was never fond of northern ways with fish fish pies and muddles of that kind, and overcooking generally but fish cakes are another matter. Especially when made with smoked haddock or salmon or crab, or the fresh insh.o.r.e cod which was taken for granted until lately, but seems such a treat now. I read somewhere a few years ago that Newcastle eats more fish fingers than anywhere else in the country which seems scandalous for a place that has the makings of excellent fish cakes to hand.

Sometimes fish cakes are smartened up, but I think that food of such basic purity and goodness should be left alone. Anchovy essence is the one permitted flavouring, Lazenby's according to my husband but unfortunately you cannot get it now: I have the feeling that modern brands are not as good.

Makes 68250375 g (812 oz) cooked fish, flaked250 g (8 oz) cooked potato, the fresher the betteryolk of 1 large eggabout 2 tablespoons chopped parsley1 teaspoon anchovy essence60 g (2 oz) b.u.t.tersalt, pepperlarge egg white, beaten slightlyfresh white breadcrumbsclarified b.u.t.ter* or bacon fat bacon fat (see (see recipe recipe) Mix the first five ingredients. Melt the b.u.t.ter in a pan over a very low heat and put in the mixture, beating them together the warming through makes this easier, but the mixture should not cook properly. Season to taste, then spread out on a plate in a thick layer and cool.

When cold, form into cakes of whatever size is convenient tiny fish cakes served with a little crisp bacon make a good first course. Dip in the egg white, then the crumbs and fry in clarified b.u.t.ter or bacon fat according to the fish used: the more delicate the fish, the more delicate the cooking medium. Have the fat 1 cm ( inch) deep in the pan, so that the cakes brown at the sides.

Drain on kitchen paper, and serve very hot with a bechamel* or veloute* sauce flavoured with anchovy and parsley. Or just serve them on their own with bread and b.u.t.ter.

FISH TERRINE (Terrine de poisson) Making fish terrines or pates, as they are often called is one of the most entertaining exercises of French cookery. It gives you a chance to make something beautiful and delicious that is completely your own. Seeing the works of art in Fauchon's in Paris first gave me the hint of what could be done: some terrines are simple layers of two or three mixtures, interspersed with an occasional layer of finely chopped herbs or mushrooms: others look like pink marble, studded with strips of sole or eel. At home it is wise to eschew the fussier effects of a professional caterer's kitchen, but that is no reason not to enjoy the fun.

Loaf tins can be used if you intend to turn the terrine out before slicing it. I prefer an oblong earthenware dish and serve the terrine from it: the slices hang together far better this way. When making your choice of decorative centre ingredients, reflect on whether they are likely to shrink in cooking, and give up much liquid: if they are, it is wise to cook them lightly and cool them down before layering them into place.

A mousseline should be what its name implies: very fine and smooth. This used to be achieved by pounding and sieving, and more sieving. Today, we have blenders and processors, which account for the return of this kind of dish to our tables.

Serves 810500 g (1 lb) whiting, sole, salmon, eel, or red mullet, etc. weighed after boning2 large egg whites300 ml (10 fl oz) whipping or or double cream double creamsalt, pepper, cayennelemon juice250375 g (812 oz) fillets of fish (sole or salmon) or or scallops with sh.e.l.lfish (shrimps, prawns, crab) scallops with sh.e.l.lfish (shrimps, prawns, crab) or or mussels, weighed without sh.e.l.ls mussels, weighed without sh.e.l.ls or or mixed smoked fish, cut in strips mixed smoked fish, cut in stripschopped parsley, chives and tarragonfish stock* or white wine if scallops are used white wine if scallops are used Cut the fish into pieces and drop them on to the whirling blades of a blender or processor and reduce them to a puree. This puree will now go easily through a sieve into a bowl set over ice. With an electric beater, mix in the egg whites then the cream, bit by bit, and salt, pepper and cayenne, until it becomes a bulky lightness. Taste and add extra seasoning and lemon juice.

For the filling, first season the fish fillets then cut them neatly, bearing in mind that they will be set longways through the terrine, so that each cut slice will contain a piece. Roll the fish pieces in the herbs. If you use scallops, which do shrink, slice the cleaned white discs across, horizontally, into two: cut off any black bits from the corals. Steam or poach them in a little fish stock or white wine. Cool and season them.

If the terrine is to be served cold, brush the dish or tin out with a tasteless oil. If it is to be turned out, cut a long strip of non-stick baking paper the narrow width of the base of the dish or tin, and run it down one end, along the base and up the other end. Brush it with oil. Put in another oiled strip, cut to fit widthways.

If the terrine is to be served hot or warm, line it in the same way and brush with b.u.t.ter instead of oil.

Beginning and ending with mousseline, layer in the mixtures. Cut a b.u.t.ter paper to fit on top, then cover with double foil. The preparation so far can be completed earlier in the day, and chilled until required, if you wish to serve the terrine hot or warm for dinner.

Set oven at moderate, gas 4, 180C (350F). Stand the terrine on a rack in a roasting tin, pour hot water round to come about halfway up the sides, bring to the boil on top of the stove. Transfer to the heated oven and cook for 30 minutes.

Inspect the terrine: if it seems firm and if a skewer or larding needle pushed into the centre feels hot on the back of your hand, it is done. Remember that it will continue to cook a little as it cools.

Serve hot with beurre blanc* or vin blanc* sauces or cold with mayonnaise* flavoured with an appropriate herb, or coloured and flavoured pink with tomato, or green with spinach juice or the juice of a bouquet of green herbs and watercress, blanched and squeezed in muslin.

FRUITS DE MER FILLING.

A recipe for seafood bound with a rich veloute sauce is a most useful one to know. It can be rolled into crepes or piled into a large, pre-cooked, flaky pastry case, or spooned into vol-au-vent cases. Most simply of all, it can be served inside a ring of rice or egg noodles.

The quant.i.ties given here are enough for six helpings. If you have problems getting one or other of the fish or sh.e.l.lfish suggested, subst.i.tute what you can get that is good and fresh: in all you need a minimum of 750 g (1 lb) total edible weight.

Serves 6750 ml (1 pt) fumet de poisson*250300 g (810 oz) boned monkfish, cut in little cubes or strips or John Dory, weever or or Dover sole fillets, cut in strips Dover sole fillets, cut in strips6 large scallops175 g (6 oz) prawns, large shrimps or or langoustines langoustines12 mussels or or oysters, sh.e.l.led, liquid added to fumet oysters, sh.e.l.led, liquid added to fumetmeat of a boiled crab or lobster weighing about 500 g (1 lb) or or about 175 g (6 oz) sh.e.l.led crab or lobster meat about 175 g (6 oz) sh.e.l.led crab or lobster meatsalt, pepperSAUCE60 g (2 oz) unsalted b.u.t.ter4 tablespoons plain flour100 g (3 oz) mushrooms, chopped150 ml (5 fl oz) creme fraiche or or double cream double creamsalt, pepper, lemon juice Bring the fumet to simmering point and poach the white fish until it just becomes opaque. Remove the fish with a slotted spoon, season it and set it aside. Slice the white part of the scallops across, reserving the corals. Cook the discs of white scallop meat in the fumet. Remove them, season them and set them aside. Strain the fumet and reserve it. Sh.e.l.l the prawns, shrimps or langoustines, reserving any eggs. When the fish has cooled, mix it with all the sh.e.l.lfish and season to taste.

Meanwhile, make the sauce by melting the b.u.t.ter, stirring in the flour and cooking it for 2 minutes. Add the strained fumet and mushrooms. Cook the sauce down steadily until it is thick but not gluey. Mix enough sauce into the sh.e.l.lfish mixture to bind it nicely, and check the seasoning, adding lemon juice if it seems a good idea. Sieve the creme fraiche or cream, scallop corals and sh.e.l.lfish eggs together, and mix in the remaining sauce with salt, pepper and lemon juice as required.

You now have your filling and sauce ready for use and subsequent reheating. Remember that sh.e.l.lfish is best eaten the day you buy it.

CHOWDER, CHAUDReE AND COTRAIDE.

These are the fish and potato stews of the Atlantic coasts of France and America, seamen's food that can be prepared in a boat; a rough food that can be softened on land with the resources of gardens and store cupboards. I had thought that chowder sounded a thoroughly American word, even a Red Indian word; in fact it is an anglicization of chaudiere chaudiere, the large iron cauldron in which Breton fishermen off Newfoundland and Iceland made their soup. (It was also used on whaling s.h.i.+ps for boiling down the blubber ...) Chaudree Chaudree means 'cooked in a means 'cooked in a chaudiere chaudiere'. The meaning of cotriade cotriade is more difficult to track down: a is more difficult to track down: a cotriade cotriade should be cooked over a wood fire, and should be cooked over a wood fire, and cotret cotret means a f.a.ggot perhaps that is the origin of the word. The odd thing is that it always contains potato, and the recipes are closer to the American chowder recipes than the means a f.a.ggot perhaps that is the origin of the word. The odd thing is that it always contains potato, and the recipes are closer to the American chowder recipes than the chaudrees chaudrees of the French Charentes, which only contain potato in some districts. of the French Charentes, which only contain potato in some districts.

They are the sort of recipes I like because the result tastes different every time. They are an invitation to experiment, to try adding something from the garden or larder that wasn't available last week. Such recipes are a stated principle, not a detailed plan of construction. Each person will have an individual view of the most important ingredients. For me it is the bay leaf, which, with the milk of a chowder, produces the most deliciously fresh-tasting background for cod or sh.e.l.lfish.

COD AND Sh.e.l.lFISH CHOWDER.

A most satisfying dish when everyone is tired at the end of the day. Don't despise the frozen packs of cod or haddock on sale in the grocery, they do nicely for chowders; so do frozen scallops or prawns if clams and fresh mussels aren't available.

Serves 6125 g (4 oz) salt belly of pork or or streaky bacon, diced streaky bacon, diced175250 g (68 oz) chopped onion1 tablespoon lard or or b.u.t.ter b.u.t.ter1 heaped tablespoon plain flour450 ml (15 fl oz) water or or fish stock fish stock450 ml (15 fl oz) milkbouquet garni, including a bay leaf6 medium potatoes, dicedsalt, mace, freshly ground pepper, cayenne750 g (1 lb) cod or or other firm whitefish other firm whitefish150 ml (5 fl oz) creamat least 125 g (4 oz) sh.e.l.led mussels, clams, scallops, etc.parsley and chives for garnish Brown pork (or bacon) and onion lightly in the fat. Stir in the flour and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the water or fish stock gradually, then the milk, bouquet, and potatoes. Season well with salt, mace and peppers.

When the potatoes are almost cooked, put in the cod, cut into rough 2-cm (i-inch) pieces. After 5 minutes, stir in the cream and sh.e.l.lfish (and any liquor from opening mussels, etc). When the soup returns to the boil remove from the heat. Remember that the cod continues to cook in the heat of the chowder as it comes to table, and should not be overcooked neither should the sh.e.l.lfish. Correct the seasoning and sprinkle with parsley and chives. Hot b.u.t.tered toast or hot crackers usually accompany a chowder: s.h.i.+p's biscuits if you can get them.

NOTE Curry powder can be added with the flour. Final garnishes can include sweet red pepper or sweetcorn. Every town on the East Coast has its own small variations. Curry powder can be added with the flour. Final garnishes can include sweet red pepper or sweetcorn. Every town on the East Coast has its own small variations.

LA CHAUDReE.

Here is another 'chowder', this time from La Roch.e.l.le, but without the seaman's flavouring of salt pork. The liquid should be white wine (ideally from the ile d'Oleron or the ile de Re, islands off the southwest coast of France); and the chaudron chaudron, or cauldron in which the soup is made, should be buried in a fire of prunings from the island vines, which are fertilized with seaweed. Even if you haven't the possibility of such an aromatic smoke as flavouring, or the right wind Chaudree is an excellent dish. This recipe comes from Recettes des Provinces de France Recettes des Provinces de France, chosen by Curnonsky.

Serves 612 onions, quartered1 clove garliclarge bouquet garnisalt, peppercorns3 cloves125 g (4 oz) b.u.t.terwhole potatoes (optional)2 kg (4 lb) a.s.sorted fish, small sole, plaice, eel1 litre (1 pt) white wine or or half wine half water half wine half water In a large pot arrange the onions, garlic and bouquet. Season, with not too much salt; add about 8 peppercorns and the cloves; dot with b.u.t.ter. Next, if you like, put in the potatoes, well-scrubbed but not peeled one per person, or more if they are small; they turn the soup into a meal, a filling one, on American chowder lines. Arrange the cleaned fish on top eel should be cut into chunks. Cover with wine, or wine and water; bring to the boil and simmer for half an hour or more. Remove the fish to a warm plate as it is cooked, do the same with the potatoes. Reduce the liquid to half by boiling down, and correct the seasoning. Restore fish and potatoes to the pot and serve immediately.

THREE COTRIADES.

The fish soup of Brittany; or, if you like, the fish supper, because the liquid is drunk first, as soup, with the fish and potatoes as a main course to follow. The cooking method for the first two recipes is close to that of American chowder. All three come from Simone Morand's Gastronomie Bretonne Gastronomie Bretonne. The point of variation between the three, and between so many other fish soups, lies in the different resources of the places where they are made. For this reason, mackerel is included an unusual creature in most fish soups.

Cotriades are excellent food for large parties or people. One cooking pot to watch (and wash up), the simplest of preparations which means that everyone can help, and a lavish result after a short cooking time. The only possible mistake is to overcook the fish. Provide a great deal of b.u.t.ter to eat with the fish and potatoes. (Breton b.u.t.ter is often salted, unlike Normandy b.u.t.ter which is too softly creamy for this kind of food.) Failing b.u.t.ter, a vinaigrette will do instead. Provide plenty of bread, too, and toast some of it lightly for the soup. Another essential item is a bottle of full-bodied red wine.

Simone Morand so feelingly implores her readers not to cut off the heads of the fish, that I'm reminded of a Chinese cookery writer who declared that Westerners missed something through feeling unable to look at a fish with its head on, 'they miss experiencing the delicate taste of fish head'. True.

COTRAIDE DES BORDS DE LA RANCE.

Serves 62 onions, chopped1 spoonful of lard3 cloves garlic, chopped1 kg (2 lb) potatoes, quarteredchervil, parsley, chives in quant.i.tysalt, pepper2 medium mackerel, 3 gurnard, piece of conger eel sliced, 2 whiting, 1 bream COTRIADE FROM CORNOUAILLE.

Serves 61 onion, choppedlump of lard or or b.u.t.ter b.u.t.tergood handful of sorrel1 kg (2 lb) potatoes, slicedbouquet garnisalt, pepper1 gurnard, 1 red mullet, 1 garfish, cod etc.

Cook the onion in the fat until it is lightly browned. Add vegetables, herbs and seasoning, and scant 2 litres (3 pt) of water. Cover the pan, and simmer until the potatoes are almost cooked, then add the fish, cut into chunks. Add more water if necessary to cover all the ingredients. Bring back to the boil, and simmer for a further 10 minutes until the fish is cooked, but not overcooked.

COTRIADE FROM BELLE-iLE.

Serves 6firm fish conger, mackerel, pollack, saithesoft fish sardines, skate, cod, ballan wra.s.se, etc.sh.e.l.lfish crawfish, lobster, crabs of various kinds, mussels, shrimps1 kg (2 lb) potatoes, sliced4 onions, sliced6 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped1 stalk of celery, choppedwhite part of 2 or 3 leeks, choppedsalt, pepperparsley, chervil, thyme, bay leafpinch of saffrontumbler of olive oil or or melted b.u.t.ter melted b.u.t.ter The method is slightly different for this feast. First season and cut up the various fish. Put the firm-fleshed ones on a plate with crawfish, lobster and crab. Put the soft-fleshed ones on another plate with mussels and shrimps or prawns. Pour the oil or b.u.t.ter over both piles. Leave while the vegetables cook in plenty of water, with seasoning, herbs and saffron. When the potatoes are nearly done, add the firm-fleshed fish etc. Boil hard for 5 minutes exactly. Add the soft-fleshed fish, etc., and boil hard for another 5 minutes. Not a moment longer. Serve separately in the usual way, after correcting the seasoning of the soup.

BOUILLABAISSE, BOURRIDE AND CACCIUCCO.

These Mediterranean stews have an air of romantic gastronomy about them. Their reality is in fact as simple as Atlantic chaudrees and chowders. The cook a.s.sembles whatever freshly caught fish he can, stews them in water with vegetables, embellishes them with such grace notes as the district can offer, and serves the whole thing up with bread. Of course if the local fish include lobster, John Dory and squid, the local vegetables huge sweet tomatoes and onions, and the grace notes olive oil, saffron and garlic, the stew is likely to be a winner.

At the opposite end of existence, it can be perfectly disgusting. A friend told me recently that his grandmother once went into a dark cottage in the Highlands of Scotland. There she saw a woman, apparently alone except for a cow, stirring a pot over the fire. In a few moments she poured the contents of the pot on to a pile of heather in front of the hearth. And from a shadowy hole in the wall darted two filthy children, who grabbed as many potatoes and raggy herrings as they could, and darted back again to eat them in obscurity. The liquor drained away through the heather stalks to be soaked up by the mud floor. That woman's resources were poor, her skills undeveloped, in such circ.u.mstances of life; but the method of cooking the stew was the same as the one used by any Ma.r.s.eillais fisherman to make his Bouillabaisse. The result could have been perfectly edible, if the fish hadn't been overcooked, and if there had been plenty of b.u.t.ter to eat with it.

In other words, it is the clemency of nature plus the skill of the cook which makes everyone seek out Bouillabaisse, Bourride or Cacciucco rather than tatties an' herrin'. Another sad truth about such dishes is that they cannot be reproduced elsewhere, not satisfactorily. Even if by some magic, you could acquire a spiny and beautiful rasca.s.se (scorpionfish), always claimed to be the key fish of Bouillabaisse, along with the other proper ingredients, the results in Manchester or Milwaukee can never come up to the real thing in Ma.r.s.eilles. Cooking thank heavens still knows this particular disillusionment, in spite of the universal sameness of frozen food. In the autumn I always bring back tomatoes from France, olive oil, sea salt, fresh basil, yet the tomato salad I make in Wilts.h.i.+re never tastes the same as it did when I used the same ingredients in France two days earlier. If you do not believe me, reflect on the unsuccessful efforts made to produce Scotch whisky outside Scotland.

Of course there is no reason why you shouldn't use the recipes for your own entertainment and this book would be incomplete without it. But to avoid disillusion, remember the uniqueness of local food when you visit an inland restaurant far from France, which has Bouillabaisse on the menu, at a reverential price.

Bourride and Cacciucco are less sacrosanct. They, after all, were not 'discovered' by Prosper Merimee, the French writer who was a friend of Napoleon III. Bouillabaisse comes into his Colomba Colomba (1840). Cookery writers have since tried to give it a pedigree, and have traced it, with a considerable number of gaps, back to a recipe given by the Roman gastronome Apicius for scorpionfish. For a longer discussion of Bouillabaisse, turn to (1840). Cookery writers have since tried to give it a pedigree, and have traced it, with a considerable number of gaps, back to a recipe given by the Roman gastronome Apicius for scorpionfish. For a longer discussion of Bouillabaisse, turn to The French at Table The French at Table by Raymond Oliver, or to Elizabeth David's by Raymond Oliver, or to Elizabeth David's French Provincial Cooking French Provincial Cooking. She gives two excellent recipes; here is a third, from a Ma.r.s.eilles restaurant, the Bra.s.serie des Catalans: BOUILLABAISSE.

The interesting thing about Bouillabaisse and Bourride is that the fish is removed from the soup, but served with it; and the enrichment is provided by large bowls of ailloli and rouille. The bread is toasted, then fried in olive oil, and finally rubbed with garlic before being put into a basket for the table. As the soup itself doesn't take long to cook, prepare all the accompanying dishes first.

Use the following kinds of fish: monkfish, conger eel, John Dory, weaver, gurnard, crawfish or spiny lobster, Dublin Bay prawns, mussels (if prawns are not available).

Serves 683 kg (6 lb) fresh fish125 g (4 oz) olive oil2 large onions, choppedwhite part of 2 leeks, chopped46 cloves garlic2 huge tomatoes, peeled and choppedparsley, fennel1 small chilligood pinch of saffron filamentscayenne pepper, salt4 potatoes, sliced3 litres (5 pt) water, warm12 slices French bread, toasted lightly in the oven, fried in olive oil and rubbed with garlicbowl of rouille*bowl of ailloli*

Sort out the fish and clean them. Put oil, vegetables (except potatoes), herbs, and seasonings into a large pot. Add the thickest fish (conger, monkfish) on top of the vegetables, and top with slices of potato. Pour on the water, bring to the boil and boil hard (this enables the water and oil to thicken together). After 5 minutes add the crawfish. After another 5 minutes add the Dublin Bay prawns, and John Dory. After another 5 minutes add the rest of the fish, and the mussels if you are not using Dublin Bay prawns. Boil 45 minutes.

Remove fish and potatoes to a hot serving dish, split the crawfish head in two and slice the tail. Prawns and mussels are left in their sh.e.l.ls. Taste the soup and correct the seasoning. Boil hard for a few moments, then pour through a strainer into a soup tureen. Serve immediately with the fish and potatoes, the bread and sauces.

The correct wine is a rose de Provence, well chilled. Other rose wines can be subst.i.tuted.

NOTE A friend told me that the water by Ma.r.s.eilles is becoming so polluted that the fisherman's Bouillabaisse, caught and cooked on the spot, is becoming impossible to contemplate with serenity... A friend told me that the water by Ma.r.s.eilles is becoming so polluted that the fisherman's Bouillabaisse, caught and cooked on the spot, is becoming impossible to contemplate with serenity...

BOURRIDE.

Any firm white fish can be used; one alone, or a mixture. The ideal fish is monkfish, turbot or John Dory, but squid make an excellent Bourride as well. Saffron is occasionally used to scent and colour the soup, but the most usual flavouring is orange peel, one or two good strips of it, preferably from a Seville orange. The ailloli is used to thicken the soup. Croutons rubbed with garlic are served with it, as with Bouillabaisse. Potatoes can be cooked and presented separately, or included in the soup.

Serves 612 kg (34 lb) firm white fish or or squid squid2 large onions, chopped1 leek, chopped4 cloves garlic2 tomatoes (optional)500 g (1 lb) potatoes, sliced (see (see above above)bouquet of herbs: thyme, fennel parsley, baystrips of orange peelsalt, pepperailloli*12 slices French bread toasted lightly in the oven, fried in olive oil, and rubbed with garlic Clean the fish and cut into good-sized slices. Put onions, leek, garlic, tomatoes, and potatoes (if included), into a large pot. Lay the fish on top, with the herbs, orange peel, and seasoning. Add 1 litres (2 pt) of water, or enough to cover the fish; stock made from head and bones of fish can be used instead for a finer result; in some places seawater is used. Cook gently gently for 10 minutes at simmering point. Remove fish, and potatoes, to a warm serving plate. for 10 minutes at simmering point. Remove fish, and potatoes, to a warm serving plate.

Boil the liquor hard to less than 600 ml (1 pt). Correct the seasoning. Then strain slowly on to the ailloli, in a large bowl, mixing the two together carefully. Return to a clean pan and stir over a low heat until the mixture thickens slightly. Pour over the fish, sprinkle with extra parsley, and serve with bread as above, and with potatoes if not included in the soup-making.

CACCIUCCO ALLA LIVORNESE, see see p. 401 p. 401.

CAVIARE & OTHER HARD ROES.

Caviare is a grand and painful subject. It is one of the most delicious, most simple things to eat in the world (and one of the most nutritious, too, but that is an academic point). It is also one of the most expensive. It has an air of mythical luxury mythical to our modern experience at any rate. The food of Czars, of those incredible tyrants who cherished fine fat fleas and Faberge knick-knacks, while most of their subjects lived in a poverty of indescribable squalor. The mainstay, along with champagne and oysters, of La Belle epoque La Belle epoque. Odd that the caviare trade should never have been so efficiently organized as now, under the Russians and their pupils in the business the Iranians.

Another odd thing: caviare isn't a Russian word at all (it is called ikra ikra in the former Soviet Union). It seems to be a word of Turkish-Italian origin, derived perhaps from the port of Kaffa, on the south-east coast of the Crimea, which had been important even in cla.s.sical times. Under the Genoese, from the mid-thirteenth century, to the mid-fifteenth century when it fell to the Turks, Kaffa was a vast international port, a depot on the trade route to China. in the former Soviet Union). It seems to be a word of Turkish-Italian origin, derived perhaps from the port of Kaffa, on the south-east coast of the Crimea, which had been important even in cla.s.sical times. Under the Genoese, from the mid-thirteenth century, to the mid-fifteenth century when it fell to the Turks, Kaffa was a vast international port, a depot on the trade route to China.

The origins of caviare must be as difficult to trace as the word itself. Aristotle remarked that the sturgeon was prized for caviare. The Chinese had developed methods of treating and trading in caviare as early as the tenth century AD AD. Probably earlier, as they had long used refrigeration to protect delicate foods on journeys across China to the Emperor's court. Edward H. Schafer, Professor of Chinese1 at Berkeley University, California, sent me this reference from the at Berkeley University, California, sent me this reference from the T'ai ping huan yu chi T'ai ping huan yu chi, a tenth-century official gazetteer, which says: '... at Pa-ling, where the Yangtze river flows out from Lake Tung-t'ing, an area also noted for its tea, the natives catch sturgeon, simmer the roe in an infusion of Gleditschia sinensis seeds (an acacia-like plant, normally used as a black dye), then pickle it in brine... extremely delicious!' It sounds like an early form of pasteurization.

I think, though, that one has to look much further back for the origins of caviare. Consider the reality, the basic nature of the product really no more than the salted hard roe of a sturgeon. Once man came to the skill of being able to trap and catch fish, and to organize a supply of salt, he could not avoid the experience of caviare. Imagine him, squatting over a sturgeon by the mouth of some great grey river on the Baltic or North Sea, slitting up the belly and diving into the incredible ma.s.s of eggs up to twenty per cent of the total weight with a handful of salt. I'm sure he reflected gratefully that this part at least he could not smoke or dry for winter stores: it must have been a bonus in the hard realities of mesolithic survival. A crude affair by comparison with the finest malossol malossol Beluga perhaps but still caviare. Beluga perhaps but still caviare.

Caviare today is a pampered product compared with those mesolithic feasts. It has to be, because of the problem of conveying a food, which should be eaten immediately, to the far-off societies that can afford it. We have killed our own sturgeon population, and have to look to the Caspian Sea, the only place where these vast creatures survive in any quant.i.ty. Even there they are in danger from Russian oil drilling, from hydro-electric stations and from the sinking level of the sea itself. There is also the problem of human greed, politely described as 'over-fis.h.i.+ng'. Now, the Caspian sturgeon seek the southern rivers of the sea, the ones flowing down to the Iranian coast, for their sp.a.w.ning. The Persians produce 210 tons of caviare a year, in consequence, which is not so far behind the Russians with 320 tons. They have learned everything they can, from Soviet technicians, about processing caviare, and about farming the fish, and with state control produce caviare of the highest standard. (The Rumanians produce tiny amounts comparatively speaking from Black Sea sturgeon; so do the Turks.) The three main kinds of caviare are called after the species of sturgeon which provide them. The largest-grained and therefore most expensive (the price is based on appearance and not flavour) is taken from the Beluga, Huso huso Huso huso, a giant 3 m (12 feet), which can live to a hundred years, and which reaches maturity at the same age as a human being. It may with luck contain 65 kg (130 lb) of eggs, from deep grey to a soft moon-white. Next largest are the eggs of the Osetr, Acipenser gueldenstaedtii Acipenser gueldenstaedtii; they are sometimes golden-brown, sometimes greenish, or grey, and are first in flavour with people who know about caviare. The smallest-grained, and therefore the cheapest, come from the Sevruga, Acipenser stellatus Acipenser stellatus: it is the one most widely on sale, and the most reliably steady in flavour.

With these three divisions, caviare is graded. The finest is malossol malossol, which means slightly salted. Any of the caviares are best eaten fresh, which is only possible in the largest towns: for the provinces, where trade is not brisk and conditions of storage less ideal, it must be pasteurized. The difference in quality is comparable with the difference between fresh and potted foie gras foie gras or between fresh and pasteurized milk and cheese. To me pasteurization spoils the pleasure of eating these foods, because the elusive, vital flavour has been killed. or between fresh and pasteurized milk and cheese. To me pasteurization spoils the pleasure of eating these foods, because the elusive, vital flavour has been killed.

Caviare is exported fresh in 2-kg (4-lb) tins, which have been piled up with salted eggs. Sliding lids are placed on top, then gently pressed down at intervals so that all surplus brine is excluded. A rubber band is stretched round to make an air-tight seal. The tins travel in ice in refrigerated containers, to keep the caviare at the correct temperature of 1C (30F); one pamphlet observes that it is fatal to put caviare in the deep-freeze: 'it is reduced straightaway to a somewhat expensive soup!' An importer will re-pack it, sending fresh caviare twice a week to London's best hotels and grocers, and putting smaller amounts of pasteurized caviare into little pots, for distribution to delicatessen stores all over the country.

At the offices of W. G. White Ltd I was shown the most beautiful of gastronomic spectacles: a tray with three of these tins on it, opened, with a little bowl of Osetr caviare and a pot of salmon caviare, often known by its Russian name of keta keta. The Beluga in one tin was silky in texture, and lightly delicious. The Sevruga in another tin had a more p.r.o.nounced and sea-like flavour. The Osetr in the bowl had been pasteurized, so it was difficult to judge if it really was the finest of all: again, the taste was different. The salmon eggs were enormous, and a translucent vermilion. They were certainly the visual stars of the tray by comparison with the Quaker-greys and sombre greens of the caviare, but after the others they tasted bitter. The third tin contained a tacky seaweed-coloured substance, in which the form of the eggs could hardly be seen. This was pressed caviare, made from the damaged eggs of the various species of sturgeon, salted and impacted together. I liked the taste very much, and the slightly toffee-ish substance. Considering that the price is less than half the Sevruga, I recommend it as an ideal candidate for a first sampling of caviare. Everyone needs a celebration occasionally and I think it is worth saving up for caviare: the pressed kind is a possible extravagance for people whose incomes do not quite come up to their appreciation of food. Which, I think, means most of us.

Red caviare is so different. It is delicious enough, like a superior smoked cod's roe, but it is not in the same cla.s.s as caviare proper. Neither is lumpfish caviare from Iceland or Denmark, which is dyed black like those tenth-century roes from the sturgeon of Lake Tung-t'ing (though not with Gleditschia sinensis Gleditschia sinensis seeds). They are not to be despised, but keep them for lesser occasions. seeds). They are not to be despised, but keep them for lesser occasions.

TO SERVE CAVIARE.

First of all, the amount allow 30 g (1 oz) per person as a decent minimum, 45 g (1 oz) is luxurious. Keep the pot in the refrigerator until required, then place it on a dish and surround with ice. As nothing should impair the delicate flavour of this greatest of all luxuries, avoid wine and vodka. And do not be tempted to mix in some cream cheese to make it go further. All that is required is toast, or water biscuits, or rye bread, or best of all the buckwheat Blini below.

So much for the finest quality. With lesser grades or pressed caviare, you could add unsalted b.u.t.ter for the toast or rye bread, or melted b.u.t.ter for Blini. Perhaps some sour cream as well, or lemon juice. Pressed caviare is delicious spread on small split potatoes, baked in their jackets and not larger than duck's eggs (unless you can afford a great deal of caviare).

When it comes to the 'caviare' of other fish, chopped spring onions, hard-boiled eggs, or cream cheese which has not been too processed, can all be added to make a large hors d'oeuvre. And when it is a question of the following recipe for homemade 'caviare', you can experiment as much as you like. Personally I like it quite on its own, too. It is very good, but I won't pretend that it compares with the finest Russian and Iranian product, which has transformed the slightly porridgey quality of hard roe into a most poetic texture.

HOMEMADE 'CAVIARE'

My first and best experience of homemade 'caviare' I owe to a fishmonger in Oxford market, who presented me with the unfamiliar grey-crested body of a lump-sucker (otherwise known, being female in this instance, as a hen-paddle). We found that it was stuffed with a vast quant.i.ty of eggs, which I didn't count after reading that there might be anything between 80 and 136 thousand of them. It was easy to see how Iceland manages to can and export 32 tons of 'lumpfish caviare' every year. (The rest of the fish was not so good: there is a grey fatty layer between flesh and skin which is difficult to remove, and unpleasant to eat. Apparently the flesh must be smoked; then it tastes all right.) The strange thing about the eggs is that the male or c.o.c.k-paddle takes such great care of them, once they have been deposited in rocky crevices above low water-mark, in the spring. As J. R. Norman remarks in A History of Fishes A History of Fishes, there can be few better cases of parental devotion... 'For weeks and even months he devotes himself to the care of the eggs, fasting rather than leave his post, from time to time pressing his head into the clump of sp.a.w.n to allow the water to penetrate to the centre, and thus ensuring the proper aeration of the eggs, a process which he further helps by blowing upon them with his mouth and fanning them with his pectoral fins... While on guard the males have been described as being attacked by rooks and carrion crows, which thrust their sharp beaks through the abdominal walls and feast on the liver of the unfortunate fishes. If removed from the eggs and then released, they will at once rush back to their posts, and after a heavy storm that has swept ma.s.ses of eggs from their normal positions high up on the beach, as soon as the sea becomes calm again the parents may be seen anxiously searching for their charges.'

Lump-suckers owe this particular name to the powerful suction disc, between the pelvic fins, which enables them to cling tightly to rocks: c.o.c.k- and hen-paddle refer to the very p.r.o.nounced crest along its back. Unfortunately you won't find this most interesting creature very often at the fishmonger's. Instead you can use the eggs of the cod, catfish, mullet, salmon, shad, pile, turbot, or whiting quite a choice.

Remove the membrane from the eggs, and turn them into a basin. Season with salt and freshly ground white pepper, then with a little onion chopped almost to a pulp, some lemon juice, and brandy if you have it to spare. These seasonings should be added to taste.

Serve the eggs with toast and b.u.t.ter, or rye bread. You can give them the full caviare treatment, and make some Blini from the recipe following. As I have remarked above, hard-boiled eggs, spring onions both chopped and some good cream cheese which hasn't been over-processed can all be added if you want to make an hors d'oeuvre.

BLINI OR RUSSIAN BUCKWHEAT PANCAKES.

In the west, we think of Blini as the proper accompaniment to caviare, but in Russia they are served with other kinds of preserved fish (and with quite different foods as well jam, cheese, mushrooms, etc). Although the preparation is lengthy, it is not laborious or painful. The flavour is quite different from our Shrove Tuesday pancakes on account of the yeast and the buckwheat flour, which can be obtained from good health food stores.

Serves 630 g (1 oz) fresh or 15 g ( oz) dried yeast6 tablespoons lukewarm water 250 g (8 oz) plain flour125 g (4 oz) buckwheat flour [image]

or 375 g (12 oz) plain flour 375 g (12 oz) plain flour

450 ml (15 fl oz) lukewarm milk3 large egg yolks1 teaspoon sugargood pinch of salt3 scant tablespoons sour cream125 g (4 oz) melted b.u.t.ter3 egg whites Fork yeast and lukewarm water together; leave for 10 minutes, until it froths up. Put the plain flour and half the buckwheat flour into a large warm mixing bowl. Make a well in the middle and pour in the yeast mixture, then 300 ml (10 fl oz) of the milk. Beat to a smooth batter. Leave for 3 hours, covered, in a warm place the rack of a solid fuel stove is ideal, but anywhere out of a draught will do. Next stir in the rest of the buckwheat flour, and leave again for two hours. Beat together lightly the egg yolks, sugar, salt, sour cream and 3 scant tablespoons of the melted b.u.t.ter. Add to the dough, mixing well. Whisk the egg whites stiff, then fold them in carefully. Leave for half an hour.

Have a baking tray, lined with a clean cloth, in a warm oven. Take a large, preferably non-stick, frying pan or griddle, and brush it over with melted b.u.t.ter. Cook the batter in the usual way, allowing a couple of tablespoons or so per pancake, which should be about 7 cm (3 inches) across when done: several can be done at once if the pan is large. When bubbles begin to show through on the upper side, after a couple of minutes or so, brush with b.u.t.ter and turn over. Keep the cooked pancakes warm on the baking tray in the oven, while you cook the rest.

Serve with a big bowl of sour cream, another bowl of melted b.u.t.ter, and dishes of black caviare, or red caviare, or homemade 'caviare'. Smoked salmon, smoked sturgeon, and smoked cod's roe provide excellent alternatives: so do the Danish pickled herrings on p. 195 p. 195. Sliced kipper, served raw with lemon juice, makes another good filling.

BOTARGO.

Another hard roe luxury. This time provided by the grey mullet, like the true Taramasalata, below. The roes are salted, dried, pressed into black-skinned, orange-brown firmness, a salami firmness; perfectly adapted, unlike caviare, to the hot climate of the Mediterranean, and the exigencies of transport in all weathers. In Italy bottarga bottarga or or b.u.t.tariga b.u.t.tariga is served in thin slices with bread, and either olive oil or b.u.t.ter; sometimes with fresh figs, like Parma ham. In southern France is served in thin slices with bread, and either olive oil or b.u.t.ter; sometimes with fresh figs, like Parma ham. In southern France poutargue poutargue is a speciality of Martigues: it is eaten in thin strips with a seasoning of pepper, olive oil and lemon juice. Sometimes it is added, anchovy style, to salads of haricot beans or chick peas to give them piquancy. It was once a popular import here, in England. On 5 June, 1661, Pepys remarks in his is a speciality of Martigues: it is eaten in thin strips with a seasoning of pepper, olive oil and lemon juice. Sometimes it is added, anchovy style, to salads of haricot beans or chick peas to give them piquancy. It was once a popular import here, in England. On 5 June, 1661, Pepys remarks in his Diary Diary that he and Sir William Penn, father of Pennsylvania Penn, made their way home after a sociable evening with friends. It was so hot that they went out upon the leads in the garden, Sir William in his s.h.i.+rt sleeves. Pepys played his 'flagilette' and the two men stayed there 'talking and singing and drinking of great draughts of Clarret and eating botargo and bread and b.u.t.ter till 12 at night, it being moons.h.i.+ne'. Next day Pepys had a dreadful headache but not, I think, from Botargo. that he and Sir William Penn, father of Pennsylvania Penn, made their way home after a sociable evening with friends. It was so hot that they went out upon the leads in the garden, Sir William in his s.h.i.+rt sleeves. Pepys played his 'flagilette' and the two men stayed there 'talking and singing and drinking of great draughts of Clarret and eating botargo and bread and b.u.t.ter till 12 at night, it being moons.h.i.+ne'. Next day Pepys had a dreadful headache but not, I think, from Botargo.

It is difficult to find Botargo in England nowadays. The best thing is to look out for it if you are visiting Paris, or the Mediterranean countries, and bring it home as a souvenir. Or you can make it. Claudia Roden, who writes about batarekh batarekh from her Egyptian experience, in from her Egyptian experience, in Middle Eastern Food Middle Eastern Food, gives a couple of recipes. One came from Canada, where in Montreal at least one may buy frozen grey mullet roes. In Britain, fresh cod roes have to do instead.

Make sure, before you buy them, that the skins of the roes are perfectly undamaged. Roll them in kitchen or sea salt, and lay them on a wad of absorbent paper. As the paper becomes damp, put a fresh wad down and turn over and salt the roes again. When the paper is at last dry, after several days, hang the roes up in a good draught (steamy kitchens are to be avoided, as always, for drying food). Leave them for 8 days or so, until they are hard and dry. They can now be eaten, or stored in a refrigerator in tightly-sealed polythene bags. Miss Roden remarks that the drying process can be hurried up by putting the roes into a turned-off warm oven from time to time; leave the door open. The danger is that the botargo may over-dry to crumbliness.

A quicker recipe makes use of smoked cod's roe. Put it into the oven, when it has been turned off, from time to time, and hang it up in a dry airy place between whiles. This takes only a few days and little effort.

TARAMASALATA.