My first introduction to fish cookery, so important in la cuisine classique, was confined to fresh-water fish, because Moulins, where I served my apprenticeship as a chef, is well inland, as is the small town in France where I was raised. In those days, it was not easy to transport perishable foodstuffs over long distances. Salt-water fish had to be packed in iced containers for the long trip from the seacoast, so it was expensive and far from abundant. We had trout in season, of course, and salmon trout, pike, goujons, and crawfish. But it was not until I came to Paris, where one finds every kind of food in greater profusion than in any other place I know, that I learned the fine points of preparing salt-water fish.
In Paris, my first really important job was at the Hotel du Rhin. It was very important to me, even though no one else would have considered it so. I was a commis chef, commis to the saucier, which means that I was on the first and lowest rung of the ladder of chefdom. My wages there were the first money I had ever earned, and those few francs represented far greater wealth to me than has all the money I have earned since. But the money was of much less consequence than what I learned from the chefs of this fine Parisian hotel. The training routine at the Hotel du Rhin was unique even in those days when fine cooking was commonplace. It embraced so much attention to detail, so much intimate supervision, such high regard for perfection. This kind of perfection is sadly missing in today's kitchens, where economy of time and materials is the first rule.
César Ritz had not yet built his famous Paris Ritz, the hotel which was to capture the fancy of every international sophisticate and entice to its doors the royalty and wealth of both hemispheres. At this time, the three finest hotels in Pan's were the Bristol, the Vendôme, and the du Rhin, all of them located on the Place Vendôme. As a matter of fact, a Baedeker of the time lists these and only these as “aristocratic houses with special clientèle, ” a description as apt as it is brief. The Prince of Wales and his close friend King Leopold of Belgium, the Queen of Spain, the Grand Duke of Russia, all of whom stayed at the du Rhin were indeed special clientèle. And in this same Baedeker, these three are the only hotels whose listing does not include any indication of the costs of the accommodations and the meals. Money was of little concern to those who made these establishments their Paris headquarters. The Bristol, for example, was the only hotel in Paris where the first J. Pierpont Morgan stayed. The manager had been a butler in the Morgan household, and the same corner suite was always ready and waiting for the Morgans. Many of the an treasures one sees now in American museums and galleries were chosen in this very suite, because every French dealer who had paintings, rare manuscripts or antiques to sell brought his wares there to be considered for the Morgan collection.
I was hired for the du Rhin kitchen, but since the du Rhin and the Bristol were under the same management, I occasionally worked in the Bristol kitchen as well. Our kitchen at the du Rhin was large, and our chefs were very skillful. Our clientèle was small, but so exacting that the cooking had to be better than fine—it had to be superlative. It was not an easy assignment for a young commis on his first job, but for an ambitious chef-in-training there could be no better experience in Paris.
Neither the Bristol nor the du Rhin had a public dining room. Instead, every apartment had its own private dining salon, beautifully decorated in the ornate style of the nineties. Any of these could seat a dinner party of twenty-five people. Whether the guests were having a formal party or dining en famille, every dish had to be perfect and, as a general rule, most of them were elaborate. Guests of the du Rhin and the Bristol were the famous gourmets of their generation, and when they came to Paris they expected to have their every whim gratified. No one knew their likes and dislikes better than the maître d'hôtel who helped them to plan their menus.
All of this brings me to the subject of this article, because none of these perfect dinners was complete without a fish course, and most of the elegant luncheons also included fish. Each morning the maître d'hôtel discussed with the guests, or with their butlers, the menus for the day. Perishable foods like fish were not purchased until the maître d'hôtel came downstairs with the menus. After that, it meant fast footwork for us commis. We had to rush off to the market to buy the fish and bring it back to the chefs who were waiting to start the preliminary preparations. The fish had to be cleaned and filleted, the mousses had to be pounded and mixed, the lobsters had to be boiled—and all this had to be done as early in the day as possible. It was to Madame Potron's large market in the Marché Saint Honoré that we carried our big baskets. How well I remember Madame Potron, and how grateful I am to her for all she taught me! It was Madame Potron who taught me how to know a fresh fish, and I have never forgotten her rules: The eyes must be bright, the gills pink, and the flesh firm. It is wise always to choose fish that are in season, because then each specific kind is at its best. And when a fish is most plentiful, it is, naturally, least expensive.
Not even chefs will agree on which kind of fish is the finest, or on which method of preparation is best. And one gourmet will consider the simple delicacy of filet de sole véronique a culinary triumph, while another will insist upon the superiority of truite saumonée à l'amiral, with its elegant sauce and garniture of shrimp, quenelles and puff-paste croutons. Hut there are two things upon which all fish fanciers agree: that fish must he very fresh, and that, as the old proverb has it, “C'est la sauce qui fait le poisson.” It is surely the sauce which makes—or spoils — the fish. Always consider together the fish and the sauce which you will serve with it—whether a simple sauce meunière or a rich sauce vin blanc.
Although there are scores of varieties of fish, and hundreds of recipes for fish dishes, there are actually only seven basic cooking methods: boiling, broiling, poaching, sautéing, deep-frying, baking, and braising. One of the secrets of successful fish cookery is to know which methods are best for the particular fish you wish to prepare.
BOILING
Fish are boiled in court-bouillon, which is water flavored and seasoned to make a fish stock, and are always deeply immersed in this stock. The liquid in which fish are poached, by contrast, is barely deep enough to come to the top of the fish, and is usually a combination of water with wine or tomato juice and seasonings. This poaching liquid is then used as the base for the sauce.
Whole fish or large sections of fish like salmon, halibut or cod, are boiled. A long, narrow kettle designed for fish boiling has a perforated rack on which the fish rests. The fish are wrapped in cheesecloth, which makes them easier to handle, or, if they are to be served whole on the cold buffet, they may be strapped, before cooking, with bands of muslin to a board. When the fish is removed from the board and placed on the serving platter it will be perfectly straight and flat. If you do not have a fish kettle, cut the fish in half and lay the pieces side by side in a large, shallow saucepan.
A court-bouillon consisting simply of salted water with milk and lemon juice added to it keeps fish like cod white during the cooking. Other court-bouillons can be as savory or as delicate asyou like. Sometimes they are made simply of fish stock, sometimes partly of fish stock and partly of white wine, sometimes of vegetable stock with vinegar, and sometimes of very highly seasoned vegetable stock.
Court-Bouillon au Blanc(Fish Stock with Milk)
Combine 2 quarts water, 1/2 cup milk, 1 tablespoon salt, and 3 slices of lemon.
Fish Court-Bouillon
Combine 2 quarts water, the bones and trimmings of the sole, salmon or cod, 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 sprig each parsley and chervil, 1 stalk celery, 1 bay leaf, 4 peppercorns and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer slowly for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Strain the court-bouillon before using.
Vegetable Court-Bouillon
Combine 2 quarts water, 1/2 cup vinegar, 1 large onion, sliced, 1 carrot, 2 sprigs parsley, 2 stalks celery, 2 bay leaves, ½ teaspoon thyme, 8 peppercorns, and 1 tablespoon salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, simmer slowly for 45 minutes to 1 hour, and strain.
Boiled Whole Fish
Wrap a 5- to 6-pound fish in cheesecloth. Lay the fish on a rack in a fish kettle and add strained vegetable court bouillon to cover. Bring the court-bouillon to a boil and simmer the fish for 40 to 50 minutes, or about 10 to 12 minutes per pound. The fish is done when the flesh can be lifted cleanly from the bones. The fish may be allowed to cool in the cooking liquid. In this case, the cooking time should be shortened accordingly. To serve, carefully remove the cheesecloth and lay the fish on a napkin on a warm platter. The napkin will absorb any excess liquid. Carefully lift off the top skin and cut away the layer of dark flesh. Serve hot with hollandaise sauce (June, 1955) or any fish sauce, or chill and serve with mayonnaise. This method applies to halibut, salmon or striped bass.
Boiled Haddock or Codfish Steak
Have the fish cut into thick slices or steaks, and arrange the steaks side by side in a shallow saucepan. Add court-bouillon an blanc to cover, bring the court-bouillon to a boil, and simmer the fish for 10 to 15 minutes. With a broad spatula remove the steaks to a serving dish. Serve with hollandaise sauce (June, 1955) or any fish sauce.
POACHING
Filets of fish take particularly well to poaching. Any kind of fish may be poached, but the sorts with firm flesh, such as sea bass, striped bass, pompano, red snapper and Spanish mackerel are less likely to break when they are lifted from the pan. All the savory ingredients are put into the pan with the liquid in which the fillets are cooked. The fish has gains flavor and at the same time adds its flavor to the cooking liquid. This liquid is then enriched and thickened with cream, butter or cream sauce and served with the fish. Use just enough liquid barely to reach the top of the fillets. To insure even cooking of the fish, cut a circle of buttered paper the size of the pan. Punch a tiny hole in the center of the circle to allow steam to escape. Cover the fish with (his paper and then cover the pan lightly. Use a shallow pan large enough so that the fillets can be arranged side by side, in a single layer.
The general procedure for poaching is this: Melt the butter in the pan and sprinkle it with chopped shallots or onions and with the special ingredients which give the dish its special character, such as mushrooms for bonne femmeand carrots and onions for paysanne.Arrange the fillets side by side on the vegetables. If there are any bones, put them on top of the fish. Add the designated liquid and cover the fish with the buttered paper. Bring the liquid to a boil, cover the pan, and simmer very gently until the fish is done. It is very important not to overcook fish, particularly the delicate fillets. Somehow most home cooks are afraid that they will not cook the fish long enough, so that over cooking is more common than under cooking. The fish is cooked when the flesh is no longer translucent, and will flake readily at the touch of a fork. The cooked fillets may be removed to a platter while the sauce is being prepared, or they may be left in the pan. The cooking liquid is then reduced. thickened and enriched, and any ingredients which need only brief cooking. such as oysters, mussels, or grapes, are added last.
Filet de Sole au Vin Blanc
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large shallow pan and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot or onion. On this arrange 5 or 6 fillets of sole, sprinkle with salt, and add a scant 1/3 cup white wine and ¾ cup fish stock or water. The liquid should barely cover the fish. Add also 6 peeled mushrooms. Cover the fish with a circle of buttered paper with a tiny hole in the center, bring the liquid to a boil, cover the pan. and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, depending upon the thickness of the filets, or put the fish in a moderate oven for the same length of time Remove the mushrooms from the pan and arrange the fish on a heated serving platter. Cook the liquid in the pan until it is reduced to 1/3 its original volume, add 1 cup cream sauce and season to taste with salt and white pepper. Finish the sauce with ¼ cup heavy cream, or swirl in 3 tablespoons sweet butter. Pour the sauté over the fish and garnish the platter with the mushrooms. Fillets of other fish may be treated in the same way.
Fillet de Sole Bonne Femme
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large shallow pan and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot or onion. On this arrange 5 or 6 fillets of sole, seasoned with salt to taste. Add a scant 1/3 cup white wine and ¾ cup fish stock or water. Sprinkle the fish with ½ pound mushrooms, peeled and sliced, and 1 teaspoon chopped parsley. Cover the fish with a circle of buttered paper with a tiny hole in the center, bring the liquid to a boil, cover the pan and simmer for II) to 12 minutes, depending upon the thickness of the fillets. With a broad spatula remove the fish to a heated serving platter. Reduce the liquid in the pan rapidly to ½ its original volume, add 1 cup cream sauce and stir well. Add a little of the hot sauce to 2 slightly beaten egg yolks, return the sauce to the pan and cook for a minute or two without allowing the sauce to boil. Add salt and pepper to taste, a few drops of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon chopped parsley. Fold into the sauce 1 tablespoon whipped cream, pour the sauce over the fish, and glaze for a moment under the broiler flame. Other filets may be treated in the same way.
Filet de Sole Dugléré
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large shallow pan and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot or onion. Season 6 fillets of sole with salt and arrange them side by side in the pan. Peel, seed and chop coarsely 4 tomatoes and spread them over the fish. Add ½ cup tomato juice, 1 clove of garlic, and 1 tablespoon chopped parsley. Cover the fish with a circle of buttered paper with a tiny hole in the center, bring the liquid to a boil, cover the pan. and simmer the fish for 10 to 12 minutes, depending upon the thickness of the fillets. Discard the garlic and transfer the fillets to a heated serving dish. Reduce the sauce rapidly over a hot flame to 2/3 its original volume. Thicken the sauce with beurre manié made by kneading together 2 tablespoons butter with 1 teaspoon flour. Stir until the sauce is well blended) correct the seasoning with salt and pepper, and finish by swirling in 1 tablespoon sweet butter. Pour the sauce over the filers and sprinkle the fish with chopped parsley. Other fillets may also be prepared by this recipe.
Fillet de Sole Portugaise
Follow the recipe for fillet de sole Dugléré, adding ½ pound peeled and sliced mushrooms with the tomatoes, and thicken the sauce with ½ cup cream sauce or béchamel sauce (June, 1955). Other fillets may be cooked in this way.
Filet de Sole Paysanne
Melt ½ tablespoon butter in a shallow pan, add 2 medium carrots and 2 medium onions, both thinly sliced, cover the pan, and cook very slowly until the vegetables are soft, but not at all brown. Add 1 tablespoon butter and arrange the fish fillets on the vegetables. Add ½ teaspoon chopped parsley and 1 cup fish stock, white wine, or water. Cover the fish with a circle of buttered paper with a tiny hole in the center, bring the liquid to a boil, cover the pan and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, depending upon the thickness of the fillets. Remove the fish to a serving dish and cook the liquid until it is reduced to 1/3 its original volume. Thicken with beurre manié made by kneading 1 tablespoon butter with 1 teaspoon flour. Blend well and correct the seasoning with salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the fish, vegetables and all. Other fish fillets may be prepared in this way with great success.
SAUTEING
Any fish can be sautéed, small whole fish, fillets, or slices cut from a large fish, but sautéing is the preferred method for the small fish that make up the usual fisherman's catch. These freshly caught fish have such delicate flavor and texture that only the simplest sauce meunière—butter, cooked to a hazelnut brown color, with a little lemon juice and parsley—is needed to accompany them. In sautéing fish, be sure that the pan is large enough so that the fish will not be crowded. Crowding causes the fish to steam, and they will not have the crispy surface that is a distinguishing characteristic of this method of cooking fish. If necessary, use two pans. Sauté the fish in oil. which does nor burn as easily as butler. When the fish is done and has been transferred to the serving dish, pour off the oil and add to the pan the butter which is to be browned for the sauce.
Fish Sauté Meunière
Dip in milk and in flour seasoned with salt small whole fish, fish fillets, or slices of large fish. Heat ¼ inch oil in a large frying pan, and in this brown the fish on both sides. Remove the fish to a serving dish and sprinkle it with pepper, lemon juice and chopped parsley. Garnish each piece of fish with a slice of lemon. Pour off the oil in which the fish was browned and in the same pan melt 1 tablespoon butter for each serving. Cook the butter until it is a rich hazelnut brown and pour it over the fish.
FRYING
Deep-fried fish are popular in restaurants. where the kettle of hot deep fat is always ready on the range, and frying is becoming more convenient for home cooks now that they can buy automatic frying kettles which assure controlled temperature and are easy to use. Fish for deep frying is prepared in one of three ways. It is dipped in milk and in four—the excess Hour should be shaken off. Smelts, whitebait, small whole trout, kingfish and fish fillets are prepared in this way. Or it is clipped in flour and coated with beaten egg and milk and then with bread crumbs, as are fish croquettes, sole Colhert and fish fillets. Or it is coated with fritter batter, as arc shellfish and. of course, fish fillets. In deep frying the temperature of the fat is important, and a thermometer is a desirable did. Tor most fish the temperature of the fat should be about 370° F., the temperature at which a 1-inch cube of bread will brown in 60 seconds. Small fish should be cooked at a slightly higher temperature, and large fish at a slightly lower temperature. The fish rises to the surface when it is done. It should then be drained on paper toweling, which will absorb excess fat.
Fried Fish à l'Anglaise
Beat 2 eggs with ¼ cup milk, 2 tablespoons salad oil and 1 teaspoon salt. Wipe the fish dry. dip it in flour, then in the egg mixture and finally into fine. dry bread crumbs. The excess egg mixture should be allowed to drain off before the final dipping. Fry the fish in deep hot fat at 360° F. to 380° F., depending upon the size of the fish. Small fish should be fried at the higher temperature. Drain thoroughly on paper toweling. Serve with tartar sauce (June, 1955) or any desired sauce.
Batter-Fried Fish
Into a warm bowl sift 1 cup flour and a pinch of salt. Make a well in the Center and add 1 tablespoon salad oil, ¾ cup warm water and 1 egg yolk. Mix together quickly and thoroughly, but be careful not to overmix or the coating will be tough. The batter will be thick.; Cover the bowl and let the batter stand in a warm place for 3 to 4 hours. Fold in 1 egg white, beaten stiff. Dip the fish into the batter, drain off the surplus batter, and fry in hot deep fat at 360° F. to 380° F., depending upon the size of the fish. Small pieces of fish should be fried at the higher temperature. Drain thoroughly on paper toweling and serve with any desired sauce.
BROILING
Broiling is a particularly successful method with oily fish like mackerel. bluefish and shad. The fish may be left whole; or it may be split open, with the bones removed or not, and laid flat on the broiler; or the fish may be cut into slices or into steaks or filets. The broiling oven and pan should be preheated before the fish is put in, so that the hot oven and the hot pan will cook the under side of the fish while the flame browns the top side.
Broiled Shad
Season the fish, prepared as above, and brush it with oil or butter. Broil on a hot grill, with the top of the fish 3 or 4 inches from the heat, for 12 to 18 minutes, depending upon the thickness of the fish. Fish steaks for broiling should be cut ¾ inch thick and cooked for 10 to 12 minutes. Baste the fish with butter once or twice during the cooking. Serve with maître d'hôtel butter (May, 1955).
BAKING
Large fish may be baked or braised. The fatty fish such as shad, bluefish, and mackerel, are usually baked, while less fatty fish are apt to become dry in baking, and are better braised. Fish are baked or braised with the skins, so it is important that the scales be removed.
Baked Fish
Dip the well-cleaned and carefully scaled fish in flour seasoned with a little salt. Put a ¼ inch layer of salad oil or freshly rendered pork fat in a shallow baking dish and put the dish in a hot oven (450° F.). When the fat is hot, lay the fish in it and bake for 10 to 20 minutes; the size and thickness of the fish determines the cooking time, and the fish is done when it flakes easily with a fork, loses its translucency, and can be cleanly lifted away from the bones. Baste the fish frequently with the oil in the pan. If the fish is large, it is wise to bake it in a dish which can be brought to the table. Pour off the cooking far and serve the fish with mustard sauce (April, 1955) or with maître d'hôtel butter (May, 1955).
BRAISING
The liquid in which fish is braised includes many flavors and seasonings, and is used to make the sauce in much the same way that the liquid used in poaching fish is used to make the sauce.
Braised Fish
In a large baking dish put 1 sliced onion. 1 sliced carrot, some mushroom stems and peelings, a sprig of parsley. a bay leaf, a pinch of thyme, 1 cup fish stock or water, and ½ cup red or white wine. Lay the cleaned and scaled fish on the vegetables and season it with salt and pepper. Cover the pan and cook the fish in a moderate oven (375° F.) for 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending upon the size of the fish. Transfer the fish to a heated serving dish and remove and discard the skin. Cook the liquid until it is reduced to 1/3 its original volume. If the sauce was made with white wine, thicken it with 1 cup thick cream sauce or with beurre manié made by kneading 2 tablespoons butter with 1 tablespoon Hour. If red wine was used to make the stock, thicken the sauce with the beurre manié. Strain the sauce over the fish on the platter.
A third method of cooking fish in the oven is en papillote. This is cooked fish folded into paper cases with a rich sauce, and baked just long enough to blend the flavors and make the whole piping hot.
Fish Filets en Papillote
Prepare a mushroom duxelles sauce as follows: Cook ½ pound finely chopped mushrooms in 2 tablespoons butter with 1 teaspoon chopped shallot or onion, ½ teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon chopped parsley until the moisture is cooked away. Add 1 cup thick cream sauce and blend well.
Brush 6 medium fish fillets generously with butter, season them with salt, and broil them on a preheated baking sheet for 5 or 6 minutes, until they are golden brown. Cut 12 pieces of white paper or aluminum foil, about 8 ½ by 11 inches in size, into heart shapes. Put a spoonful of duxelles sauce on each of 6 paper hearts, put a broiled fillet on the sauce, and cover the fish with more sauce. Cover with the remaining paper hearts and fold and pinch the edges together securely. Bake the papillotes in a moderately hot oven (400° F.) for 5 to 6 minutes. To serve, put each papillote on a serving plate and cut around the two long sides and bottom of the case just within the folded edge. Roll the flap back so that the contents can be eaten directly from the paper case.