Sautéed Fish Meunière
Clean whole small fish, leaving the heads on if desired, dry them thoroughly, and make diagonal slashes through the skin at the sides about 1 1/2 or 2 inches apart. If filets or the steaks cut from large fish are being sautéed. wipe them with cheesecloth to dry the surfaces thoroughly. Dip the fish in milk, then in flour seasoned with salt. Heat ¼ inch salad oil in a skillet until it just begins to smoke, reduce the heat, and place the fish side by side in the pan without crowding them. Cook the fish 5 to 8 minutes on each side, or until they are golden brown. The time depends upon the thickness of the fish. Test for doneness With a fork; if the flesh has become firm and white and Hakes easily, it is done. Remove the fish to a serving dish and sprinkle it with a little salt and freshly ground pepper, lemon juice, and chopped] parsley.
Discard the oil from the pan. Return the pan, unwashed, to the heat, and add 1 tablespoon butter for each serving. Cook the butter until it is lightly browned and pour it over the fish.
To sauté 2- to 3-pound fish, reduce the heat and increase the cooking time to 15 to 20 minutes on each side.
Deep Frying
Deep-fat frying of fish is most popular in restaurants, where the kettle of frying far is always ready on the stove, and small fish may be quickly prepared for the hot fat by dipping them in milk and in flour. Filets are usually prepared by coating à l'anglaise—in flour, in beaten egg mixed with a little milk, and in fine bread crumbs. For the average-sized piece of fish, the fat should be heated to 370° F., the temperature at which a 1-inch cube of bread will brown in 1 minute. Larger pieces of fish require a slightly lower temperature so that the heat can penetrate to the center of the fish before the surface browns, and smaller pieces a correspondingly higher temperature. Deep-fried fish is done when it is brown. Drain the surplus fat from the fish on paper toweling and serve the fish with lemon and with tartar sauce. Now that thermostatically controlled deep-fat frying kettles are becoming a standard piece of electrical equipment in home kitchens, this method may find as much favor with home cooks as with professionals.
Baking and Braising
Baking and braising arc ordinarily reserved for large whole fish. The head and sometimes the tail arc left on for baking, but are usually removed when the fish is to be braised. Braising is especially good for lean fish, since it involves moist cooking in a closed baking dish. When whole fish are baked, the cooking dishes should be handsome enough to bring to the table, thus eliminating the necessity of removing the fish to a serving platter without breaking it, a very difficult feat for the nonprofessional cook.
Baked Fish
Rub a cleaned, carefully-scaled fish with flour seasoned with a little salt. Cut diagonal slashes through the skin at the sides about 2 inches apart. Heat about ¼ inch of salad oil or freshly rendered pork fat in a shallow baking dish in a very hot oven (450° F.). Lay the fish on the dish and bake it for 10 to 30 minutes, depending upon its size and thickness. Baste the fish frequently with the fat as it bakes. Pour off the fat and serve the fish with mustard sauce (February, 1958) or maître d'hôtel butter.
Braised Fish
In a large pan or baking dish put 1 onion and 1 carrot, both sliced, some mushroom stems and peelings, if they are available, a sprig of parsley, a bay leaf, a pinch of thyme, 1 cup fish stock or water, and 1/2 cup red or white-wine. Season a cleaned, carefully scaled fish with salt and pepper and lay it on the vegetables. Cover the pan and bake the fish in a moderately hot oven (375° F.) for 30 to 60 minutes, depending on its size. Transfer the fish to a heated serving platter and remove and discard the skin. Cook the liquid in the baking dish until it is reduced to one third the original quantity. If white wine was used, thicken the sauce with I cup cream sauce (January, 1958); if red wine was used, thicken the sauce with beurre manié made by creaming 2 tablespoons butter with 1 tablespoon flour. Strain the sauce over the fish.
Pinterest
