Free James Beard's New Fish Cookery by James Beard Page A

unsliced loaf. Cut bread into a rectangle large enough to hold an entire fish comfortably with a 1-inch margin on all sides. Scoop out some of the crumbs, butter the case well, and dry it out in a 300° oven until it is a delicate brown.
    Make a sauce duxelles (page 27). For each fish, sauté 3 large mushroom caps in butter.
    Flour the fish and sauté them according to the directions for sauté meunière (page 10). Spread a little sauce duxelles in each bread case, place a fish in each case, add more sauce, top with the mushroom caps, and garnish with chopped parsley. Serve with additional sauce.
    PAN-FRIED BUTTERFISH
    Dip in seasoned flour, then in beaten egg, and roll in any of the following: buttered crumbs, cracker crumbs, corn meal, chopped nuts mixed with crumbs, or sesame seeds. Sauté quickly in butter or olive oil and serve with lemon wedges.
    VARIATIONS
    1. Sauté whole slices of orange, peel and all, with the fish and serve as a garnish.
    2. Add 1 teaspoon of tarragon to the pan and rinse it with 1/4 cup of white wine. Pour over the fish.
    BUTTERFISH EN PAPILLOTE
    Butterfish (1 per serving)
    Cooking parchment
    Ham slices (1 per serving)
    Anchovy butter
    Grated onion
    Butter
    Salt
    Freshly ground black pepper
    Thick tomato paste
    Chopped parsley
    Cut heart-shaped pieces of cooking parchment big enough to accommodate the fish. On each piece of parchment, place a slice of ham near one edge. Spread it with anchovy butter and a little grated onion. Top with a butterfish, dot with butter, season with salt and pepper, add a teaspoon of tomato paste, and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Fold the other side of the parchment over this and crimp the edges together so that they are tightly sealed. Bake at 425° according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 8).
    SMOKED BUTTERFISH
    Smoked butterfish is found in many delicatessens and fish shops. It is delicate and very pleasant. Try it as a first course for dinner or as a light luncheon dish. Serve it with lemon, a sprinkling of capers if you like, or chopped onion.
    California Black Sea Bass
    This Pacific Coast fish is sometimes called the jewfish, but it is not the same as the Florida jewfish or giant sea bass. It is a good game fish and is sold to a certain extent for food. The flesh is flaky, white, and well flavored. The fish is large, weighing as much as 700 to 800 pounds, and is usually sold as steaks or fillets.
    Two smaller fish, the cabrilla and the grouper, are sold in fillets in California markets as “golden bass.” The rock bass, averaging about 18 inches in length, is popular in the West both as a game and a commercial fish.
    BROILED CALIFORNIA SEA BASS
    Follow directions for broiling, pages 9–10.
    SEA BASS FILLETS PACIFIC
    See recipe on page 215.
    BAKED CALIFORNIA SEA BASS
    Follow directions for baking on page 8.
    BARBECUED SEA BASS STEAKS CALIFORNIA
    1/4 cup melted butter
    2 tablespoons soy sauce
    Juice of 1 lemon
    2 ounces whiskey or brandy
    1 clove garlic, crushed
    2 pounds sea bass steak
    1/2 cup sesame seeds
    Lemon or lime wedges
    Prepare a basting sauce with the butter, soy sauce, lemon juice, liquor, and garlic. Brush the steaks with this, place them in an oiled hinged grill, and cook over a charcoal fire according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 9), basting often and turning. When nearly done, sprinkle heavily with sesame seeds and continue cooking until the seeds are toasted. Serve with lemon or lime wedges.
    JEWFISH STEAKS TROPICAL
    3 cups toasted crumbs
    2 tablespoons chili powder
    2 teaspoons paprika
    1 teaspoon salt
    1 teaspoon oregano
    3 eggs
    4 tablespoons heavy cream
    6 to 8 rashers bacon
    1 clove garlic
    3 pounds jewfish steaks
    Flour
    Roll the crumbs fine and combine with the chili powder, paprika, salt, and oregano. Beat the eggs lightly and add the cream. Try out the bacon and add the garlic to the bacon fat. When the bacon is crisp, remove it to absorbent paper. Brush the fish steaks with flour, dip them in the eggs and cream, and then