Foods, their selection and preparation

Baking Fish • ( Upper left) Wipe fish with damp cloth. Remove fins if desired. ( Upper right) Stuff fish about two-thirds full and sew up the opening. ( Lower left) Wipe the outside with oil or fat. (Lower right) Baked fish ready to serve The object in cooking fish is just to coagu¬ late the protein, soften any connective tissue, and retain and develop flavor. This should be done in the shortest possible time to avoid loss of moisture, flavor, and overcooking the protein. The addition of fat during cooking, or a sauce containing fat in serving, increases the richness of fish low in fat. Broiling. Broiling can be used satisfac¬ torily for whole fish, if not too thick, and for split fish, boned fish, and fish steak or fillets. Preheat the broiler about ten minutes. Remove the rack from the broiler pan or use a separate pan. Place the fish in lightly greased hot pan. Whole, small fish should be turned once. Split fish, steaks, and fillets are better cooked without turning, though they may be turned. In case the split fish is not to be turned, begin with the skin side down; if to be turned, begin with the skin side up and cook 5 minutes before turning. Wipe the exposed side with melted fat or French dressing. Place whole fish and steak more than one inch in thickness six inches from the source of heat. Split fish, steaks less than one inch, and fillets are placed three to five inches from the heat, depending upon the thickness of the piece. Broil until brown, basting two or three times, with fat containing season¬ ings. The cooking time will range from five to ten minutes for a whole or split fish and fillets, and ten to fifteen minutes for a one-inch steak. Avoid overcooking. Serve with lemon butter sauce. Baking. A whole medium-sized fish or a portion of a large fish may be baked. Use the dry heat of a moderate oven, 325° F. Large thick portions are baked as they come, after seasoning. Whole fish may be stuffed. Particularly easy to serve is a boned, stuffed fish. Wipe fish with damp cloth; remove fins or not as desired. When stuffing is to be [251] l> I able XLIX • Suggested Methods of Cooking and Serring Fin Fish 1 Fish Season Preparation at Market Methods of Cooking Relish or Sauce Bass, black (lean) . All year Split; steaks; fillets Saut£; broil; bake Lemon sections; cucumber sauce; maitre d’hotel sauce Bass, sea (fat) . . All year Split; fillets; whole Saut£; broil; bake; stuff and bake Mushroom sauce; parsley sauce; tomato sauce Bass, striped (fat) . All year Steaks Saut£; broil; bake Cucumber sauce; onion relish Bluefish (lean) . . All year Split; steaks; Whole Broil; bake; plank Stuff and bake; plank Sauteed bananas; sliced pickles; mari¬ nated sliced tomatoes; maitre d’hotel sauce Butterfish (fat) April to December Whole Saute; broil; bake Chili sauce; tartar sauce; cucumber sauce Cod (lean) . . . All year Steaks; fillets Whole Saut£; fry; broil; bake; boil; steam; for chowder Stuff and bake; plank Tomato sauce; caper sauce; Mornay sauce; egg sauce; Worcestershire or similar sauce Eel (fat) .... All year Cut in pieces Saute; for chowder Catsup; cole slaw; mustard pickles Flounder (lean) All year Whole; fillets Saute; fry; bake; broil; steam Beet and cabbage slaw; parsley sauce; curry sauce; tartar sauce; mustard Haddock (lean) All year Whole; fillets; steaks