Some Fishy Ideas

New Zealand Listener, Volume 32, Issue 823, 6 May 1955, Page 22

Some Fishy Ideas

AST week we began thinking of the health-giving qualities of fish. Now here are some varied recipes for using fish, so that perhaps those who have not _ been keen fish-eaters hitherto may be tempted. Lobster Newberg (or Crayfish) Two tablespoons butter, 1 glass sherry, 1 tablespoon flour, salt and pepper, 1 cup or more milk, cream, 2 egg yolks, 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Melt butter, stir in flour, when cooked add the milk, ‘stirring till very smooth and creamy. Pour in the well-beaten yolks, a little more milk if necessary, lemon juice and sherry, blend thoroughly, add the lobster cut up. The "coral" and fat should have been well rubbed into the sauce. Heat through, but do not boil crayfish or lobster. If using scallops or oysters they may be simmered a little. Oyster and Chicken Croquettes One cup cooked fowl chopped finely, 1 pint oysters, breadcrumbs, 1 tablespoon butter, beaten egg, a little cream or milk, lemon juice, celery salt, cayenne pepper, onion juice, 1 tablespoon flour, salt. Put the oysters, with their liquor, into stewpan and heat well through, then drain. Melt butter in pan and stir in flour; add oyster liquor, making up the amount of liquid to one cup with milk or cream. Stir continuously while sauce boils for 5 minutes, adding salt to taste. Take the finely-chopped fowl, season with celery salt, cayenne, lemon juice and onion juice. Mix with sauce, and add a few breadcrumbs to stiffen it. Make it into balls, putting an oyster in the centre of each. Brush over with beaten egg, or dip them in, cover thickly with breadcrumbs, and fry in hot fat. Serve croquettes on hot dish, surrounded by green peas which have been tossed in butter. Cold flaked fish may be substituted for the fowl, Hapuka Mornay Put washed steaks of hapuka in shallow pan, add a very little salted water, and some lemon juice. Poach fish slowly in oven. Meanwhile make good white sauce, and when thick, add some grated cheese, pepper and salt, and cook till cheese is melted. Drain fish, pour sauce over, leave two or three minutes, then brown undér griller. Serve. with plain boiled potatoes. Fish Surprises I saw these made in the kitchen of a leading hotel in Wellington-and afterwards partook of one, with enjoyment. It looks expensive, but really is quite modest. Four large potatoes, baked in jackets, 4 fillets sole or flounder. Roll up fillets, and put in casserole with sufficient water to just cover. Add pepper and salt, 1 clove, 1% bay leaf, 1 chopped shallot, some chopped parsley and juice of 4% lemon, Bring gently to boil and simmer 10 minutes. Take fish out and put aside. Strain stock and reduce to half by boiling. Melt 1 oz. butter in small pan, stir in 2 oz. flour; when well mixed, add the stock the fish was cooked in, and as much milk. Cook sauce for 10 minutes. Cut off a slice from each potato laid sideways, scoop out cooked pulp, and mix with butter, pepper and salt, and ° then put into a forcing bag. Into the potato shell put first some of ‘the sauce,

then a rolled fillet of fish, cover with more sauce, and pipe out the potato from the forcing bag all round the

edge thickly. Grate some cheese over the top, put into oven and bake till brown. Fish and French Fried Onions This is another expensive-looking dish which is actually cheap and quite easy. Nowadays, too, many people have the good aluminium electric deep-frying saucepans, which do both fish and onionrings so easily. Have fillets of terakihi or any fish. Slice a quantity of onions, separating slices into rings with fingers. Dry the fillets of fish, dip in seasoned flour, Shake off surplus flour, put fish into frying pan with 1 inch of hot smoking fat. Dip the onion rings first in milk, then in flour. Shake off surplus flour, drop into smoking fat in saucepan. Will be cooked in 3 or 4 minutes. Remove with perforated spoon and drain on paper. Put cooked fish on dish, press a thin slice of skinned tomato on each, and put into hot oven for a few minutes to heat tomato through. On serving dish put nicely browned onion rings in the centre, around them lay fillets of fish with tomato slices. Have ready thin lemon slices cut in half. Dip the lemon slices in finely-chopped parsley, coating them well. Arrange round outside of dish. Chinese Fish Steaks Remove skin and bone from fish steaks and cut into thin, 2-inch pieces. In a little hot oil fry 4 oz. pork cut thin, a piece of finely-chopped green ginger, and 3 onions, skinned and cut in quarters. When these are nearly cooked, put in the fish, 2 chopped green peppers, 4 oz. chopped mushrooms and a little water; season with pepper and Soy sauce (bought at Indian or Chinese shops). Cook until fish is done; thicken gravy with a little cornflour. Smoked Fish Remove the outer skin. Cut into suitable pieces. Cover with milk and simmer gently about 10 minutes, Remove the fish to hot plate, add a knob of butter to milk, a shake of pepper and thicken with flour or cornflour, Baked Fish (Oriental) A delicious Oriental way is to bake the fish in rich tomato sauce or puree in which chopped onion has been cooked and left in, mixed with milk or cream. Ordinary smoked fish cooked in this way, with a liberal allowance of butter, and well basted, becomes a dainty dish. Baked Salmon and Asparagus Cook a package of frozen asparagus (or equivalent)/ and drain. Cook % cup of minced onion in 2 tablespoons butter over direct heat, till tender, then stir in 3 tablespoons flour, 142 teaspoons salt, 4 teaspoon pepper and a cup of milk slowly, stirring till smooth and thick. Now add '% cup of liquid drained from the salmon, a tablespoon of lemon juice, and the contents of a pound tin of salmon, coarsely flaked, Best to do this part over boiling water instead of direct heat. Put %4 of the mixture in a piedish, top it with the asparagus, sprinkle with a little nutmeg, then put the remainder of the salmon mixture. Sprinkle with 3% cup of grated cheese and bake in hot oven .(450 degrees or regulo 8) about 20 minutes, or till the cheese melts. Nice served with baked potatoes.