Fresh ways to cook fish for a main meal or lunch

Press, 19 April 1982, Page 16

Fresh ways to cook fish for a main meal or lunch

COOKING with Celia Timms

New recipes for cooking fish are usually appreciated at this time of the year. I have tried to select ones that will be new, and perhaps different. The one for trout will be confined to those fortunate enough to procure this fish, but two others use cod and for the Fish Pasty any type is suitable, including tinned fish, but cooked fresh fish is preferable. Stuffed trout Whole fish are required for this and depending upon the size, either one per person or a portion. The quantities for the stuffing and sauce are sufficient for six single servings of fish. You need: 6 large silver beet leaves 300 g pine nuts 3()0g butter, melted Salt and pepper 1 cup dry white wine 1 dessertspoon white vinegar Additional 250 g butter, cut into small dice Method: Wash silver beet thoroughly and strip the green leaf from the stalks. Blanch quickly in boiling water then put under cold water to refresh: drain and pat dry with paper towel. Saute pine nuts in a little butter until golden brown. Divide silver beet and pine nuts into six portions and roll nuts in the leaves and place a bundle in each fish which has been lightly dusted with salt and pepper. Place trout in a large pan without overcrowding the .fish and pour over the melted butter. Cook in 180 C oven for 10 minutes. Make sauce by combining wine and vinegar in a heavy-based pan and boiling until quantity is reduced by a third. Add four .dice of. butter at a time and beat ■ vigorously over low

heat with whisk until all butler has been used. Arrange trout on individual serving plates and pour hot sauce around it. Garnish with parsley or watercress around the head. Baked cod with mustard sauce The fillets of cod for this dish should be thick and are baked in the sauce. To serve four you need: 4 thick cod, or other similar fish, fillets 1 cup dry white wine ‘a cup water 2 tablespoons olive oil 3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley 6 tablespoons finely chopped shallots or onion 2 teaspoons dry mustard Salt and freshly ground black pepper Method: Mix mustard with a very little hot water. Combine wine, water, olive oil, parsley, shallots and mustard. Add salt and the pepper to Arrange fish in lightly greased baking dish. Pour the liquid over fish and place in a slow oven (16dC) for about half an hour or until the fish flakes easily at the touch of a fork, basting with the liquid every; ten. minutes. Remove fish to heated serving dish, pour

sauce over and garnish with lemon and parsley. Stuffed fish fillets with orange sauce For those who are not already • aware of it, the flavours of orange and fish combine suprisingly well. Thin fillets are needed and can be of cod. sole, flounder or others. Serve them with a salad, such as spinach and mushroom. For four servings you need: 4 to 6 sole or other fish fillets 1 tablespoon butter or margarine ■'4 cup sliced onion, chopped finely 1 tablespoon chopped parsley *4 teaspoon salt *4 teaspoon dried thyme ‘■2 cup orange juice G cup cooked rice FOR SAUCE: 2 tablespoons butter or margarine 2 tablespoons flour 1 cup orange juice ‘z cup cream or evaporated milk *■2 teaspoon salt; pepper 2 oranges (optional) Method: Rinse fillets and pat dry. Combine butter, onion, parsley, salt, thyme, orange juice in a pan and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes or until onion is soft: add rice and remove from heat. Divide this mixture between the fish fillets, placing in the centre of each fillet; roll and arrange filled fillets in a baking dish, seam side down. Dot with a little additional butter or oil. Cook in 180 C oven for 20 minutes or until fish is cooked. To make sauce, melt butter in small pan and blend in flour, cook for a minute; stir in orange juice, salt and pepper

and continue stirring until thickened and smooth: add cream or evaporated milk and blend well. Add orange sections and cook for a minute or so longer. NOTE: the addition of the orange sections is optional. Serve sauce over the fish rolls. Fish pasty It is not often we eat fish with pastry; it was when 1 became aware of this that 1 devised this dish which I find very enjoyable. I bake it in an Bin sandwich cake tin. You need tor 4 to 6 servings: 675 g to Ikg filleted fish 2 tablespoons butter *4 cup finely chopped or grated onion 1 heaped tablespoon flour : *4 to I cup milk *2 cup grated cucumber, seeded and drained 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley Salt and pepper Puff pastry Method: Roll pastry very thinly and line greased pan with" it. reserving sufficient to make a ' lid.'' Melt butter in a small pan and add onions: cook until onions are softened — about 5 minutes Stir in flour and cook for a minute: gradually add milk stirring continually until thickened. Add the previously grated cucumber which after removing seeds, has been grated and left to drain the parsley arid salt and pepper. Remove from heat Cut fish into smallish dice and stir into sauce. Prick the base of the pastry in par with fork and pour in fish mixture. Cover with pastry hd. sealing edges. Make a couple of slits in top and put into a 20UC oven. After If minutes reduce heat to 18UC and cook for a further 2( minutes. Serve in wedges.