Fish cookbook with photographs that urge you to cook
Fishermen and seafood lovers will want to peruse A. J. McClane's North American Fish Cookery (Holt, Rinehart & Winston,$22.95). This collection of l09 recipes presents sumptuous photographs of each on the pages opposite. McClane, angler and gourmand, and Arie de Zanger, food photographer, collaborated earlier on The Encyclopedia of Fish Cookery, regarded by some as the last word on the subject.
But their new book has much more to say. Undiminished by being limited to one continent, it includes a wide variety of seafood and preparations not ordinarily encountered ''unless one becomes a dedicated ichthyophile (which is not a bad idea),'' to borrow the author's phrase.
This enthusiasm leaps out from every page. Clam Fritters is treated just as respectfully as Black Bass en Croute, and Ukoy, Japanese shrimp in batter, just as familiarly as Catch-of-the-Day Stew. Recipes range from haute to low cuisine, from ordinary to extraordinary dining. They come from restaurants and friends all across North America.
In the 18-page introduction McClane speaks with authority on the different types of fish available and what makes good eating. He instructs us on the forms fish take in the market, if we are not so fortunate as he to go on adventurous fishing expeditions. He discusses fish stock and some of the recipes in detail.
Whether or not the reader fishes, whether or not the reader cooks, it is hard not to catch some of the enthusiasm in this new book. Here are a selection of recipes from the book. If you don't have a wok, the first dish can be cooked in a deep skillet; in that case you may need a little additional oil. Bluefish and Wild Rice and Mushroom Stuffing 3 pounds dressed bluefish 11/2 teaspoons salt 2 tablespoons oil Stuffing 4 ounces uncooked wild rice 1/4 cup margarine or oil 1/2 cup chopped onion 1/2 cup chopped celery 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
To make stuffing, cook wild rice according to directions on package; set aside. In heavy skillet, heat margarine or oil and saute vegetables until tender. Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly.
Wash and dry fish. Sprinkle inside and out with salt. Stuff fish loosely. Close openings with small skewers or food picks. Place fish on well-greased baking pan and brush with oil. Bake in preheated 350 degrees F. oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Baste occasionally with oil. Remove skewers. Trout for Poor Young Anglers 1 2-pound trout, dressed 11/2 cups fresh orange juice 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 2 tablespoons olive oil 4 cloves garlic 6 coriander berries, crushed 1 bunch fresh dill 1 tablespoon butter 12 to 16 shelled walnut halves
Mix orange juice, lemon juice, and oil in heatproof glass or ceramic baking dish large enough to hold trout. Peel garlic and drop whole cloves into dish. Add coriander and several sprigs of dill. Wipe trout with damp paper towel and place several sprigs of dill in fish.
Put trout in marinade and let soak for about 1 hour, turning fish over several times or spooning marinade over fish. Remove and discard garlic cloves. Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake in preheated 350 degrees F. oven for 30 minutes, or until fish tests done when flaked with fork.
With blunt knife scrape off trout skin and lift off top half of fish to serving platter. Pull off any bones that remain. Gently turn over trout, scrape off skin on second side, and lift off bottom half of fish to platter. Keep fish warm.
Strain marinade. Snip enough of remaining dill to make about 6 tablespoons. In small skillet, melt butter and saute walnut halves until just golden. Reheat strained marinade, pour over trout, sprinkle with snipped dill, and garnish with buttered walnuts. Serves 2.
