Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 2 (22 page)

FISH TALK

Although you may use any of the
fish
listed, you will have a combination more like the original with the equivalent of a fillet of sole, two 2-inch pieces of halibut, 4 to 6 shrimp, scallops, and/or mussels, and ⅓ of a lobster per person, for the first serving, and half the amount for seconds. Whatever you have chosen, be sure each piece of fish smells absolutely fresh; pay particular attention to the shrimp if frozen, because they can overpower everything else unless of unquestionable quality. A well-flavored fish stock is essential here; if you cannot get bones and trimmings from fresh sole, buy an extra pound or so of fish.

For 6 people as a main course, 10 to 12 as a soup course

1)
Preliminaries—may be done several hours in advance preparing the fish—see also preceding paragraph:

1½ lbs. skinless and boneless sole or flounder fillets

1 to 1½ lbs. scallops

1 to 1½ lbs. raw shrimp, medium size, and in the shell if possible

1 to 1½ lbs. halibut steaks 1 inch thick

Waxed paper

A bowl large enough to hold all the fish

Wash and drain all the fish. Trim sole or flounder fillets if necessary; cut in half crosswise. If scallops are
large, cut into ½-inch pieces. Peel and de-vein the shrimp, reserving peel and also heads if you have whole fresh shrimp. Remove skin and bones from halibut, cut meat into pieces roughly 2 inches in diameter, and reserve bones and trimmings. Place each type of fish on waxed paper and pack into bowl in the order listed; cover and refrigerate. Refrigerate trimmings and reserve for the fish stock.

DECORATION NOTE
: You may wish to save out some whole cooked shrimp, lobster claws, or mussels to decorate each serving; we leave this up to you.

optional fresh mussels:

2 quarts fresh mussels

½ cup dry white wine or dry white French vermouth

Scrub and soak the mussels, and steam them open in the wine as described in Volume I, pages 226–7. Reserve 12 pairs of shells for garnish. Place meat in a small bowl and moisten with a little of the cooking liquid; decant rest of liquid into another bowl, being sure to include no sand.

the lobsters:

You may use 8 to 12 ounces of cooked lobster meat rather than fresh lobsters; thaw if frozen, then warm in butter, wine, and seasonings,
here
, before adding to the
marmite
in the next step.

2 live lobsters, 1¼ to 1½ lbs. each

A sieve set over a 1-quart bowl or small saucepan

2 to 3 Tb olive oil or cooking oil

The
marmite
(a heavy-bottomed, 6- to 8-quart enameled or stainless casserole or kettle, with cover)

2 cups combined sliced white of leek and onions; or onions only

½ cup each of sliced carrots and celery

2 imported bay leaves

½ tsp thyme

8 to 10 parsley stems and/or roots (not the leaves)

Salt (none if using mussel or clam juice)

2 cups dry white wine or 1½ cups dry white French vermouth

4 Tb soft butter

3 egg yolks

⅔ cup heavy cream

Split the lobsters in half lengthwise, discard stomach sacks in head and intestinal veins, scoop green matter and roe into sieve, and chop lobster into pieces (
see illustration
). Film
marmite
with ⅛ inch of oil, heat to very hot but not smoking, and sauté lobster for 3 to 4 minutes, turning frequently until lobster shells are bright red. Remove to a side dish. Lower heat, stir vegetables and herbs into pan, and sauté 8 to 10 minutes until tender but not browned. Season lobster lightly with salt, return to
marmite
, add wine, cover, and simmer slowly for 20 minutes. Then lift out lobster pieces, remove the meat and reserve it in a bowl; chop shells and return to
marmite
. At some convenient time, add soft butter to lobster green matter and rub butter with green matter through sieve into bowl; beat in the egg yolks and cream, and set aside or refrigerate. (Rinse sieve in lobster-cooking liquid to get all the flavor possible.)

the fish stock—for 6 to 8 cups:

Either
2 to 3 lbs. (2 or more quarts) bones, heads, trimmings, and shells from the fresh fish you are using;

Or
an extra pound of fish;

Or
3 cups clam juice

Either
2 more cups dry white wine;

Or
1½ cups dry white French vermouth (half the amount of either if you are using mussel-cooking liquid)

The optional mussel-cooking liquid and/or necessary cold water

2 tsp salt (none if using mussel liquid or clam juice)

Add all ingredients to the lobster-cooking
marmite
, bring to simmer, skim, and simmer partially covered for 40 minutes. Strain liquid into a bowl and discard residue. Wash out
marmite
and return liquid to it; you should have 6 to 8 cups of deliciously flavored brew. Boil down to concentrate flavor and volume if necessary; carefully correct seasoning.

2)
Final cooking and serving—about 30 minutes cooking the fish:

The fish stock in its
marmite

4 Tb butter

A heavy-bottomed 3-quart enameled or stainless saucepan

⅓ cup flour (scoop cup into flour and level off with a knife)

A wooden spoon, a wire whip, a perforated skimmer, and a ladle

The bowl of prepared and refrigerated fish

The cooked lobster meat and optional mussels

More fish stock, white wine, or boiling water if needed

A large soup tureen or bowl-shaped platter set over a pan of almost simmering water

Bring the fish stock to the boil. During this time melt the butter in the saucepan, blend in the flour, and cook slowly, stirring, until butter and flour foam together for 2 minutes without browning at all. Set this
roux
aside: it is for the sauce, next step. When stock is boiling, add the halibut (or other firm-fleshed fish); bring liquid rapidly to the simmer and simmer 5 minutes. Then add the sole, scallops, and shrimp, pressing them down into the liquid. If really necessary,
add a little more liquid: ingredients should be almost covered. Bring again rapidly to the simmer for 2 minutes, then add the cooked lobster meat and optional cooked mussels. Bring again to simmer for 1 minute and remove from heat. Lift fish out and arrange in tureen; cover loosely. (Some of the fish, like sole, may have flaked apart; lift only what you easily can into the tureen.)