Choose a lemon mayonnaise, or any other with a sharp seasoning. Put some lettuce leaves on a dish, arrange the skate on top and pour the mayonnaise over. Decorate with capers, olives or anchovies (depending on what kind of mayonnaise you have chosen to make) and chopped parsley. Serve chilled.

NOTE It is a refinement to remove the skate from the bones before arranging it on the lettuce, though not strictly necessary. It is a refinement to remove the skate from the bones before arranging it on the lettuce, though not strictly necessary.

SMELT, CAPELIN, ARGENTINE & SILVERSIDE Osmerus eperla.n.u.s, Mallotus villosus, Argentina silus & A.sphyraena, Menidia menidia Osmerus eperla.n.u.s, Mallotus villosus, Argentina silus & A.sphyraena, Menidia menidia These slim silver fish, all much of a length when you see them in the market, about 15 cm (6 inches), are delicacies that should not be pa.s.sed over. They are usually fried, traditionally deep-fried in the manner described by the Reverend George Musgrave in A Ramble Through Normandy A Ramble Through Normandy that he made in 1854. One night he ended up at the Hotel du Louvre at Pont Audemer, a simple place, where the landlady was 'a capital cook... with an extraordinarily expeditious way of frying smelts. I had bespoken a score and a half (after having seen some in the market), and they were dished as they were fried, with two skewers, fifteen on each skewer, the slender pin pa.s.sing through the heads, and the ring at its extremity serving to turn them in the pan all at once, for the more even frying.' And beside the description there is a neat little drawing of his plate, with the two rows of fish. Chefs of the past have loved the smelt, and used it as part of their elaborate garnishing. Now, like the other small fish it resembles, it is more likely to provide a quick supper or the first course of the meal. that he made in 1854. One night he ended up at the Hotel du Louvre at Pont Audemer, a simple place, where the landlady was 'a capital cook... with an extraordinarily expeditious way of frying smelts. I had bespoken a score and a half (after having seen some in the market), and they were dished as they were fried, with two skewers, fifteen on each skewer, the slender pin pa.s.sing through the heads, and the ring at its extremity serving to turn them in the pan all at once, for the more even frying.' And beside the description there is a neat little drawing of his plate, with the two rows of fish. Chefs of the past have loved the smelt, and used it as part of their elaborate garnishing. Now, like the other small fish it resembles, it is more likely to provide a quick supper or the first course of the meal.

The great quality of the smelt and I understand this applies to the capelin as well is its smell of cuc.u.mber when freshly caught. By the time they appear at the fishmongers', there is no trace of this elegant fragrance. My experience of the capelin is limited to Norway, where it is used as part of the feed thrown to salmon in their farm pens. The female roe is often removed and treated as caviare; we were given some with perfectly ripe avocados and it was good (it looked beautiful, too, being a pale orange-gold).

The Argentine or silver smelt provides the colouring for artificial pearls, but is well worth eating, especially the larger Argentina silus Argentina silus. So, too, is the silverside which in its tiniest form does duty as whitebait for Americans of the east coast.

For something a little more unusual, try the following recipe which has the effect of lightly pickling the fish.

ESCABeCHE.

This is an old recipe, particularly useful in pre-refrigeration days when supplies of fresh fish were erratic. You will find versions of it in English cookery books under the name of caveach, but the dish was by origin Spanish. The recipe is also a good one for fillets of larger fish such as herring and mackerel. By arranging the vegetables and herbs neatly, you can make the whole thing most attractive.

Serves 4500750 g (11 lb) smelts or or other small fish other small fishmilkseasoned flourabout 300 ml (10 fl oz) olive oil1 medium carrot, sliced1 medium onion, sliced2 large cloves garlic, halved125 ml (4 fl oz) wine vinegarbouquet garnisalt, pepper, cayennean extra bay leaf Dip the fish in milk, drain and coat them in flour, shaking off the surplus. Fry not too fast in half the oil, then transfer them to a serving dish when they are nicely browned. Refresh the oil with what remains and cook the vegetables and garlic until lightly coloured do not allow the oil to overheat or blacken. Add the vinegar and the bouquet with 4 tablespoons of water. Simmer until the vegetables are cooked, then distribute them over the fish with salt, pepper and cayenne, and the extra bay leaf. Bring the liquid left in the pan to the boil and strain it carefully over the fish so as not to dislodge the decorative bits and pieces.

Leave to cool, then cover and chill. This keeps well for two days.

SPRAT Sprattus sprattus Sprattus sprattus Although sprats may look hopefully like smelts, it is wise to distinguish between the two for culinary reasons. The sprat, being a member of the herring family, is rich in oil and therefore tastes best when grilled. The smelt, being related to the salmon family, is less rich and usually fried.

Confusing them is not, however, a matter of anxiety. For one thing, the sprat has a tubbier, more homely appearance. For another, it is by many times the more common of the two. According to official lists, over a million hundredweight of them are landed annually. Smelts do not even rate an individual mention.

As with sardines, there seems to be little point in attempting to gut sprats. If you do feel the need, extract what you can via the gills with a hairpin. If you slit their bellies they become raggedy as they cook. Make the grill very hot and give them 23 minutes a side. Serve with lemon quarters, or a piquant French mustard, bread and b.u.t.ter. They can be turned into an Escabeche like smelts (p. 490) but are better baked in a hot oven, then skinned and left to marinade in oil and lemon with plenty of chopped green herbs, including chives or spring onion.

Smoked sprats are also a bargain, most delicious. As they can be indigestible, I think they are best served as part of a mixed hors d'oeuvre. Skin and fillet them. Range them neatly in an oblong dish, or on a round one like spokes of a wheel, and pour a little dry white wine over them, then sprinkle with a very little salt and plenty of black pepper. They can also be heated quickly under the grill (skin them or not as you please if skinned, they need brushing with clarified b.u.t.ter*). Serve with bread, b.u.t.ter and lemon wedges.

Note that the tiny Skippers sardines are not sardines at all, but brisling, i.e. tiny sprats. They are not as easy to find as they once were, but persist. They, too, are fine for an hors d'oeuvre, or for crushing with b.u.t.ter for sandwiches.

WEEVER Trachinus draco Trachinus draco First acquaintance with weevers can, quite literally, be agonizing. Walking barefoot on a sandy beach in Cornwall (or in many other places of the kind in Europe, although not I think in America), you may suddenly feel the most excruciating, stabbing pain. One friend insists that it vanished suddenly and completely after 15 minutes: other accounts are not so cheerful, and add inflammation and itching as well. These spiky fish like to bury themselves in sand, right up to the eyes (which are positioned at the top of the head), with just the spines of the first dorsal fin sticking up, almost invisibly, through the sand. They are really waiting for shrimps, although you may not appreciate this at the time, and are more of a nuisance to the shrimpers of Lancashire than they are to holiday-makers. Even the strongest and most knowledgeable of these fishermen are sometimes caught as they walk through the shallow waters of that coast, and can be laid up for a fortnight.

Along these spines, and along another strong spine attached to the gill-covers, are grooves that conduct the poison from the fish's poison glands to the victim. Not surprisingly, both French and English names vive vive and weever seem to derive from the Old French and weever seem to derive from the Old French wivre wivre, meaning viper. But don't be put off because the flesh has an excellent firm texture and good flavour. Ask the fishmonger to remove the poisonous spines: if he is unwilling, it is quite easy to do this yourself at home with a pair of kitchen scissors. Weevers are easy to recognize from the slanting streaks of yellow and greyish brown which look oddly straight for fish markings; they are separated by long lines running parallel to the backbone which gives the impression of a geological slip as pictured in a diagram. The fillets come away cleanly and neatly, like a sole's and I believe that unscrupulous restaurateurs have been known to subst.i.tute them, a far more convincing ploy than lemon sole where the likeness is verbal only, in sole dishes (always enquire when a menu declares 'sole' to make sure you are getting the real right thing).

A likely place to come across weevers is a market in France, especially Brittany or Provence where they are a useful part of the mixed bag of fish sold for soup. Interestingly William Verral, master of the White Hart Inn at Lewes in Suss.e.x, observed that weevers did very well in a frica.s.see, especially when combined with whiting livers 'In the whiting season you may have plenty of livers at any fishmonger's shop', but this was in the middle of the eighteenth century. Another person who was cooking weevers at about the same time was Hannah Gla.s.se. Both recipes are included since they are easy to adapt to our times, and I hope you will be lucky enough to see a weever or two at the fish counter. You will see that the method favoured in both cases is broiling, a word that the Americans have retained for the practice that we now refer to as grilling.

TO BROIL WEEVERS.

'Gut them and wash them clean, dry them in a clean cloth, flour them, then broil them, and have melted b.u.t.ter in a cup. They are fine fish, and cut as firm as a sole; but you must take care not to hurt yourself with the two sharp bones in the head.' (Hannah Gla.s.se, The Art of Cookery The Art of Cookery, 1747).

BROILED WEEVERS WITH BAY LEAVES, WITH SAUCE POIVRADE (Des puavivres grilles, aux feuilles de lauriers, sauce poivrade) 'Notch your fish' slash them in the thickest part 'and lay them in a marinade of white wine and vinegar, &c, and a few bay leaves, let 'em remain an hour, and dry them in a cloth, broil them of a nice brown colour, with a bay leaf or two upon each, and prepare your sauce with a spoonful or two of gravy' light beef stock 'a little white wine and vinegar, some shallot, pepper, salt and parsley, boil it but a minute or two, and send it up in a fish-boat or cup, for most choose these fish with orange or lemon only.' (William Verral, The Cook's Paradise The Cook's Paradise, 1759).

In the marinade, which should mainly consist of white wine with a little vinegar, the '&c' could be some aromatic vegetables. Use some of this strained marinade for the sauce. The oranges should be bitter ones of the Seville type that we use for making marmalade: out of season, use lemon.

WIND-DRIED or WIND-BLOWN FISH (BLAWNS, SPELDINGS, SILLOCKS, BOMBAY DUCK, BOKKEMS, ETC).

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A favourite book of mine is The Herring and Its Fishery The Herring and Its Fishery by W. C. Hodgson. It is written with a vivid eye, with an immediacy that makes me feel that his experiences have been mine as well. The nuggets of information, recipes, strange facts, become part of the reader's existence. Try his way of making wind-dried herrings, still apparently a favourite in East Anglia. 'It is most successful in the winter months, and a frosty night in November is admirably suitable. Take half a dozen fresh herrings and sprinkle them with salt, then leave them in a dish overnight. Then thread them on to a stick pa.s.sed through the gills and mouths of the herrings, and hang them out in the open air where the wind can get at them. In cold weather time does not matter very much, and they can be eaten any time after they have hung for a day or two. They should be opened and cleaned, and the backbone should be removed before frying.' by W. C. Hodgson. It is written with a vivid eye, with an immediacy that makes me feel that his experiences have been mine as well. The nuggets of information, recipes, strange facts, become part of the reader's existence. Try his way of making wind-dried herrings, still apparently a favourite in East Anglia. 'It is most successful in the winter months, and a frosty night in November is admirably suitable. Take half a dozen fresh herrings and sprinkle them with salt, then leave them in a dish overnight. Then thread them on to a stick pa.s.sed through the gills and mouths of the herrings, and hang them out in the open air where the wind can get at them. In cold weather time does not matter very much, and they can be eaten any time after they have hung for a day or two. They should be opened and cleaned, and the backbone should be removed before frying.'

We can choose the night, the month, the fish. We can avoid humidity, that enemy of drying food. We can eat wind-drieds as a delicious variation to our everyday diet. This and other curing methods, though, belong to early communities of the prehistoric Atlantic coast. They depended on them to survive the winter. They had to dry fish precisely as and where it was caught; mainly I suppose in the early summer, when salmon and sturgeon leapt up the rivers in a profusion we now find unimaginable. Even allowing for the different climate, I imagine that this was as much a period of changing humidity as it is today, so it became necessary to help the drying along artificially by fire. Wind-blown salmon, smoked salmon what a feast.

Fish was dried on a large scale until recently in Scotland, and it still is in communities which are cut off from regular supplies in the winter; in Shetland today, washing-lines of split and salted piltock (saithe) are pegged out in the summer winds, until they are stiff and hard enough to be put by in boxes. A good description of the traditional method was given by Marian McNeill in The Scots Kitchen The Scots Kitchen. Whiting were the favourite fish, and they were not always cured for long keeping. They might just be dipped in salt, and hung up in a draughty pa.s.sage (as a native of the north-east coast of England, I begin at last to see the point of that hard north-eastern wind forever blowing from Siberia, according to my mother, who rubbed cold cream gently on her peeling skin every night. Obviously she should instead have been hanging fish up to dry).

Next day these blawns i.e. blown whiting would be eaten for breakfast, grilled or boiled, with b.u.t.ter; barley bannocks, wheat scones and tea were put on the table as well. Alexis Soyer, the famous chef of the Reform Club in the mid-nineteenth century, considered that they made a fine and delicate breakfast dish. This was not the opinion of Dr Johnson. Boswell once insisted on 'scottifying his palate' with just a taste of one of these dried whiting which were habitually on sale in London. Johnson let 'a bit of one of them lie in his mouth. He did not like it.' his palate' with just a taste of one of these dried whiting which were habitually on sale in London. Johnson let 'a bit of one of them lie in his mouth. He did not like it.'

It surprises me that Dr Johnson should have found blawns so strange, because Hannah Gla.s.se gives instructions for curing mackerel in the sun in the 1758 appendix to The Art of Cookery The Art of Cookery. There is nothing to indicate that her instructions would seem odd to her middle-cla.s.s readers. The mackerel were opened down the back and cleaned like kippers or Finnan haddock then salted and laid out to dry 'on inclining stones facing the sun; never leaving them out when the sun is off, nor lay them out before the sun has dispersed the dews, and the stones you lay them on be dry and warm. A week's time of fine weather perfectly cures them.'

Hannah Gla.s.se came from the north of England, near Hexham. Perhaps she learned to cure fish up there. Her technique puts me in mind of the way speldings were cured in Aberdeenshire, according to Catherine Brown in Scottish Regional Recipes Scottish Regional Recipes. They began life as haddock, surplus haddock to the requirements of fresh eating or transformation into lightly cured and short-lived Finnan haddies. They were split and gutted heads left on and then soaked in a strong brine. They were laid out on 'smooth pebbles on the beach during the day. If it rained they had to be brought in. After a few days, as they hardened, they were pressed with more flat stones. The drying process took about a week, depending on the size of the fish, and at the end of it they were a greenish-red colour and quite hard.'

Sillocks in Shetland were immature coalfish or saithe that were cleaned and washed in salt water and hung up in bunches outside, until quite hard. 'They were eaten uncooked and are very popular with the school-bairns of Ultima Thule as a relish with their midday "piece" of oatcake or bere bannock.'

That, I reckon, makes sillock a version of Bombay duck which, as anyone who had ever listened to a radio quiz will know, is not a feathered friend but a fish, Harpodon nehereus Harpodon nehereus. They catch it in such quant.i.ties on the west coast of India that over three-quarters of the haul is split, boned and sunburned dry on racks on the beach. The smell, as Tom Stobart recalls in The Cook's Encyclopaedia The Cook's Encyclopaedia, is 'like a fish-glue factory in full spate. It blows through the fishing villages of the Bombay coast: you can smell it on the breeze amongst the coconut palms or across the black mud of mangrove-bordered creeks. And this picturesque smell invades the kitchens of curry addicts the world over because Bombay duck is not only eaten around Bombay but is exported.'

The addict of Indian food knows that cooking transforms the oddity of smell into the most delightful piquancy. There is no reason not to use it in Western cooking one suggestion is to break it up and cook it briefly in b.u.t.ter before you pour the whole thing, foaming, over fish cooked in the meuniere style. Here, though, is a recipe from Harvey Day's Complete Book of Curries Complete Book of Curries, which gives you the Indian style: BOMBAY DUCK AND BRINJAL CURRY (Boomla begga ka salna) Brinjal is the Indian name for aubergine. is the Indian name for aubergine. Boomla Boomla, meaning Bombay duck, is sometimes anglicized as b.u.mmelow.

Serves 21 large aubergine1 large onion, sliced thinmustard or or sunflower oil sunflower oil4 cloves garlic, sliced thin1 teaspoon ground coriander seed teaspoon ground c.u.min teaspoon ground turmeric teaspoon salt teaspoon cayenne or or chilli pepper chilli pepper12 pieces Bombay duck2 tablespoons dessicated coconutjuice of 1 lemon Cut the aubergine in half lengthways, then across into 2-cm (-inch) slices. Fry the onion in 3 tablespoons of the oil until it is well browned. Keep stirring. Add the garlic, spices, salt and pepper and cook gently for 5 minutes. Put in the aubergine with 300 ml (10 fl oz) water. Simmer until cooked. Cut the pieces of Bombay duck into four each and add them to the pan, with the coconut. Pour on the lemon juice and give everything another 5 minutes before serving, with rice.

This idea of dried fish as a relish to the stolid realities of every day eating links those school-bairns of the Shetlands more closely with fishermen of the Bombay coast than with us today. Today our food is almost all relish. The habit of using small, sharp flavours to get down bowlfuls of rice or manioc or pasta is quite alien to us how odd an Italian peasant would find Alice Waters' instructions, in her book of pasta, to provide roughly as much sauce or embellishment as pasta itself.

We have lost, or are losing, the dried fish of Scotland and Shetland. What a pity they cannot be kept in our sights as bokkem are in South Africa. They are made from mullet (h.o.a.rder), horse mackerel (maasbanker), ba.s.s (steenbra.s.s) and shad (elf) in the same sort of way as blawns. First the salting, then a day in the sun and up to a week in the cool of shadowy verandahs. The idea came from the Netherlands. They can be chewed as a relish and are said to taste like biltong. Or they can be lightly grilled and eaten with b.u.t.ter and a gla.s.s of white wine.

I regret that refrigeration has driven out many old curing methods, unreliable as they must often have been. After all a frozen herring is similar, if inferior, to a fresh herring, whereas a kipper or a buckling or a wind-dried is something quite different to eat. The old methods increased variety: freezing does not the only certainty is that it diminished flavour. One has to apologize for a frozen herring, for a kipper never.

The advantages of refrigeration are all in distribution. I do not belittle this. In the old days, many people starved to death as they do today in Africa. Now in Europe and North America, they don't. Food can be kept over the winter, or bought from elsewhere, and sent where it is needed. I just hope that we shall have the sense to hang on to the old cures as well and improve them. Even if curing is destined to become a luxurious choice, I hope people will cling on to it because they like the tastes it can produce. Tastes which can be finer than they ever have been, because people are no longer dependent on curing for survival.

FISH SOUPS AND STEWS.

There are many recipes which contain a mixture of fish and this section caters for them. Other soups, stews and chowders which contain one main fish will be found under the relevant section, i.e. Breton crab soup, Sedgmoor eel stew or Clam chowder.

FISH SOUPS.

FISHERMAN'S SOUP (Kakavia) This is the old soup of romantic a.s.sociation, and still a reality for some fishermen a soup cooked over the fire on sh.o.r.e or in a boat, in the three-legged pot known as a kakavi kakavi. The fish used will depend on what have been caught. Greeks claim that Kakavia is the origin of Bouillabaisse, taken by Ionian Greeks in ancient time when they set off to colonize the place now known as Ma.r.s.eilles.

Enough of the same types of Greek fish can be bought in England to make a reasonable showing red and grey mullet, snapper, bream, whiting, and John Dory. The problem comes when you try to get hold of small live lobsters and live Mediterranean prawns. You may have to be content with buying frozen ones or subst.i.tuting mussels and cooked prawns, whose sh.e.l.ls at least can be added to the basic stock.

When you choose the fish, allow extra weight to compensate for any mussels used as their sh.e.l.ls are so heavy. Ask the fishmonger to give you bones and heads left over from filleting. When you get home, divide up the fish according to the time they take to cook, putting them on separate plates as you prepare them. Add their tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs to the tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs you already have.

Serves 68fish tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs, well washed250 g (8 oz) sliced onion125 ml (4 fl oz) olive oil2 bay leaves2 good sprigs parsley teaspoon rigani or or dried thyme dried thyme250500 g (1 lb) tomatoes, peeled (optional)1 level teaspoon peppercornssalt2 litres (3 pt) water2 kg (4 lb) mixed fish and sh.e.l.lfish, cleanedlemon juice Put the fish tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs, onion, oil, herbs, tomatoes, peppercorns and a good pinch of salt into a large pan. Add the water, bring to the boil and cook steadily, uncovered, for 45 minutes. Sieve into a clean pan so that you now have a thick soup base.

Bring to simmering point and add the fish in batches the thickest, firmest pieces first, together with the lobster if using, and ending up with mussels and cooked prawns, which only require a minute or two. Correct the seasoning with salt and lemon juice. Serve with bread or croutons.

MATELOTE NORMANDE.

As you would expect in a Matelote from Normandy, dry cider is subst.i.tuted for red wine, and Calvados (their famous apple brandy) for eau de vie. Whisky is a possible alternative to Calvados. The fish, too, are typical of the area; the same fish that we can buy in Britain.

Serves 61 kg (2 lb) fish (including 250 g/8 oz conger eel, and a mixture of plaice, dabs, whiting and gurnard)90 g (3 oz) b.u.t.ter34 tablespoons Calvados300 ml (10 fl oz) dry ciderliquor from mussels300 ml (10 fl oz) fish or light meat stocksalt, pepper, chervilbeurre manie* 1 tablespoon each b.u.t.ter and flour125 ml (4 fl oz) double cream250 g (8 oz) mushrooms, lightly fried1 litres (2 pt) mussels, openedcroutons of bread fried in b.u.t.ter Clean and cut up the fish. Cook in b.u.t.ter until the pieces are very lightly coloured. Pour over the warmed Calvados, set it alight, and stir the fish about in the flames. Add cider, mussel liquor and stock. Season with salt and pepper, and add some chopped chervil. Simmer until the fish is just cooked. Add the beurre manie in small k.n.o.bs to thicken the cooking liquor. Pour in the cream. The sauce should not boil, but should thicken gradually over a moderate heat. (Two egg yolks can be used instead of the beurre manie, if you prefer: they should be beaten up with the cream.) Transfer to a serving dish, and arrange mushrooms, mussels and croutons round the fish. In Normandy, you might get oysters and crawfish as well as mussels, if you were lucky.

MEDITERRANEAN FISH SOUP.

As there is no point in attempting a Bouillabaisse since we do not have the right fish, here is another Mediterranean fish soup from France which we can make successfully. The vital ingredient is saffron, followed by fennel and a dried strip of orange peel things we can get hold of here. Be sure to buy fish with heads on, and ask the fishmonger if he can give you a collection of sole or turbot bones, skin and heads from filleting white fish (they increase the flavour, improve the texture and cost nothing).

Serves 6generous 1 kg (22 lb) fish monkfish, conger, mullet red or grey, gurnard or rasca.s.sebones and skin1 large leek, trimmed, sliced1 large onion, quartered1 medium carrot, sliced3 large cloves garlic, slicedouter layer trimmed from a fennel bulb, or or 2 fennel stalks 2 fennel stalks or or 2 level teaspoons fennel seed 2 level teaspoons fennel seedolive oilbouquet garnistrip of dried orange peelsalt, pepper, cayenne, sugarlarge pinch of saffrondash white wine vinegar (optional)125 ml (4 fl oz) white wine, reduced by half (optional)90 g (3 oz) vermicelli or or other soup pasta other soup pasta Clean and cut up fish: chop bones into convenient pieces. Put vegetables, garlic and fennel into a huge pan with enough oil to cover the base. Stew with an occasional stir for about 15 minutes, until the onion is soft and yellowing. Put in fish bones, skin, fish, bouquet garni and orange peel. Bring 2 litres (3 pt) water to the boil and pour it into the pan. Bring rapidly to the boil and boil hard for 15 minutes. Tip into a sieve laid across a large pan. Ignore the more recalcitrant objects, bones, peel, bouquet, hard bits of fennel. Push through as much of the debris as you feel inclined, to give texture to the soup. Season to taste, adding a pinch of sugar if the flavour needs enhancing. A dash of vinegar or wine can be added with the same idea.

Bring soup to the boil, tip in the pasta and simmer until it is just cooked. Serve the soup with toasted or baked bread and rouille*, either to spread on the bread or stir into the soup.

VELOUTe DE POISSON.

This fish soup is made on the principle of a veloute sauce*, but with finer, richer ingredients.

Serves 61 kg (3 lb) fish redfish, conger, gurnard2 carrots, chopped2 leeks or or onions, chopped onions, chopped3 large tomatoes, peeled and choppedbouquet garni3 cloves garlic, chopped2 clovescayenne, nutmeg1 tablespoon white wine vinegar600 ml (1 pt) dry white wine or or dry cider dry cider11 litres (23 pt) water500 g (1 lb) sh.e.l.lfish lobster, mussels, prawnssalt, pepper2 shallots, chopped60 g (2 oz) b.u.t.ter2 heaped tablespoons plain flour1 gla.s.s brandy (optional)125175 ml (46 fl oz) single cream2 large egg yolkslemon juicechopped parsley, tarragon, chivescroutons of bread fried in b.u.t.ter Put 1 kg (3 lb) of fish into a pan, with vegetables, bouquet, garlic, spices, vinegar, wine and water. Bring to the boil. Add live lobster if used otherwise add sh.e.l.ls only sh.e.l.ls only of cooked prawns and lobster; with mussels, open them and add their liquor. Set aside the meat of these sh.e.l.lfish. When the lobster is cooked remove it, take out the meat, set it aside, and return sh.e.l.l to the pan. After 10 more minutes, sieve the contents of the pan and season well. of cooked prawns and lobster; with mussels, open them and add their liquor. Set aside the meat of these sh.e.l.lfish. When the lobster is cooked remove it, take out the meat, set it aside, and return sh.e.l.l to the pan. After 10 more minutes, sieve the contents of the pan and season well.

Melt the shallots gently, without browning, in b.u.t.ter. Stir in the flour, then the sieved fish stock. When smooth, add brandy and seasoning, and simmer for 20 minutes. Mix the cream and egg yolks and use to thicken the soup. Sharpen with lemon juice and taste for seasoning. Stir in sh.e.l.lfish and chopped herbs, and serve with croutons.

FISH STEWS AND MISCELLANEOUS FISH DISHES.

This is another section where there is no main fish ingredient; more an amalgamation of three, four or more different fish and sh.e.l.lfish.

CATALAN FISH STEW (Zarzuela) A zarzuela zarzuela is an operetta, a musical entertainment, very gay and brightly coloured, frivolous a good name for this splendid Catalan fish stew with its different tones of red and white, touched with saffron yellow. As with Paella, you may find it difficult to make because of the lack of fine fresh sh.e.l.lfish. Of course cooked and even frozen sh.e.l.lfish can be used, but the dish loses something of its pell-mell sweet intensity of flavour. As far as the plainer fish are concerned, squid and monkfish are essential as they have a hint of sh.e.l.lfish texture and flavour, after them come hake, sole or John Dory. In Spain, grouper ( is an operetta, a musical entertainment, very gay and brightly coloured, frivolous a good name for this splendid Catalan fish stew with its different tones of red and white, touched with saffron yellow. As with Paella, you may find it difficult to make because of the lack of fine fresh sh.e.l.lfish. Of course cooked and even frozen sh.e.l.lfish can be used, but the dish loses something of its pell-mell sweet intensity of flavour. As far as the plainer fish are concerned, squid and monkfish are essential as they have a hint of sh.e.l.lfish texture and flavour, after them come hake, sole or John Dory. In Spain, grouper (mero) is important to Zarzuela, but this is not a common fish. Subst.i.tutions can be made of course, so long as you have a variety of textures and tastes. Use the ingredient list as a guide only. Even if the result is not authentically Spanish, it may be just as delicious in its own way.

Serves 10142 kg (4 lb) mixed fish monkfish, hake, sole, John Dory, halibut, weever500 g (1 lb) prawns in their sh.e.l.ls or or shrimp, mixed kinds and sizes, uncooked if possible shrimp, mixed kinds and sizes, uncooked if possible1 kg (2 lb) lobster, cut into 10 pieces125 g (4 oz) onion, chopped6 cloves garlic, peeled, sliced thinolive oil750 g (1 lb) tomatoes, peeled, seeded, choppedleaves of 1 handful of parsleylarge pinch of saffron dissolved in 125 ml (4 fl oz) hot water150 ml (5 fl oz) dry white winesalt, pepper Prepare, sort and slice the fish. Put all tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs, tentacles, heads, bones and sh.e.l.ls of cooked sh.e.l.lfish (apart from a few left whole to garnish) into a large pan. Cover with water, and boil for 30 minutes to make some stock. Aim to end up with 250 ml (89 fl oz).

From the next five ingredients, make a sofrito. This means something lightly fried and is the basis of many Spanish dishes and sauces. Sweat the onion and garlic slowly in the olive oil. As it turns golden, add the tomato and parsley. Cook to a thick, unwatery paste. When it is mellow add saffron and its water, wine and stock, with seasoning. When boiling hard, add the firmest fish and uncooked large sh.e.l.lfish. Simmer 5 minutes, then add softer fish and smaller sh.e.l.lfish and lobster pieces. Bring back to simmering point and simmer for 5 more minutes. Add cooked sh.e.l.lfish and give it 2 more minutes. Pour into a hot tureen and serve.

CORNISH BOUILLABAISSE.

This magnificent stew of fish comes from Gidleigh Park Hotel on the edge of Dartmoor. It is made with the best ingredients that the western coast can supply and the quant.i.ties vary according to what is available.

Serves 8101 kg (12 lb) lobster, uncooked11 kg (23 lb) mussels1 large gurnard750 g (1 lb) monkfish or or turbot turbot500 g (1 lb) red mullet1 good kg (at least 2 lb) fish bones, heads, tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs1 large onion, chopped2 medium carrots, diced smallwhite part of 2 leeks, diced small2 medium stalks celery, diced smallolive oil175 ml (6 fl oz) dry white winelarge pinch of saffronlemon juice2 tablespoons Pernod1 head fennel, outer layer removed, then diced250 g (8 oz) tomatoes, skinned, seeded and choppedsalt, pepper, cayenne Ask the fishmonger to cut the lobster across into slices, and crack the claws if you feel unable to tackle this yourself. Loosely tie the bits into a piece of b.u.t.ter muslin. Scrub and sc.r.a.pe the mussels, discarding any that are cracked or that obstinately stay open when tapped: tie them into another piece of b.u.t.ter muslin, leaving plenty of room for them to open. Scale, clean and fillet the remaining fish, as necessary, putting skin, bones, heads, etc. into a large pan with the fish tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs and 2 litres (3 pt) of water. Make a stock while you cut the fillets into convenient pieces for eating with a spoon, and prepare the vegetables.

Sweat the onion and diced vegetables in a little olive oil in a huge pot: they should soften and turn golden without browning. Strain on the fish stock. Add wine, saffron and a tablespoon of lemon juice. When everything is boiling vigorously, put in the bag of mussels and leave boiling for 2 minutes. Remove and cool. Do the same with the bag of lobster, leaving it to boil for 3 minutes before removing it. Reduce the stock until it has an agreeably concentrated flavour. Strain the liquor off into a clean pot, pushing through a certain amount of the debris to give it a little body.

Open the bag of mussels, discard all but 810 of the sh.e.l.ls. Put in a bowl. Open the lobster bag, clean away any debris and useless sh.e.l.l, but leave most of the lobster in its sh.e.l.l. Add to the mussels.

Up to this point, the recipe can be prepared in advance, but only by an hour or two.

Twenty minutes before serving, have everything ready on the table and a bowl of garlic croutons keeping warm. Bring the liquor up to boiling point. Add Pernod, fennel and tomatoes and boil vigorously for 10 minutes. Check the seasoning at this point, adding extra lemon juice or Pernod if it seems a good idea, but be careful not to overdo either. Add salt and pepper, a pinch or two of cayenne. Keep at a vigorous boil and put in the monkfish or turbot pieces; leave 1 minute. Put in the red mullet, leave 1 minute, then the gurnard, and leave 30 seconds. Switch off the heat, stir in mussels and lobster meat. Taste again, and serve.

Be careful about the timings, and keep them on the short side: the fish should just be cooked through, no more, and remember it will continue to cook as you bring it to table. Serve into hot bowls, giving an equal distribution of fish and sh.e.l.lfish, with the garlic croutons.

MEURETTE a LA BOURGUIGNONNE.

Meurette is the famous Burgundian stew of river fish cooked in red wine. Pochouse or pauchouse is a similar concoction made with white wine, Meursault preferably, and garnished with small caramelized onions as well as triangles of bread. They are both a form of Matelote, see see p. 499 p. 499. Incidentally, Meurette shows that red wine goes as well with fish as white; one more 'rule' tumbling to the ground. (You can think of sole with Chambertin as well as the rich-fleshed salmon.) This is a fisherman's recipe; when a bag of mixed fish is presented to you, it is an excellent way of dealing with them. Divide them into thick, medium and thin piles, so that none gets overcooked.

Serves 612 kg (34 lb) river fish pike, tench, eel, bream, etc.3 large carrots, sliced2 large onions, sliced4 cloves garlicthyme, bay leaf, bunch of parsleysalt, freshly ground black pepper1 bottle red wine (from Burgundy for preference)3 or 4 slices of bread125 g (4 oz) b.u.t.ter1 tablespoon plain flourliqueur gla.s.s of marc or or brandy brandy Clean the fish. Cut off the heads and tails (and put them into a piece of muslin if they are numerous and muddled). Chop the fish into roughly equal pieces and season them.

b.u.t.ter a saute pan with a b.u.t.ter paper. Line it with rings of carrot and onion, 3 of the 4 cloves of garlic crushed, the thyme, bay leaf, parsley stalks and seasoning. Put in the bottle of wine and bring to the boil. Tie the muslin bag of fish heads to the pan handle, and let it sink well into the bubbling liquid. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile cut the bread into triangles and rub them with the fourth clove of garlic. Fry them in 30 g (1 oz) of the b.u.t.ter, on both sides, and keep warm. Mash up another 30 g (1 oz) of b.u.t.ter with the flour and divide the resulting paste into little pieces (beurre manie); leave to one side until later on.

Put the thickest pieces of fish into the saute pan. After 5 minutes' cooking, add the medium ones. After 5 minutes again, the thinnest ones. In another 5 minutes or less everything should be cooked. Discard the fishes' heads, in or out of the muslin. Pour off the liquor into a saucepan. Warm the marc, set it alight and tip it over the fish and vegetables, stirring them about in the flames. Keep warm, while you finish the sauce.

Add the little pieces of flour and b.u.t.ter to the liquor in the saucepan, keeping it just below boiling point. Stir until the sauce thickens nicely, adjust the seasoning. Beat in the remaining 60 g (2 oz) of b.u.t.ter, and the chopped parsley leaves. Pour over the fish and vegetables. Tuck in the triangles of bread and serve straightaway (with some more red wine to drink).

PAELLA.

Paella is one of those magnificent dishes that need a party to share them. A picnic by the sea in this case, I think, with the shallow pan bubbling gently over a driftwood fire. There is no one 'right' recipe: the only essential ingredients are rice and saffron (do not be tempted to subst.i.tute turmeric make your economies elsewhere if necessary). Flavourings can be meat and poultry alone, or fish and sh.e.l.lfish alone, or vegetables alone. Or as in this recipe a mixture of all three. I have come to regard squid as essential for its piquant sweetness; mussels help to flavour the broth, and huge gambas gambas (Mediterranean prawns) give an air of luxury, though the usual pink prawns do well enough. (Mediterranean prawns) give an air of luxury, though the usual pink prawns do well enough.

Serves 8101 kg (3 lb) roasting chicken, with giblets2 litres (3 pt) light stock or or water water1 small lobster, uncooked or ready-boiled, cut up by the fishmonger1 medium-sized squid, approx. 250 g (8 oz) in weight500 g (1 lb) prawns, preferably of varying sizes500 g (1 lb) mussels250 g (8 oz) monkfisholive oil1 large onion, chopped finely250 g (8 oz) tomatoes, peeled and chopped1 heaped teaspoon paprika3 large cloves garlic, chopped finelysalt, peppertomato paste or or sugar, if needed sugar, if needed (see (see recipe recipe)500 ml (15 fl oz) Spanish or or Italian rice (approx. 400 g/14 oz) Italian rice (approx. 400 g/14 oz)generous pinch of saffron175 g (6 oz) sh.e.l.led young peas1 large red pepper, grilled, skinned, seeded and sliced4 large artichoke hearts, cooked (optional)3 lemons, quartered Use a wide, shallow pan or paellera paellera of at least 35 cm (14 inches) diameter. Alternatively, use two pans once the rice is half-cooked, transferring some of the rice to a second pan before putting in the chicken. Paella is not a dish for the small family. Remember that if you alter the quant.i.ty of rice, you need to alter that of the liquid. of at least 35 cm (14 inches) diameter. Alternatively, use two pans once the rice is half-cooked, transferring some of the rice to a second pan before putting in the chicken. Paella is not a dish for the small family. Remember that if you alter the quant.i.ty of rice, you need to alter that of the liquid.

First, prepare the chicken and fish. If you intend to make the paella out of doors, on a picnic, this should all be done in advance, leaving the final cooking of the rice and so on to be done on the spot.

Set aside the chicken wings and drumsticks. Cut away the chicken breast and keep for another meal, if you are only feeding 8 people. Cut the thigh meat off the bone, dividing each piece into three, and remove the oysters. If you are using the chicken b.r.e.a.s.t.s, bone them and cut into two pieces each. Leave the carcase to simmer in the stock or water. Cut up the lobster so that there will be a chunk for each person.

Clean the squid (see p. 400 p. 400) and cut the bag into rings and the tentacles into short lengths: keep the tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs and left-overs. Peel most of the prawns, leaving a few whole for garnishing: put the debris with the squid's. Open the scrubbed mussels in a heavy covered pan over a high heat (p. 239); sh.e.l.l most of the mussels, keeping some for the garnishings, and strain the juice into the chicken stock pan. Add the fish tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs after the stock has been simmering for at least half an hour. Cut the monkfish into chunks: add the bone and skin, and the small claws of the lobster, to the stock pot. Give it another half hour and then strain off the stock you will need just over 1 litre (approx. 2 pt) or a little more, so add water if you are short, or boil it down if there is much too much. Season the chicken and fish.

Now you are ready for the cooking. Bring the stock to simmering point and keep it there. In a large pan or paellera paellera heat enough olive oil to cover the base. Put in the onion and cook it slowly until soft and yellow. Add the tomatoes, paprika, garlic, seasoning and a little tomato paste or sugar unless your tomatoes are very well ripened. When the mixture is a thick puree, push it to the side of the pan and brown the chicken pieces. Remove them to a plate. Stir in the rice and move it about until it looks transparent. Pour about half the hot stock on to the rice. Pour a little more stock into a cup and dissolve the saffron in it. Leave the rice to bubble gently. heat enough olive oil to cover the base. Put in the onion and cook it slowly until soft and yellow. Add the tomatoes, paprika, garlic, seasoning and a little tomato paste or sugar unless your tomatoes are very well ripened. When the mixture is a thick puree, push it to the side of the pan and brown the chicken pieces. Remove them to a plate. Stir in the rice and move it about until it looks transparent. Pour about half the hot stock on to the rice. Pour a little more stock into a cup and dissolve the saffron in it. Leave the rice to bubble gently.

When the rice is half-cooked, put in the chicken, pushing it down so that only the drumstick and wing bones stick up. Pour in the saffron stock and most of the remaining stock.

After 10 minutes put in the squid. In another 5 minutes, add the vegetables and uncooked lobster pieces. Check the chicken breast pieces and remove them if they are done: they should not get too dry and can be put back at the end to heat through with the prawns and mussels. Another 810 minutes and everything should be cooked. Add any remaining stock or water, if necessary to prevent sticking. Shake the pan from time to time, but avoid stirring it up.

Just before serving, put in the sh.e.l.led mussels and cut-up, cooked lobster meat, if you had to buy a ready-boiled lobster. Then add the sh.e.l.led prawns. Last of all, arrange the reserved whole prawns and mussels in their sh.e.l.ls on top, after checking the seasoning. Tuck in the lemon wedges and serve.

NOTE In Spanish restaurants, the In Spanish restaurants, the paellera paellera is sometimes placed in a slightly larger basket tray, with a ring of flowers and fruit in the gap red and white carnations, yellow lemons, echoing the colours of the food. Festive but confusing. is sometimes placed in a slightly larger basket tray, with a ring of flowers and fruit in the gap red and white carnations, yellow lemons, echoing the colours of the food. Festive but confusing.

PLATEAU DE FRUITS DE MER.

Our first meal in France, at Avranches or Mont St Michel, or our last before the boat at Cherbourg, is a vast platter of sh.e.l.lfish with a bowl of mayonnaise and a little pot of mignonette sauce. To go with this feast there is a basket of bread, b.u.t.ter and a bottle of white wine from Alsace.

The oval metal dish is placed ceremonially in the centre of the table on a stand. Arranged like a still-life on top of a bed of crushed ice and seaweed there will be winkles, whelks, opened clams and oysters, rising to a central height of prawns, langoustines, spider crabs and, if you are lucky, lobster. The whole thing has a glorious freshness. One picks and eats slowly. Always I am amazed that the whelks, which in Britain are impossibly rubbery, are in France agreeably chewy.

To make such a show here is not easy for a start our best sh.e.l.lfish seem to go to France. But if you happen to live near the west coast of Scotland, or in some blessed spot near Weymouth or Wells and Cley in Norfolk, you may be lucky.

Quant.i.ties need to be judged by eye, and will depend of course on what you can get. Half a decent-sized crab or lobster per person, four oysters, six large mussels, three large langoustines (Dublin Bay prawns), with a scattering of prawns, shrimps and winkles would be reasonable. Always buy sh.e.l.lfish the day you intend to eat it, and if possible cook it yourself. Otherwise you can buy crab and lobsters ready-cooked. At large fishmongers in France you can buy bottled seawater by the litre: be careful about seawater in Britain, it may well be polluted, judging by how few beaches we have that are safe for swimming. Safer to dissolve sea salt in water until an egg will float in it.

Serve everybody with a needle stuck into a cork for winkles, with a long slender lobster pick or snail fork for lobster and crab, and lobster shears or nutcrackers for the lobster and crab claws. And large cloth napkins!

CRABS If you are cooking it yourself, take it home as soon as possible. Plunge it into boiling salt water, give it 10 minutes boiling and then simmer it for a further 15 minutes, for a crab weighing just under 1 kg (2 lb). When cold, cut it in half with a cleaver, or a large knife knocked smartly down with a mallet. If you are cooking it yourself, take it home as soon as possible. Plunge it into boiling salt water, give it 10 minutes boiling and then simmer it for a further 15 minutes, for a crab weighing just under 1 kg (2 lb). When cold, cut it in half with a cleaver, or a large knife knocked smartly down with a mallet.

LANGOUSTINES, PRAWNS AND SHRIMPS PRAWNS AND SHRIMPS Bring a large pan half-full of very salty water to the boil. Plunge in the sh.e.l.lfish. By the time the water returns to the boil, the shrimps are likely to be done (try one to see). Prawns will take a couple of minutes or more according to size. The moment they change colour, try one. Once you are used to cooking sh.e.l.lfish, you can tie the different kinds into pieces of muslin and cook them at the same time, removing each bag at the appropriate moment. Bring a large pan half-full of very salty water to the boil. Plunge in the sh.e.l.lfish. By the time the water returns to the boil, the shrimps are likely to be done (try one to see). Prawns will take a couple of minutes or more according to size. The moment they change colour, try one. Once you are used to cooking sh.e.l.lfish, you can tie the different kinds into pieces of muslin and cook them at the same time, removing each bag at the appropriate moment.

LOBSTER Can be cooked like crab, but is better steamed if you are cooking it yourself. At home choose a large pan, put in 2 cm ( inch) of water, 4 teaspoons sea salt and 4 of vinegar. When boiling, put in the lobster, cover it and cook it for 15 minutes. Remove it with tongs and uncurl the tail with a wooden spoon; if it springs back efficiently, it is cooked. Can be cooked like crab, but is better steamed if you are cooking it yourself. At home choose a large pan, put in 2 cm ( inch) of water, 4 teaspoons sea salt and 4 of vinegar. When boiling, put in the lobster, cover it and cook it for 15 minutes. Remove it with tongs and uncurl the tail with a wooden spoon; if it springs back efficiently, it is cooked.

MUSSELS Scrub and sc.r.a.pe mussels under the cold tap. Tug away the beard and discard any that are cracked. Arrange them in batches in a single layer in a heavy pan. Set the pan over a very high heat, covered, and leave it for 1 minute. Inspect to see if the mussels are open. Give them a few seconds longer, if not. For the best flavour, never leave them longer than necessary. Tip them into a colander set over a bowl. Remove a half-sh.e.l.l from each or leave them as they are. Discard any that remain shut when the rest have opened. Strain the liquor and keep it for soup or stock and sauces. Scrub and sc.r.a.pe mussels under the cold tap. Tug away the beard and discard any that are cracked. Arrange them in batches in a single layer in a heavy pan. Set the pan over a very high heat, covered, and leave it for 1 minute. Inspect to see if the mussels are open. Give them a few seconds longer, if not. For the best flavour, never leave them longer than necessary. Tip them into a colander set over a bowl. Remove a half-sh.e.l.l from each or leave them as they are. Discard any that remain shut when the rest have opened. Strain the liquor and keep it for soup or stock and sauces.