Fish
Stuffed Squid With Dried Wild Mushrooms
Stuffed Squid Braised in White Wine
Smoked Herring with Potato Salad
Chicken Breast with Dried Tomatoes
Scallops with Grated Celery root
Steamed Salmon with Scallions and Ginger
Steamed Fish Fillets with Ginger and Spring Onions
Stuffed Squid With Dried Wild Mushrooms
Calamari Ripieni coi Funghi Secchi
In the last few years, many Americans have overcome their uneasiness about squid, discovering how delectable it can be and how much one can do with it. It can be fried baked, braised, broiled, or stewed. It can be sliced into tender, meaty rings, or stuffed like a sausage. Stuffing is undoubtedly one of the most savory ways of preparing it. Once you’ve become familiar with the basic and simple procedure, you can go on to devise your own stuffings There is a good basic recipe for stuffed squid in The Classic Italian Cookbook, page 221. The one below is very elegant with dried wild mushrooms, white wine, and no tomatoes
My first choice would be to precede it with Lasagne with Ricotta Pesto (page 176). Or serve other pasta, sauced with traditional basil pesto, see my first book, page 132. Other good choices are Spaghetti with Fish-Head Sauce (page 120), and Rigatoni Neapolitan Style with Roasted Sweet Peppers (page 140) Accompany with boiled new potatoes, and follow with a salad of mixed greens.
1 ½ 6/8-ounce packages dried boletus mushrooms or 1 ounce if using them loose
4 large whole squid,
about 5 inches long, not including the tentacles
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup dry unflavored bread crumbs
2 teaspoons chopped
garlic
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Olive oil; 2 tablespoons for the stuffing, plus 1/3 cup for cooking
Needle and cotton thread (heavy duty, but not trussing string)
½ cup dry white wine
1. Soak the mushrooms at least 30 minutes in advance in a bowl with 2 cups warm water. Proceed to rinse them and to filter the water from their soak, as described on pages 311-12
2. After thoroughly rinsing the reconstituted mush rooms, as directed, chop them very fine. Put them into a small pan with the filtered water from their soak and turn on the heat to medium high. Cook until all the liquid has boiled away.
3. To prepare the squid for cooking first separate the tentacles from the sac. Hold the sac in one hand and with the other, firmly pull off the tentacles, together with the pulpy insides of the squid, to which they are attached Cut the tentacles straight across above the eyes, and discard everything from the eyes down, squeezing out the small bony beak. Divide the tentacles into two clusters. Remove the thin bone from the sac, and thoroughly rinse out the inside of the sac, clearing it of anything it may contain Peel off the sac’s outer skin. It is easiest to do this under cold running water. Wash all the sacs and tentacles in several changes of cold water. Drain and pat dry thoroughly.
4. Chop the tentacles very fine.
5. Put into a bowl the mushrooms, tentacles, 1 tablespoon salt several liberal grindings of pepper, the bread crumbs, chopped garlic parsley, and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Mix, with a fork or a spatula, until all the ingredients have become thoroughly amalgamated.
6. Set aside 1 tablespoon of the mixture for later use, and divide the rest into 4 equal parts. Spoon the stuffing into each of the 4 squid sacs Do not fill the sacs all the way to the top Leave about one-quarter of the sac empty, because the squid will shrink while cooking; if packed too full, the sac will crack open. If you have any stuffing left over, add it to the tablespoon previously set aside.
7. Sew up the opening of each squid sac with needle and cotton thread. Put away the needle as soon as you’re finished with it or you may find it later in the dish.
8. Choose a sauté pan in which the stuffed squid will fit in a single layer but quite snugly, bearing in mind that they will shrink while cooking. Put 1/3 cup olive oil in the pan and turn the heat to high.
9. When the oil is very hot, put in the squid. Brown them well on all sides. Add a tiny pinch of salt and a small grinding of pepper the white wine, and the reserved un-used stuffing Turn the squid once or twice, quickly, then turn down the heat to minimum, and cover the pan.
10. Cook for 40 to 50 minutes, depending on the size of the squid Turn them from time to time. The squid are done if they feel tender when gently pricked with a fork.
11. Transfer the squid to a cutting board, and allow to rest for a few minutes. Then slice away a thin strip from the top of each enough to dispose of the thread. Cut each sac into 2 shorter pieces, and place them on a warm serving platter.
12. Add 1 or 2 tablespoons water to the pan, and boil it away over lively heat while scraping loose all the cooking residues from the bottom of the pan. Pour all the contents of the pan over the squid, and any juices left on the cutting board Serve at once.
Stuffed Squid Braised in White Wine
Calamari ripieni stufati al vino bianco
For 6 persons
6 large squid (the sac should measure 4 ½ to 5 inches, not including the tentacles)
THE STUFFING:
1 tablespoon olive oil, approximately
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
½ teaspoon finely chopped garlic, or more to taste
1 whole egg, lightly beaten
THE BRAISING LIQUID:
Olive oil, enough to come ¼ inch up the side of the skillet
4 whole cloves garlics, peeled
2½ tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup fine, dry, unflavored bread crumbs
½ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper, about 6 twists of the pepper mill
½ cup canned Italian tomatoes, coarsely chopped, with their juice
½ teaspoon finely chopped garlic
¼ cup dry white wine
Clean and prepare the squid.
Chop the squid tentacles very fine. In a bowl, mix them with all the stuffing ingredients until you have a smooth, even mixture. There should be just enough olive oil in the mixture to make it slightly glossy. If it doesn’t have this light surface gloss, add more olive oil.
Divide the stuffing into 6 equal parts and spoon it into the squid sacs. (Do not overstuff, because the squid shrinks as it cooks and too much stuffing may cause it to burst.) Sew up each opening tightly with darning needle and thread—and be sure to put the needle safely away as soon as you are finished using it or it may disappear into the sauce.
Choose a skillet large enough to hold the squid in a single layer and coat the bottom with just enough olive oil to come ¼ inch up the side of the pan. Heat the oil over medium-high heat and sauté the garlic cloves until golden brown. Discard the garlic and put in the stuffed squid. Brown the squid well on all sides, then add the chopped tomatoes with their juice, the chopped garlic, and the wine. Cover tightly and cook over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes. The squid is done when it feels tender at the pricking of a fork.
Remove the squid to a cutting board and allow to settle for a few minutes. Slice away just enough from the sewn-up end to remove the thread and cut the rest into slices ½ inch thick. Arrange the slices on a warm serving platter so that each squid sac is recomposed. Warm up the sauce in the skillet, pour over the sliced squid, and serve immediately.
Note
This dish can be prepared 4 or 5 days ahead of time and refrigerated. Warm it up as follows: Preheat the oven to 300°. Transfer the squid and the sauce to a bake-and-serve dish, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water, and place in the middle level of the oven. Turn and baste the slices as they warm up, being careful that they don’t break up. Serve when warm.
Smoked Herring with Potato Salad
Herring (if dry herrings, soak them 3 days in milk)
Sliced red onions
Sliced carrots
Thyme
Bay leaves
2 cloves
Peppercorns (1 tbsp)
Oil (NOT olive)
Two days before
Drain and pat dry the herring filets.
Put them in a deep pan or large bowl and add layers of onions, carrots, thyme, bay leaves, cloves and pepper.
Cover with oil and refrigerate for two days.
Potato salad
Dressing
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tbsp white wine
6 tbsp oil (NOT olive oil)
Salt
Chives (1 or 2 tbsp)
Boil the potatoes (unpeeled)
When they are done, peel them while they are still warm and slice them.
Add dressing.
Chicken Breast with Dried Tomatoes
For 4 people
4 chicken breasts
1 jar of dried tomatoes in oil (7-8 oz.)
2 tbsp paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
2 tbsp lemon juice
Cut chicken breasts into cubes and put into a bowl with the oil from the tomatoes, adding paprika, cumin, and salt. Lieve for 1 hour.
Before serving, sautée the chicken cubes for 7 or 8 minutes.
Add the sliced tomatoes and continue sautéeing for 1 or 2 more minutes.
Add the lemon juice, stir and remove from the stove.
Add the cilantro and arrange in the serving dish.
Serve with:
Couscous – Put the couscous into a microwave-resistant bowl and add 1 cube of vegetable broth that has been finely chopped.
Add hot water (follow instructions on couscous package)
Put the bowl into a microwave, cover and heat for about 1 minute.
Stir with a fork to mix and add water or couscous as needed.
Add 2 tbsp olive oil and mix.
Scallops with Grated Celery root
3 scallops per person (cut in half)
Grated celery root
Mâche salad greens or baby spinach
Lemon and lime
Corn oil
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
(optional) 1 tbsp crème fraîche
An hour or so before serving:
Put the sliced scallops into a bowl with some olive oil, salt and pepper.
Grate the celery root and put 2 tbsp per person into a bowl.
Add lime juice to the celery root and refrigerate.
Just before serving:
Dressing: salt + lemon juice + corn oill
Sauté the scallops for two minutes on each side.
In each plate, add two tbsp of grated celery root with a bit of corn oil, 2 tbsp of mâche with some dressing and the scallops.
Optional:
Add some crème fraîche to the pan you used to sauté the scallops, reduce (1 minute) and pour on the scallops.
Add some cooked mushrooms.
Steamed Salmon with Scallions and Ginger
nutritional information Nutritional analysis per serving: 156 calories, 6.1 g fat (1.2 g saturated), 1.2 g carbohydrates, 0.2 g fiber, 22.8 g protein
Yield: Makes 8 servings
2 whole fish (about 2 pounds each, such as black sea bass or wild salmon), scaled, gutted, and scored
½ cup sliced scallions (green part only)
2 tablespoons fresh julienned ginger
½ cup soy sauce
¼ cup peanut oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
½ teaspoon sugar
Position oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven. Heat oven to 450°.
Place a long piece of aluminum foil on a large, shallow baking sheet (foil should be longer than sheet); repeat with another baking sheet; place 1 whole fish on each sheet.
Season each fish on both sides with salt and pepper.
Whisk remaining ingredients in a bowl; spoon over each fish.
Seal foil loosely around each fish to create a somewhat roomy pocket.
Bake 10 minutes per inch of thickness of fish at its thickest part (typically 20 to 25 minutes for a 2-inch-thick fish).
Remove foil and serve with juices.
Steamed Fish Cakes
Serve as a starter for 4 (makes about 12 fish cakes)
These fish cakes are really yummy not only because they are filled with a range of aromatic and interesting ingredients but also because they are steamed, which makes them more delicate and cleaner-tasting than deep-fried fish cakes. And the light cucumber and carrot salad gives the whole dish a refreshing, vibrant lift. Use firm white-fleshed fish fillets for this recipe, such as ling, blue eye, snapper, barramundi, mahi mahi, cod, halibut or sea bass.
500g (1 lb) firm,
white-fleshed fish fillets 45 g (1½ oz.) fresh shiitake mushrooms
1 bunch coriander (cilantro) roots and stems
½ small carrot, peeled 1 egg, lightly beaten
¼ cup spring onion (scallion) julienne
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon ginger julienne
1 tablespoon shao hsing wine dry sherry
2 teaspoons corn flour (cornstarch)
2 teaspoons white sugar 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
¼ teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon roasted sesame seeds
5 red chili, finely sliced on the diagonal
Cucumber and Carrot Salad
medium-sized cucumber,
peeled and halved widthways
½ small carrot, peeled
¼ cup spring onion (scallion) julienne
¼ cup coriander (cilantro) sprigs
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
¼ teaspoon sesame oil
First make the fish cakes. Cut fish into strips and then into fine dice. Discard stems from shiitake mushrooms and finely slice the caps. Finely chop coriander roots and stems; you should have about 2 tablespoons. Finely slice carrot lengthways into ribbons and then into a fine julienne. Place carrots in a large bowl with remaining fish cake ingredients except sesame seeds and chili. Mix thoroughly with your hands.
Take ¼ cups of the fish mixture and, using your hands, shape into cakes. Divide cakes between two heatproof plates that will fit inside a double-layered steamer basket. Place plates inside steamer, one in each basket, position over a deep saucepan or wok of boiling water and steam, covered, for 3 minutes. Remove lid and carefully swap plates between baskets. Replace lid and steam for a further 3 minutes or until fish cakes are just cooked through.
Meanwhile, make the salad. Finely slice cucumber and carrot lengthways into ribbons using a vegetable peeler. Cut ribbons into a fine julienne. Combine cucumber and carrot with remaining ingredients and mix well.
Using a spatula, carefully remove fish cakes from steamer and arrange on a platter, discarding any excess liquid. Spoon salad over fish cakes and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve immediately with chili on the side.
Soy Sauce Fish Fillets
Serve as a meal for 4 with steamed rice or as part of a banquet for 4-6
Here is another use of the classic Red Master Stock, with hints of aniseed, cinnamon, soy, ginger, garlic and orange. Lightly poached in this wonderfully intense and interesting stock, fillets offish gain depth and complexity of flavor. Suggested fish for this recipe include salmon, ocean trout, blue eye, Murray cod, red emperor, mahi mahi, barramundi, halibut or sea bass.
4 x 100 g (3½ oz.) fish fillets
1 bok choy, core removed
Red Master Stock
6 cups cold water
¾ cup shao hsing wine or dry sherry
½ cup dark soy sauce
¼ cup light soy sauce
½ cup brown sugar
3 garlic cloves, crushed
¼ cup ginger slices
2 spring onions (scallions), trimmed
and cut in half crossways
¼ teaspoon sesame oil
2 star anise
1 cinnamon quill
2 strips fresh orange zest
Place all stock ingredients in a wide deep pan — about 30 cm (12 in) wide x 5 cm (2 in) deep — and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 40 minutes to allow flavors to infuse.
Lower fish into simmering stock and cover with a cartouche (see page 6) to ensure it is fully submerged. Poach fish gently for exactly 2 minutes; there should be no more than an occasional ripple breaking the surface. Immediately remove pan from the stove and allow fish to steep in the stock for 5 minutes to complete the cooking process.
Meanwhile, separate bok choy leaves and wash thoroughly. Add bok choy to a saucepan of boiling salted water and blanch for 30 seconds or until almost tender. Drain immediately.
Using a slotted spoon, gently remove fish from stock and transfer to a serving bowl. Spoon 2/3 cup of the master stock, along with some whole spices and aromatics, over fish. Top with bok choy and serve immediately.
Steamed Fish Fillets with Ginger and Spring Onions
4 x 100 g (3 ½ oz.) firm white-fleshed fish fillets (bar cod, blue eye, snapper, mahi mahi, cod or sea bass)
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons shao hsing or dry sherry
2 tablespoons ginger julienne
1 Chinese cabbage leaf
½ teaspoon white sugar
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
¼ teaspoon sesame oil
½ cup spring onion (scallion) julienne
1½ tablespoons peanut oil
¼ cup coriander (cilantro) leaves
pinch ground white pepper
Serve as part of a banquet for 4-6
I could eat this dish every night of the week! It is so healthy, light and clean-tasting. The most important thing is to buy the freshest and best-quality fish fillet; the recipe is so simple and refined, the fish is allowed to speak for itself.
You can also make this using 1½ lb whole snapper or sea bass, scaled, cleaned and gutted. Simply increase the initial steaming time to 6-8 minutes, plus 1-2 minutes after the cabbage has been added. My mum often steams a whole snapper to accompany her many wonderful banquets!
1 Place fish in a shallow heatproof bowl that will fit inside a steamer basket. Pour water and wine or sherry over fish, then sprinkle with half the ginger. Place bowl inside steamer and position over a deep saucepan or wok of boiling water and steam, covered, for 5-6 minutes.
2 Cut Chinese cabbage leaf into 4 squares and slip inside steamer. Cover and steam for a further 2-3 minutes, or until cabbage has warmed through and fish is just cooked. The flesh should be white; if it is still translucent, cook for another minute or so.
3 Remove cabbage from steamer and arrange on a serving plate. Using a spatula, carefully remove fish from steamer and place on top of hot cabbage. Pour any liquid left in the bowl over fish, sprinkle with sugar and drizzle with combined soy sauce and sesame oil, then sprinkle with remaining ginger and half the spring onion. Heat peanut oil in a small frying pan until moderately hot, then carefully pour over fish. Sprinkle fish with remaining spring onion, coriander and pepper, and serve immediately.
Salmon (with crème)
Salmon in cubes about 2 or 3 cm
3 tbsp French "creme fraiche" (Wegman) –
1 tbsp mustard (Grey Poupon)
Juice of ½ lemon
Chopped dill -Salt
Some breadcrumbs
Heat oven at 410°F
Put the cubes in an oven proof dish
Mix creme + mustard + lemon juice + dill + salt. Pour on the salmon . Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and bake for 7 or 8 min or until the fish is done.
Salmon (with lemon)
In Oven (410°F)
Put a piece of salmon in an oven dish. Add some olive oil, salt, thyme, and 3 slices of lemon at the top. Cover with an aluminum foil and bake in the oven at 410°F until the fish is done (according to the weight and size of the salmon]
Salmon Pie
1 sheet of puff pastry dough (sheets frozen Pepperridge farm}
Salmon (enough to cover a 9" pie pan] skin removed
Frozen spinach (whole leaves)
1 container of French "creme fraiche" (Wegman’s)
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt (Pepper)
Thaw the spinach in a frying pan at very low heat, until all water has evaporated. Put aside and let cool.
Roll out 2/3 rds of the dough and place it in the pie pan. Punch 7 holes in the dough with a fork.
Spread out spinach on the crust. Sprinkle with salt (pepper). Cover with 5 tbsp of creme fraiche
Cover spinach with pieces of salmon and sprinkle with the lemon juice. Cover with the remaining dough-
Seal by pressing the edges of the cover against the main crust with some water.
Then sprinkle some water on the whole cover, spread the water, and punch 5 holes in the cover with a fork.
Bake 25 min at 410°F
Salmon With Garlic And Bacon
For 4 people, 1 fillet of salmon of 600g with the skin Frozen spinach (whole leaves) 7 cloves of garlic
2 shallots
100 g (30% less fat) bacon cut in strips 1 tbsp butter
Chicken broth (Herbox - Hormel)
1 pink container of French « creme fraiche » (Wegman) Olive oil
3 tbsp Sherry vinegar
Heat oven at 410°F
Let thaw spinach in a fried pan at very low temperature
Put salmon with the skin side up in another fried pan with olive oil and fried for 2 min.
Turn over the salmon (pink side up) add bacon, garlic chopped in strips, and fried for 3 min.
Put the salmon ( pink side up) in an oven dish with all that was in the fried pan (garlic, bacon and oil), cover with an aluminum foil and let bake in the oven for 15 or 20 min.
Meanwhile put chopped shallots in a small pan with the vinegar and let simmer until all vinegar has evaporated
Add 1 glass of water, (veal stock) and creme fraiche, let boil for 2 or 3 min.
Remove from the gas and add butter, turn with a spoon until the butter is melted.
Serve the salmon, bacon and garlic on a bed of spinach with the sauce in a separate bowl.
Last updated
October 25, 2012