The Essential James Beard Cookbook by James Beard Read Free Book Online Page B

slices, for serving
    To prepare the gravlax: Using tweezers or pincers, remove all of the tiny pinbones from each fillet. Place one fillet, skin side down, in a large dish or casserole in which it can lie flat. Combine the salt, sugar, and peppercorns and rub the flesh of the salmon very well with half of this mixture. Place the dill sprigs on top. Rub the rest of the salt-sugar-peppercorn mixture into the flesh of the second piece of salmon and place over the dill, skin side up, sandwiching the fillets together. Cover the salmon with aluminum foil, then put a board or a large plate on top and weigh this down with canned goods. Refrigerate for 36 to 48 hours, turning the salmon over each day so that it cures evenly, and basting with the liquid that accumulates from the curing process. Each time, weigh it down again.
    About 4 hours before the fish is done, make the sweet mustard sauce: Put the oil, German mustard, sugar, vinegar, and dry mustard in a small bowl and beat well with a whisk until it has the consistency of a thin mayonnaise (the mustard thickens the liquid). Mix in the dill and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours before serving to allow the flavors to mellow.
    At the end of the curing time, remove the fish from the liquid, scrape away the dill and seasonings, and dry the fillets well on paper towels. To serve, place on a carving board (I like to put a bouquet of dill at one end, parsley at the other, as a garnish) and slice thickly on the diagonal, detaching the flesh from the skin as you do so. Serve with the sweet mustard sauce and buttered rye bread as an appetizer or a main course for luncheon or supper, or with other fish dishes on a cold buffet.
    BRANDADE OF COD
    MAKES 6 SERVINGS
    A specialty of Nîmes in Provence, this gloriously garlicky, creamy paste is without doubt one of the greatest and most exciting of all salt-cod dishes. Serve it warm in a mound and eat with fried toast as a first or main course.
1 pound poached salt cod (see instructions here ), finely flaked
2 ⁄ 3 cup olive oil
1 ⁄ 3 cup heavy cream
2 garlic cloves, crushed
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Fried toast, for serving
    Remove any bits of bone from the flaked codfish. Heat the oil and cream separately in small saucepans. Pound or work the fish and the garlic to a paste, either with a mortar and pestle, a blender, a food processor, or a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, adding the warm oil and cream alternately by the spoonful as you do so. When the oil and cream are completely absorbed and the mixture has the consistency of mashed potatoes, season with the pepper and heap in a serving dish. Serve warm, surrounded with triangles of fried toast (bread fried in olive oil).
    SEVICHE
    MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
    This spicy Latin American dish of pickled fish “cooked” in lime juice is delicious served with cocktails or as a first course. If you wish, substitute tiny raw bay scallops, raw crabmeat, or raw red snapper fillets for the sole. You may also add slices of avocado and whole kernel corn (sliced from freshly cooked ears) to the sauce.
1½ pounds firm sole fillets, cut into thin strips about ½ inch wide
1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup finely chopped scallions, white and green parts
¼ cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons finely chopped canned, peeled green chilies
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Dash of Tabasco
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
    Arrange the fish strips in a baking dish and pour the lime juice over them. Refrigerate for 4 hours, by which time the citrus juice will have turned the fish opaque and made it firm. Drain off the lime juice; combine the remaining ingredients (except the fresh cilantro) and pour over the fish, tossing the pieces lightly in the mixture. Chill for a half hour, then sprinkle with the chopped cilantro and serve. [Editor: Substitute 1 tablespoon jalapeño or serrano chiles for