James Beard's New Fish Cookery (44 page)

CURRIED MUSSELS

Prepare mussels as for mussels mariniére. Remove the mussels from their shells and set aside while you prepare the sauce.

5 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons chopped onion

1 clove garlic, chopped

4 tablespoons flour

1 cup mussel broth

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 teaspoon salt

Few grains of cayenne pepper

Melt the butter in a large skillet and sauté the onion and garlic until just soft. Add the flour, mix well, and let it cook gently for a minute or two. Gradually stir in the mussel broth; continue stirring until the sauce is thickened. Add the cream slowly; add the seasonings and taste to be sure there is enough curry. Finally add the mussels and let them heat through. Serve with steamed rice, crisp fried onions, and chutney.

STEAMED MUSSELS

Place 2 quarts mussels with 1 cup water in a saucepan. Cover and steam over low heat until the mussels open. Taste the broth for salt. Serve the mussels with the broth and a little melted butter. This dish lacks the rich flavor of mussels steamed over white wine, but some people prefer this method.

MUSSELS CREOLE

Prepare 2 quarts of mussels as for mussels marinière. Remove the mussels from the shells and set aside while you prepare the sauce.

1 medium onion, finely chopped

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons chopped celery

4 tablespoons chopped green pepper

2/3 cup tomato sauce

1 cup mussel broth

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/4 cup chopped parsley

Pinch of thyme

Sauté the onion in the butter and olive oil. Add the celery, pepper, tomato sauce, and broth and simmer for 30 minutes. Add more broth if the sauce gets too thick. Add the garlic, parsley, and thyme, and taste for seasoning. Finally add the mussels. Serve with steamed rice or risotto.

BARBECUED MUSSELS

2 quarts mussels, steamed as for mussels mariniére

4 tablespoons chili sauce

Few grains of cayenne pepper

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

2 tablespoons whiskey

Salt (if needed)

Beurre manié (page 475)

Chopped parsley

Steam the mussels as for mussels marinière. Remove the empty half shell. Strain the broth, put it over high heat, and reduce it by half. Add the chili sauce, cayenne, garlic, and whiskey. Taste for salt and thicken with a little beurre manié. Pour over the mussels and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve with plenty of toasted French bread.

STUFFED MUSSELS PROVENÇALE

Prepare 2 quarts of mussels as for mussels mariniére. Remove the empty half shell. Blend together:

6 finely chopped shallots
or
green onions

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 cup chopped parsley

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 pound butter

1 egg yolk

1/2 cup bread crumbs

When all this is well blended, spoon it into the shells containing the mussels. Sprinkle with additional crumbs. Arrange in a baking pan with a little white wine in the bottom. Bake in a 400° oven until the sauce is melted and delicately browned.

MUSSELS IN CREAM

Wash and beard 2 quarts of mussels. Place them in a saucepan with a finely chopped onion, a branch of celery, and a sprig of parsley. Add 2 cups water, cover the pan, and steam until the mussels open. Remove the mussels from the shells and keep them warm.

Prepare 11/2 cups of sauce béchamel (page 23), using some of the mussel broth. Season well and add the mussels. Serve in patty shells, over rice, or on mounds of mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with paprika and chopped parsley.

MUSSEL FRITTERS

Prepare mussels as for mussels in cream. Heat fat or oil to 360° for deep-fat frying. Prepare beer batter (page 99), dip each mussel into the batter, and fry in the hot fat for 3 to 5 minutes, or until nicely browned. Serve with tartar sauce (pages 35–36).

SPAGHETTI WITH MUSSEL SAUCE

See spaghetti with clam sauce, page 368.

Oysters

Many gourmets, or so-called gourmets, tell you that to eat an oyster in any fashion except directly from the shell is to show ignorance of gastronomic tradition and the rules of good taste. This is nonsense. While there may be nothing quite so wonderful as a freshly opened oyster with just a squirt of lemon juice on it, still there are many delightful ways to eat these mollusks cooked.

The American oyster was a staple in the diet of our coast Indians, and the great piles of shells found in many areas along our shores are evidence of the magnitude of Indian appetites. And because the popularity of oysters has continued so strongly among those of us who have more recently taken over this continent, most of the natural oyster beds are gone. We must rely now on cultivated beds. Over 90 million pounds of oysters are consumed in this country every year, and that is quite a few oysters.

Even so, we are actually sissies when it comes to eating oysters. Our grandfathers ate them by the gross, not the dozen. It was once commonplace for people to eat several dozen just as a first course. Today, in most European cities, a dozen oysters are considered a portion, rather than the half dozen usually served here.

There is great variety in types of oysters. Those from separate beds in the same area, such as Long Island, have decidedly different flavors, as you can readily find out for yourself by a comparative tasting of them. They contain different quantities of salt
^*
or have different degrees of coppery flavor. Some are fat and plump, others are thin and very flat. The tiny Olympia oyster of the Pacific Coast has a most distinctive flavor, as have certain Eastern oysters that have been transplanted to the Pacific. The Chincoteagues of Chesapeake Bay have their unique qualities. Then there are the Japanese oysters that have been planted along the Western coastline. These are giants — so large no one would dare try to eat them on the half shell.

But no matter what sort of oyster you select or how you choose to prepare it, you are eating great gourmet fare.

OYSTERS ON THE HALF SHELL

By far the most common way to serve oysters is raw. Unfortunately, someone who was certainly no oyster lover started serving what is now known far and wide as “cocktail sauce” — usually nothing more than a fantastic mixture of tomato sauce, chili sauce, horseradish, and other condiments. This is my pet abomination. A sauce of this kind entirely destroys the delicate flavor of the oyster. A freshly opened oyster, served on the half shell in a bed of ice, needs only a little squirt of lemon juice, and perhaps some freshly ground pepper. The only tolerable variation is the addition of a dab of caviar. Some gourmets will allow sauce mignonette — a combination of pepper, vinegar, and a little shallot. Don’t forget to drink the juice in the bottom of the shell — never waste it.

The usual portion is 6 oysters to a person. If they are medium-sized, serve 12. And you may figure that the average diner can eat 36 to 48 of the tiny Olympias. Always be sure that they are icy cold and serve them on ice so they will stay that way.

With all oyster dishes used as a first course, serve thin — paper-thin — slices of delicate rye or pumpernickel bread heavily buttered. A brisk dry white wine, such as a fine Chablis or a Pouilly Fuisse, is excellent with oysters. Some people prefer a light beer, and beer does do a wonderful job of complementing all seafoods and fish.

OYSTERS WITH COCKTAILS OR CHAMPAGNE

1. Several times in this country and many times in France I have been served oysters on the half shell with cocktails. Huge platters of them were passed and each guest helped himself.

2. Open-faced oyster sandwiches are another treat. Butter well some rounds of pumpernickel bread, spread with finely chopped onion, place a raw oyster on each, and top it with a dab of caviar. Superb!

3. Butter some pumpernickel rounds, spread lightly with anchovy paste, and top with a raw oyster. Delicious with cocktails.

4. Small oysters perfectly fried (see fried oysters, page 434) and served on fried toast rounds are wonderful hot tidbits with either cocktails or champagne. But they must be piping hot. You can spread the toast with anchovy paste before topping with the oyster if you wish.

5. Another unforgettable hot snack is creamed oysters in tiny patty shells. Make the shells yourself or order them from your favorite bakery. Use a rich Hollandaise (pages 25–26) or a curry sauce (pages 22, 29) for the oysters.

6. Any of the recipes for stuffed oysters (pages 40, 421–423) may be served with cocktails if you pass small plates and forks so your guests can manage this food easily.

HUTTRES FARCIES CASENAVE

6 shallots
(or
green onions), finely chopped

1/2 cup chopped parsley

1/4 cup chopped chervil

3 ounces butter

12 oysters on the half shell

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Rock salt

Mix the herbs and shallots or onions with the butter, and top each oyster with a spoonful of the mixture. Salt and pepper to taste and bake on a bed of rock salt in a 475° oven for 4 or 5 minutes, or until the oysters are just heated through.

These may be run under the broiler instead, but be careful not to overcook them.

OYSTERS ROCKEFELLER

There are as many recipes for this dish as there are for bread. This may not be the original recipe, but it makes a delicious treat. In the old days it was necessary to pound the ingredients for the sauce in a mortar — a very tiring job — but with today’s electric mixers or a food processor, oysters Rockefeller is a simple treat to prepare.

1/4 cup chopped shallots
or
green onions

1/4 cup chopped celery

1 teaspoon chopped chervil

1/3 cup chopped fennel

1/3 cup chopped parsley

1/2 pound butter

2 cups watercress

1/3 cup bread crumbs

1/3 cup Pernod
or
anisette

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Cayenne pepper

2 dozen oysters on the half shell

Sauté the onion, celery, and herbs in 3 tablespoons of the butter for 3 minutes. Add the watercress and just let it wilt. Put this mixture with the rest of the butter, the bread crumbs, and the Pernod or anisette in the blender. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and a few grains of cayenne. Blend for 1 minute. Put about 1 tablespoon of this on each oyster, place the oysters on beds of rock salt in individual containers, and dampen the salt slightly. Bake at 450° to 475° for about 4 minutes, or until the butter is melted and the oysters heated through.

NOTE
: Tin pie plates are excellent for baking this dish.

OYSTERS KIRKPATRICK

There are as many versions of this as there are of the famous Rockefeller recipe. This is my choice:

24 oysters on the half shell

1/2 cup finely chopped onions
or
shallots

1 tablespoon chopped green pepper

3 tablespoons butter

2/3 cup tomato catsup

Chopped parsley

Bacon

Arrange oysters on the half shell on beds of rock salt. Sauté the onion and green pepper in the butter. Mix this with the catsup. Put a spoonful on each oyster, sprinkle with parsley, and top with a partially cooked piece of bacon. Place in a 450° oven just long enough to brown the bacon and heat the oysters.

VARIATIONS

1. Sprinkle grated cheese over the top, dot with butter, and top with the piece of bacon.

2. Simply spoon tomato catsup or chili sauce over the oysters and top with crumbs and the piece of bacon.

3. Cover the oysters with chopped green onion, tomato catsup, and top with pieces of partially cooked bacon. Bake in a 450° oven just long enough to brown the bacon and heat the oysters.

OYSTERS REMICK

36 oysters on the half shell

2 cups mayonnaise

4 tablespoons chili sauce

1/4 teaspoon paprika

Few grains cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon prepared mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup bread crumbs

Bacon

Place the oysters on beds of rock salt. Mix the mayonnaise and the seasonings and spoon it over the oysters. Sprinkle with buttered crumbs and top with pieces of partially cooked bacon. Bake in a 450° oven for 4 or 5 minutes, then place under the broiler for 3 minutes — just until the edges curl.

OYSTERS AU GRATIN

Arrange oysters on the half shell on beds of rock salt. Add a dash of lemon juice to each oyster, cover with fine bread crumbs, a little melted butter, and a sprinkling of cayenne pepper. Bake in a 450° oven for a few minutes — just until the edges curl and the oysters are heated through. Sprinkle with chopped parsley just before you serve.

OYSTERS FLORENTINE

This is certainly a forerunner of the famous oysters Rockefeller, for it’s a very old recipe — no one knows when it was introduced.

Poach oysters in their own liquor, with a little white wine added, just long enough for the edges to curl. Arrange oyster shells on a baking sheet and place a spoonful of chopped cooked spinach in each shell. Put an oyster on each spinach bed and top with sauce Mornay (page 22). Sprinkle with a little grated cheese and run under the broiler for a minute or two to melt the cheese and brown slightly.

OYSTERS BRETON

Remove the oysters from their shells and arrange the shells in a baking dish or pans filled with rock salt. In each shell put a spoonful of chopped lobster meat which has been heated in butter and cream. On top of this place an oyster and cover with a heavy béchamel (page 23) to which you have added more chopped lobster. Sprinkle with crumbs and brown under the broiler. Meanwhile sauté and equal number of oysters — dip them in egg and crumbs and brown quickly in butter. Just before serving top each oyster shell with a sautéed oyster and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

CURRIED OYSTERS

3 cups sauce béchamel (page 23)

12 shrimp, finely chopped