Scalloped Fish
Use the remnants of cold boiled or baked fish; if baked, use the stuffing and any of the sauce for moistening. Remove all bones and skin, and flake the fish.
Into a well-buttered baking-dish put a layer of fish, a layer of stuffing, then one of well-buttered bread crumbs, moistening with cream sauce, or sweet cream, well seasoned with salt and cayenne. Fill the dish with layers of fish and crumbs, covering with crumbs well buttered. Bake until nicely browned.
A leftover dish rather than a formal recipe: the quantities are whatever you have. The only real decisions are how much liquid to add and how hot to bake it.
- Oven temperatureThe original gives none. Bake at 375F, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes, until the top is browned and the centre is steaming hot throughout. Reheated cooked fish should reach 165F at the middle.
- How much fishA pint of flaked cooked fish (about 12 oz) fills a 1-quart dish and serves three or four. Firm white fish, salmon and smoked haddock all work; very oily fish can turn strong on a second cooking.
- Moisture is the hingeFlaked cooked fish and dry crumbs will absorb far more liquid than you expect. Use roughly 1 cup of cream sauce or cream per pint of fish, and moisten each layer as you go rather than pouring it all over the top, which leaves a dry base and a soggy crust.
- Cream sauceA basic bechamel: 2 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons flour, 1 cup milk or half cream. It holds the dish together better than plain cream, which can break or run thin at oven heat.
- Buttered crumbsFresh soft crumbs from day-old bread, tossed with melted butter (about 2 tablespoons per cup) until every crumb is coated. Unbuttered crumbs scorch in patches instead of browning evenly.
- CayennePeriod seasoning for fish and used with a light hand: a pinch, not a measured spoonful. Lemon juice, a little dry mustard or chopped parsley are all in keeping if you want more.
- The stuffingOnly relevant if the fish was baked with a bread stuffing. Without it, simply alternate fish and crumbs; the layer count matters less than the buttering.
- LeftoversFish that has already been cooked and chilled should be used within two days and reheated once only. If it smells at all strong or ammoniac, discard it rather than baking it.