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Turbans of Fish En Casserole
Prepare slices of halibut or other fish about the size of one's hand, with all bone and skin removed and sufficiently thin to roll easily. Trim all to uniform size, dip each in melted butter or other fat, squeeze over them lemon-juice and onion-juice, and sprinkle with salt. Beginning at the widest end, roll the slice of fish and secure with two toothpicks. Set the turban in a greased and heated casserole and pour in a little stock made by simmering the bones and trimmings of the fish in a little water, together with a few slices each of carrot and onion. Cook in a moderate oven (350 degrees F.) basting occasionally. When done, drain off the liquid and thicken it with flour mixed with cold water. Return to the casserole, and reheat.
A straightforward braise of rolled fish fillets, given without quantities or timing in the original. The main thing to get right is not overcooking the rolls.
- Fish and thicknessSlices about 1/4 inch thick and roughly palm-sized will roll without cracking, as the recipe's "sufficiently thin to roll easily" implies. Sole, flounder, cod loin cut on the bias, or thin-sliced halibut all work.
- Casserole means the panHere "casserole" most likely means a covered earthenware or metal cooking vessel rather than the baked dish the word later came to name. A small Dutch oven or covered oven-safe skillet is a reasonable substitute, greased and preheated as the recipe directs so the rolls set on contact.
- Oven temperatureThe 350F given is accurate for a moderate oven. At that heat rolled fillets need roughly 15 to 20 minutes; pull them at 130 to 135F internal, when the flesh has just turned opaque. Held longer they weep and go dry, which is the usual failure of this dish.
- ToothpicksTwo wooden toothpicks per turban, pushed in at an angle so they do not work loose in the liquid. Count them as you remove them before serving.
- The stockBones and trimmings with a few slices of carrot and onion in water need only 20 to 25 minutes; fish stock turns bitter with long boiling. The recipe calls for only a little stock: enough to baste with and no more, or the sauce will be thin.
- Onion-juiceGrate a peeled onion on the fine side of a box grater and squeeze the pulp in a cloth. A teaspoon is plenty for six slices; more and it dominates the fish.
- ThickeningSlake the flour in cold water to a thin paste before adding it, then simmer the sauce a full two minutes off the fish to cook out the raw taste. About 1 tablespoon flour to a cup of liquid gives a light coating consistency.
- YieldFigure two turbans per person as a main course, one as a first course. Around 1 1/2 lb of trimmed fish serves four.