No. 1109

Striped Bass a la Whitney

Bass Raye a la Whitney

Remove the fillets from a striped bass; lift off the skin and pare them half heart-shaped; lay them in a buttered sautoir, season with salt, red pepper, and finely chopped shallots; moisten exactly to their height with a court bouillon and white wine (No. 39); cover with buttered paper, then set it on the fire to cook slowly for twenty-five minutes; drain the liquid from the fish, and reduce it with as much veloute sauce (No. 415) to the consistency of a light sauce, thickening with raw egg-yolks and cream, incorporating also into it a piece of fresh butter. Pare the fillets, dress them crown shaped and garnish the center with lobster escalops, minced truffles and mushrooms. Cover the whole with two-thirds of the sauce, sending the rest to the table in a separate sauce-boat.

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For the Modern Kitchen

A Delmonico's fish course in three parts: gently poached bass, a velouté-based sauce finished with yolks, and a garnish of lobster, truffle and mushroom. The one number to ignore is the cooking time.

Twenty-five minutes is far too longSkinned bass fillets in barely enough liquid to cover will be done in 6 to 10 minutes depending on thickness, at a bare shiver rather than a simmer. Many cooks pull them at 130-135F at the thickest point, though the standard food-safety guideline for fish is 145F.
Sautoir and buttered paperA sautoir is a straight-sided shallow pan, not a sauté pan with flared sides; a wide skillet or small roasting pan works. The buttered paper is a cartouche laid directly on the fish to keep the exposed surfaces moist, not a lid.
The liquid level matters"Moisten exactly to their height" means the poaching liquid comes level with the top of the fillets and no further. Any more and the cuisson will be too dilute to reduce into a sauce without overcooking it.
Court bouillon and veloutéCourt bouillon and veloute -- No. 39 is the court bouillon, used here with white wine as the recipe specifies; No. 415 is a veloute, a white roux-based sauce built on fish or veal stock. A fish veloute is the right choice here. Roughly equal parts reduced cuisson and veloute gives the light sauce he wants.
Finishing with yolksTemper the yolk-and-cream liaison with a little hot sauce, return it off the heat, and hold the sauce below about 180F. Once it boils the yolks curdle and the sauce breaks; the butter goes in last, off the fire, a piece at a time.
Lobster escalopsEscalops are neat diagonal slices of cooked tail meat, warmed in a little butter rather than cooked again. The recipe gives no quantity; one small lobster will fill the centre of the dish.
TrufflesFresh black truffle is the intent. Preserved truffle in a jar is a reasonable stand-in; truffle oil is not, and will overwhelm a sauce this delicate. Sliced sautéed cremini alone make an honest, plainer version.
Yield and platingA 5-6 lb striped bass yields four to six portions. "Crown shaped" means the pared fillets arranged as a ring on a warm platter with the garnish heaped in the well, which is a service dish rather than plated portions.

A Little History

The Epicurean (1894) is Charles Ranhofer's record of thirty-odd years as chef at Delmonico's in New York, and among its recipes, dishes built for, or named after, the patrons and public figures who ate in the dining rooms sit alongside names drawn from places, regions and classical styles. A Whitney in New York in this period points to the family of William C. Whitney, Secretary of the Navy and a fixture of the city's moneyed society, though Ranhofer characteristically records the name and not the occasion. The dish itself is a straight application of the classic fish-poaching method, and striped bass was the natural luxury fish for a New York kitchen, taken in quantity from the Hudson, Long Island Sound and the New Jersey shore.