Whitefish, Pimentade Sauce

A plain broiled fillet whose whole character comes from the seasoning and the sauce served alongside. Ranhofer gives no quantities, so the judgment is all in the heat and the timing.

• Lavaret and whitefishLavaret is a European lake whitefish of the genus Coregonus, close kin to the Great Lakes whitefish an American cook would have used. Any firm, mild, oily-fleshed lake fish works; lake trout or Arctic char are the nearest substitutes now.
• Sweet oil"Sweet oil" in nineteenth-century American kitchens means olive oil, "sweet" indicating fresh rather than rancid. Use a mild olive oil rather than a peppery finishing one, which will scorch and turn bitter under the broiler.
• A slow fireBroiling here means a grill over coals, not a modern overhead broiler at full blast; the recipe asks for a slow fire. Keep the heat low to moderate, roughly 3 to 4 minutes a side for a half-inch fillet; whitefish is delicate and goes dry the moment it flakes freely.
• Raising the fillets"Raise" is simply to fillet. Pin bones run down the centre line of whitefish and should be pulled with tweezers, and the skin left on gives the fillet something to hold together with on the grate.
• NutmegNutmeg on fish reads oddly today but recurs throughout Ranhofer's seasonings, generally with a very light hand alongside the salt and pepper called for here. A few scrapes over the pair of fillets is enough.
• Pimentade sauceThe recipe sends you to Ranhofer's Sauce No. 521, a pepper-based sauce not given on this page; the fish itself is seasoned lightly, so the sauce carries the dish. Serve it in a boat, not spooned over, or the crust from the grill is lost.
• YieldTwo fillets from one whitefish of 2 to 3 lb will serve two as a main course, or four as one course in a longer meal. Ranhofer gives no yield.