BAKED FISH
Good-sized fish, that is, fish weighing 4 or 5 pounds, are usually baked. When
prepared by this method, fish are very satisfactory if they are spread out on a pan, flesh side up, and
baked in a very hot oven with sufficient fat to flavor them well. A fish of large size, however, is
especially delicious if its cavity is filled with a stuffing before it is baked.
When a fish is to be stuffed, any desired stuffing is prepared and then filled into the fish in the manner
shown in Fig. 18. With the cavity well filled, the edges of the fish are drawn together over the stuffing
and sewed with a coarse needle and thread, as Fig. 19 shows.
Whether the fish is stuffed or not, the same principles apply in its baking as apply in the roasting of
meat; that is, the heat of a quick, hot oven sears the flesh, keeps in the juices, and prevents the loss of
flavor, while that of a slow oven causes the loss of much of the flavor and moisture and produces a less
tender dish.
Often, in the baking of fish, it is necessary to add fat. This may be done by putting fat of some
kind into the pan with the fish, by spreading strips of bacon over the fish, or by larding it. In the dry
varieties of fish, larding, which is illustrated in Fig. 20, proves very satisfactory, for it supplies the
substance in which the fish is most lacking. As will be observed, larding is done by inserting strips of
bacon or salt pork that are about 3 inches long and 1/4 inch thick into gashes cut into the sides of the
fish.
BAKED HADDOCK.
As haddock is a good-sized fish, it is an especially suitable one for
baking. However, it is a dry fish, so fat should be added to it to improve its flavor. Any of the methods
suggested in Art. 44 may be used to supply the fat that this fish needs.
When haddock is to be baked, select a 4 or 5-pound fish, clean it thoroughly, boning it if desired, and
sprinkle it inside and out with salt. Fill the cavity with any desired stuffing and sew up. Place in a
dripping pan, and add some bacon fat or a piece of salt pork, or place several slices of bacon around it.
Bake in a hot oven for about 1 hour. After it has been in the oven for about 15 minutes, baste with the fat
that will be found in the bottom of the pan and continue to baste every 10 minutes until the fish is done.
Remove from the pan to a platter, garnish with parsley and slices of broiled bacon, and serve with any
desired sauce.
BAKED HALIBUT.
Because of its size, halibut is cut into slices and sold in the form of steaks.
It is probably one of the most economical varieties of fish to buy, for very little bone is contained in a
slice and the money that the housewife expends goes for almost solid meat. Halibut slices are often
sautéd, but they make a delicious dish when baked with tomatoes and flavored with onion, lemon, and
bay leaf, as described in the accompanying recipe.
BAKED HALIBUT
(Sufficient to Serve Six)
2 c. tomatoes
Few slices onion
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 thin slices bacon
1 Tb. flour
2 lb. halibut steak
Heat the tomatoes, onion, and bay leaf in water. Add the salt and pepper and cook for a few minutes.
Cut the bacon into small squares, try it out in a pan, and into this fat stir the flour. Pour this into the hot
mixture, remove the bay leaf, and cook until the mixture thickens. Put the steaks into a baking dish, pour
the sauce over them, and bake in a slow oven for about 45 minutes. Remove with the sauce to a hot
platter and serve
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