Stuffed Fish Scheherazade               

 tags (edit): Bake Easy @Vogel @Try Soon! Main Dish  

 

A distinguished publisher once told us that if one great recipe can be found in a cookbook, it is well worth its price. This, we like to think, is one of those recipes.

Ingredients

-- STUFFING --
1/2 pound Onions peeled, halved, sliced very thin
3 tablespoons Olive oil
1/2 cup Dried currants
3 each Dried apricots coarsely chopped
1/2 cup Lemon juice
1/2 cup Walnuts coarsely chopped
to taste Salt & pepper
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Tumeric
1/2 teaspoon Saffron
1 tablespoon Powdered coriander
4 tablespoons Fresh coriander chopped (if unavailable, use 4 T chopped fresh parsley and increased powdered coriander to 2-3 T)
1 (4-5-pound) Striped bass or any other firm fleshed fish, cleaned with bones removed but left whole
4 each Lemons thinly sliced
1/2 cup Tomato sauce (see page 36 of GOLD AND FIZDALE COOKBOOK)
 

Instructions
 Preheat the oven to 350.

In a heavy skillet over low heat, saute the onions in the oil until translucent but not browned. In a small bowl, soak the currants and apricots in the lemon juice. When the onions are ready, add the currents and apricots, draining off and reserving the lemon juice. Add the walnuts, salt and pepper to taste, cinnamon, tumeric, saffron, and powdered and fresh coriander. Cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in half the lemon juice.

Oil a baking dish. Lightly salt and pepper the fish, inside and out, and lay it on the baking dish on a row of half the lemon slices. Open the fish and fill it with the stuffing. (Any stuffing that does not fit easily into the fish can be baked wrapped in foil or in a small buttered baking dish at the same time as the fish, and served along with it.) Close the fish and fasten it with toothpicks or small skewers. Mix the remaining lemon juice with the tomato sauce and pour it over the fish. Lay a row of overlapping lemon slices along the top. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serve hot, with parsleyed potatoes, or -- equally good -- at room temperature, with a rice salad.

Excellent served with Stuffed Mushrooms (see page 274 of the GOLD AND FIZDALE COOKBOOK). A chilled Muscadet or Sancerre would be a fine accompaniment.

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Yields: 8 Servings
     The Gold and Fizdale Cookbook, page 129

 notes: 

Cuisine:  

Main Ingredient:   Fish