Main Ingredients:

See below ingredients and instructions of the recipe

Cooking Preparation of the Recipe:

1/2 lb Cold cooked salmon or trout 1 1/2 oz Flour
- (sea or river trout) 1/2 pt Whole milk
1/2 lb Florentine fennel 1/4 pt Fish stock
- (trimmed weight) Lemon juice
1/2 lb Steaky bacon Dijon mustard
2 oz Butter Toasted or fried breadcrumbs

Serves 8 as an appetizer, or 3-4 as a main course.

Trim the fennel in the usual way, scraping away fibrous threads with a
potato peeler, or remove and discard the outer layers if they are
tired-looking or tough. Chop the flesh into small chunks and toss in 1/2
oz melted butter. Half cover the pan and leave to cook gently for 10
minutes just shaking the pan occasionally. Add the bacon, cut into
snippets, increase heat and cook, stirring frequently, for several minutes
until the bacon is cooked and the fennel is steaked with gold. Season with
a good squeeze of lemon and plenty of pepper, and set aside to cool before
mixing with the fish, which should be broken into large chunks.

Make a sauce with 1-1/2 oz each butter and flour, the milk and the stock,
and simmer gently, half covered, for about 10 minutes. Away from the heat,
season with scant 1 teaspoon mustard, a little salt and plenty of pepper.
Gently fold in the fish mixture and divide between 8 small scallop shells
or cocottes or put it all into one large gratin dish. Cover with foil and
reheat in the oven straight away, or if preparing ahead, set aside in a
cool place until close to serving time. If the mixture is cold when it
goes into the oven, it will probably need 25 minutes or so at 425 F (220 C)
gas mark 7 to become thoroughly heated through. Stand the dish(es) on a
pre-heated baking sheet to help speed things up. When thoroughly hot,
remove the foil and sprinkle the fish mixture generously with freshly
toasted or fried breadcrumbs immediately before serving.

Source: Philippa Davenport in "Country Living" (British), June 1987. Typed
for you by Karen Mintzias

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