Baked fish, manila style

1 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
1 Fine 5-lb fish; red snapper best
1 cup Grated mild cheese
1 cup Milk
6 tablespoons Butter
¼ cup Sherry or Madeira
1 small Garlic clove; crushed
3 cups Cashew nuts; chopped
3 Limes; juice; or 1 1/2 lemon
1 cup Bread crumbs; dry, fine
½ teaspoon Grated nutmeg
1 small Onion; scraped pulp
2 Bayleaves; rubbed fine

Directions

I have a number of old cookbooks with one going back to it's first publishing in 1908. Here is a recipe from "The Gentleman's Companion, Vol 1, Exotic Cookery Book" 1946 edition, first published in 1939, by Charles H. Baker, Jr. Most of the recipes are in narrative with anecdotes about how the author found the recipes around the world.

One secret is that fish is painted inside and out with lime juice, salted lightly, and iced that way for at least 4 hours before cooking. Take well greased baking dish; dispose fish on bottom. Mix chopped nuts with cheese, garlic pulp and onion, moistening with milk to make stiff paste. Salt and cayenne to taste, and all seasonings. Then spread your fish with this toothsome blanket, and cover with dry fine bread crumbs. On this put generous walnuts of butter and brown in medium oven around 350 to 375 Fahrenheit, basting well. Chopped almonds, Brazils, hazelnuts or pecans do equally well, but the cashew is traditional in the Philippines.

Posted to KitMailbox Digest by CathCooks <CathCooks@...> on Jan 18, 1998

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