The Compact Book of Fish and Game Cookery by Lawton Carver (Coquilles St. Jacques)

This little gem of a cookbook was published in 1966 by Lawton Carver, a sports writer turned food editor and restaurateur who wrote his food works under the pen name “Prudence Penny.”

The Compact Book of Fish and Game Cookery features recipes from all kinds of game: small game (rabbit, hare, squirrel; big game deer, moose, elk, caribou, bear); upland game birds (quail, grouse, turkey, woodcock, dove, pheasant); and waterfowl (wild duck, goose, snipe, rail).

Carver dedicates a chapter to Fish: Salt water and Fresh with all kinds of recipes that are separated by type of dish rather than ingredient: Chowder, Bisque, Gumbo, Etc.; Stews; and From the Oven (which includes sauteed and fried fish dishes). This chapter has fresh and saltwater species: lobster, clams, shrimp, oysters, crab, calamari, and many recipes for finfish that can be interchanged with whatever fish you landed.

He was also a proponent for fresh foods, and no excuses can be made when you are cooking:

Also, there is no word more abused on some menus than “fish” in the way they are prepared, but, on the whole, fish suffers less from bad cooking than most items. The main fault to be found is that the fish is not always as fresh as it should be and in too many places it is presented with too little imagination.

In this age of the quick-freeze and an estimated 60,000,000 sport anglers besides the commercial fisherman, there is no excuse for anything except excellent fish in the home kitchen and the best kind for the dish you plan to cook.

Bay Scallops Recipe: Coquilles St. Jacques

Like all Carver’s recipes, they are classic using fresh ingredients. Here is his recipe for Coquilles St. Jacques, a well-known recipe for fresh scallops.

Ingredients

  

• 1 pound bay scallops cut in quarters
• 1/4 pound mushrooms chopped coarsely
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 pinch thyme
• 1 small bay leaf
• 5 teaspoons butter
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon onion minced
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Bread crumbs for topping
• Soft butter for topping

Instructions

 

• Wash and drain scallops, and simmer for 10 minutes in wine, lemon juice, salt, pepper, thyme, bay leaf, and onion. Add in the mushrooms, and simmer another two minutes.
• In another small saucepan, mix butter and flour over low heat without browning, and strain into the roux the liquid from the scallops. Add in the cream and parsley, stirring until smooth and thick. Pour most of the sauce back into the scallops and mushrooms.
• Spoon some of the scallop mixture onto scallop shells, and spread a little reserved sauce over the top. Cover with a little bread crumbs and a small chunk of softened butter.
• Brown under a broiler, and serve immediately.

Notes

Notes: Adapted from The Compact Book of Fish and Game Cookery.

Book Info

• Title:The Compact Book of Fish and Game Cookery by Lawton Carver.
  
• Publisher:Gramercy; 1966.
  
• Library of Congress: 66-25569
  
• Notes:Hardcover and softcover versions available.
  
• Find it on Amazon: The Compact Book of Fish and Game Cookery by Lawton Carver.
• Find it on Book Depository:

This book is my personal library.

Enjoy,
Renee Shelton
Succotash Book Reviews
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