Salmon Cookbook

The rich variety of McNair's salmon selections and their artful presentation belie the recipes' ease of preparation and the accessibility of ingredients. Concise, explicit directions are proffered for preparing the versatile, nutritious fish, which can be cooked whole, with head and tail removed, or as steaks or fillets, utilizing assorted methods: poaching and steaming; baking, roasting and sauteeing; grilling, barbecuing and broiling; smoking and curing. Featured are a majestic cold-poached whole salmon covered with herbed mayonnaise and paper-thin cucumber slices; hearty salmon-and-corn chowder and elegant bisque; steamed salmon served warm with sorrel cream, or cold with remoulade sauce; salmon wrapped in parchment or in corn husks with scallops; smoked salmon pate piped onto endive with pastry bag; gravlax; and the elaborate coulibiac, a Russian brioche. Sauces and seasonings receive thorough treatment, and exquisite, full-color photographs accompany each of some 35 recipes. (October)