icing, and more 



uniform standards for measuring consumer prefer- 

 ences. 



But croaker is getting more of a workout than 

 that. The Nutrition Leaders — Mrs. Avery and 11 

 other women who represent various Carteret 

 County clubs and serve as the Seafood Lab's link 

 between scientists and consumers — have snuck 

 croaker into a nutritious pizza using the flaking 

 method. The process is to steam just about any 

 bony, unpopular fish (head and all) to get just 

 about all the meat off the bones and then use it in 

 anything from the pizza sauce to meatloaf to salad. 

 The idea is to camouflage the fish, as Mrs. Avery 

 says, but also to make fish more manageable, 

 stretch more expensive seafoods and meats and get 

 more protein per food dollar. 



The same principle applies to similar work the 

 women have done with such species as shad, a once 

 popular bony fish that's fallen into disrepute; and 

 such unknowns as cobia and amberjack, which are 

 frequently discarded by sportsfishermen (who are, 

 by the way, estimated to get more than 25 percent 

 of the state's catch). 



Some hints from the Seafood Lab on 

 getting the most out of that fish: 



— It isn't necessary to gut small- to 

 medium-sized fish before freezing in plastic 

 wrap. In fact, fish frozen "in the round" 

 and then partially thawed is much easier 

 to dress. 



— Whenever possible, use the glaze 

 recipe on page 5 to lock in flavors and lock 

 out air. 



— And quick chill and superchill (p. 5) 

 to protect your catch from deterioration. 



— To thaw small- to medium-sized fish 

 frozen whole and enhance the flavor, soak 

 it in a solution of 5 Tsp. of salt and one 

 quart of water for about 30 minutes. Thaw 

 fillets the same way in about 15 minutes. 

 In either case, no further salting is neces- 

 sary. 



— In deciding how to cook a fish that's 

 been frozen, remember that freezing doesn't 

 seem to affect taste but it does affect tex- 

 ture. 



— If you use a microwave oven, remem- 

 ber that fish will require less liquid and 

 butter. Also, a uniform thickness helps. 

 The microwave is good for sauce dishes 

 and thawing, the Seafood Lab has found, 

 but won't give crispness. 



Waste not, want not, the saying goes. And who- 

 ever first said it could have been thinking of flaked 

 fish. The UNC Sea Grant Seafood Lab's method 

 of steaming and flaking can be used on just about 

 any fish. And when it's done, there isn't much left 

 for the trash except the bones. 



To flake fish and make fish broth: 



1. Get a fish that's been scaled, headed and 

 gutted. Keep the heads, removing only the gills. 

 Be sure the body cavity has been completely clear- 

 ed of membrane and blood streak. 



2. In a large pot, melt V* stick of butter and 

 saute for 10 minutes pieces of carrot, onion, celery 

 tops, a bay leaf, garlic and spices to taste. 



3. Then add fish and heads on top of vegetables. 

 Add enough water to half submerge the fish, cover 

 and boil for about 40 minutes. Then remove the 

 fish. 



4. Allow fish to cool , scrape off skin, shake meat 

 from backbone. 



5. Fish flakes, now ready to use in pizza sauce, 

 meatloaf, salad, crab cakes or what-have-you, 

 should be checked for small bones. 



6. To finish the broth for chowder, sauces and 

 other dishes, return backbones and skin to pot. 

 Cover and continue cooking for Vi hour. Use a 

 potato masher to squeeze broth from solids. Dis- 

 card the solids and pour liquid into a saucepan. 

 Reduce volume from x h to V&, cool in refrigerator 

 until broth congeals. 



7. Remove solid fat layer from top and unsightly 

 material from bottom. And the broth is ready for 

 use or storage. 



NOTE: For flakes in a hurry and no fancy broth, 

 steam fish in water only. 



Try some of these fish flake and broth recipes: 



I 



Chowder 

 1 Vi cups fish flakes 

 1 Vi cups clams chopped 



6 medium white potatoes, diced 



5 cups water 



6 Tbsp. melted margarine 

 1 medium onion, diced 



salt and pepper to taste 



1 cup fish broth 



★ ★ 



Crab-Fish Imperial 



2 cups toasted bread crumbs 

 (prepared from sliced white bread 

 toasted dark) 



2 eggs 



3 Tbsp. mayonnaise 



2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 

 1 small onion, minced 



juice of Vi lemon with scraping from 



rind 



1 stick margarine, melted 

 l h Tsp. parsley 



salt and pepper to taste 

 1 cup fish flakes 

 1 cup crab meat 



paprika 



1 cup fish broth 

 20 crab cases 



★ ★ 



Stuffed Clam 



2 cups toasted bread crumbs 



2 eggs 



3 Tbsp. mayonnaise 



2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 

 1 small onion, grated 



juice of l h lemon with scraping from 



rind 



1 Vt cups of fish flakes 

 1 cup fish broth 

 1 stick margarine, melted 

 Vz Tsp. parsley 



salt and pepper to taste 

 paprika 



10 ounces of minced clams (reserve 

 liquid) 



20 hard clam shells — about 4" in 

 diameter 



Combine fish flakes, clams, potatoes, 

 water, margarine and onion. Bring to boil- 

 ing point. Add salt, pepper and fish broth. 

 Cook until potatoes are done. (Clams will 

 get tough if over-cooked.) 



★ ★ 



Wash and boil the crab cases. Toast bread 

 and place in blender until ground fine. Mix, 

 in a large bowl, bread crumbs, eggs, mayon- 

 naise, Worcestershire sauce, grated onion, 

 lemon juice, margarine, parsley, salt and 

 pepper. Mix in crab meat, fish flakes and 

 fish broth. Stuff mixture into crab cases. 

 Sprinkle with paprika and bake in 250° 

 oven for 25-30 minutes or until slightly 

 browned on top. 



★ ★ 



Wash and boil 20 hard clam shells. Toast 

 bread and place in blender until ground 

 fine. Mix, in a large bowl, bread crumbs, 

 eggs, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, 

 grated onion, lemon juice, margarine, pars- 

 ley and pepper. Add clams, fish flakes and 

 fish broth to mixture. Use liquid drained 

 from clams to adjust the consistency to 

 something resembling bread dough. Stuff 

 mixture into clam shells. Sprinkle with 

 paprika. Bake in 350° oven for 25-30 min- 

 utes or until slightly browned on top. 



