Fresh American lamb is the best kind to use; I find that New Zealand lamb has a slightly muttony flavour. I ask my butcher to bone and butterfly the leg of lamb for me. This simply means that he removes the bone and cuts the leg open. My butcher is always happy to give me the bones and the trimmings. From these, I make a stock and add the stock to the marinade to make more sauce.
When I get my lamb home, I retrim it to get all the fat off. I also cut the sinews from the bottom of the leg and add them to the stock. The leg of lamb may be trimmed and marinated the day before serving. Keep it well covered in the refrigerator.

This recipe calls for fresh lemon juice and fresh garlic. If you have fresh rosemary, great! If not, Spice Islands dried rosemary is a good choice. Rubbing the herb between the palms before adding releases the volatile oils. Kikkoman, I find, is the best soy sauce. For those on a low salt diet, a low sodium variety is available. It is important not to overcook lamb. I treat it like a steak, cooking it to rosy rare and never letting it get well done.
This recipe is also fabulous done on a barbecue grill. Leftovers taste wonderful julienned in a salad.

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You may wonder why I have not mentioned a fish poacher.  It’s simply because I don’t think they are necessary.  If you cook whole fish frequently, they can be convenient, but only if easy to clean.  I find the ones lined with tin very difficult to clean, and, since I always poach fish with white wine, aluminum is out.  I own several fish poachers, which I find make great centerpieces for buffets filled with flowers. 

1 whole striped bass (about 6 pounds), cleaned
2 cups white wine
1 cup water
1 onion, chopped
1/2 lemon, sliced
1 bay leaf
1 stalk celery with leaf, chopped
2 sprigs parsley
5 peppercorns
1 carrot, cut up
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Rinse fish well in cold water and pat dry. Wrap in cheesecloth and place in a shallow baking pan.

In a large saucepan, combine remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Pour this stock over the fish. Cover baking pan with aluminum foil. Put into a preheated oven for about 35 to 40 minutes.

Remove fish from the oven and place carefully on a platter. Remove skin, cover fish with plastic wrap and refrigerate. When cold, decorate with parsley. Serve fish with Sauce Gribiche.

With its delicious pairing of the crispy almonds with the tender fish, this recipe wins hands down over the bread-crumb treatment of sole.  This is one of the few times when I saute a fish rather than broil or bake it.  This is not a good dish to make when serving more than six people, as the fish should be served immediately.  However, as noted below, the uncooked fillets may be prepared several hours ahead.

Ingredients
6 fillets of Sole, Flounder, or Fluke
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup flour
3 egg whites, lightly beaten
2 cups finely chopped almonds
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Fresh lemon, cut into wedges for garnish

Sprinkle the fillets with lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Dip the fillets in flour and shake to remove any excess (the fillets should only be dusted with flour).

Next, dip both sides of the fillets in egg whites and then in the almonds, patting to cover well.

Remove to a rack or waxed paper and allow to dry for at least 10 minutes. (You may do this several hours ahead of time, keeping the fillets in the refrigerator on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper.)

Heat butter and oil in a heavy sauté pan. As soon as it is very hot, add the fillets, making sure they do not touch one another. Cook for 1 or 2 minutes on each side or until they are nicely browned.

Serve with wedges of fresh lemon and green salad.