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| 200 grams (7 ounces) |
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ground cod (purchase 0.65 to 0.75 pounds) |
| 35 grams (1-1/4 ounces) |
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shrimp meat (purchase 0.12 pound, about 4 medium shrimp) |
| 35 grams (1-1/4 ounces) |
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bay or sea scallops (purchase 0.1 pounds) |
| 17 grams (5/8 ounce) |
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crab meat (purchase 0.05 pounds) |
| 7 grams (1/4 ounce) |
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pistachio nut meat |
| 2 grams (1/16 ounce) |
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black truffle (or use 3 grams morel mushrooms) |
| 3 grams (about 1/2 teaspoon) |
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fine salt |
| 1 (about 20 grams) large |
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egg yolk |
| 75 grams (2-5/8 ounces) |
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heavy cream |
| 6 grams (about 2 teaspoons) |
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cornstarch |
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Place the cod in a freezer and cool until almost frozen. Cut the fish into pieces appropriate for the grinder being used, and grind the cod through the finest blade. Refrigerate the ground cod while preparing the remaining seafood ingredients. |
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| Peel and devein the shrimp. Cut the shrimp into 6 mm (1/4") pieces, or smaller. Refrigerate the shrimp pieces until needed. (From left to right, a shrimp as purchased, a peeled shrimp, a deveined shrimp, and the shrimp cut into pieces.) |
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Discard any soft pieces of scallop. Cut the scallops into 6 mm
(1/4"), or smaller pieces. Refrigerate the scallop pieces until needed. (Shown at left are bay scallops as purchased, on the right are the cut scallops.) |
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| Clean the crab meat and shred into small pieces. Refrigerate the crab meat until needed. |
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Cut each pistachio into 3 or 4 pieces. Set aside until needed. (Shown at left are whole pistachio meats, on the right are the cut nut meats.) |
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| Very finely dice the truffle (or the mushroom). Set aside until needed. (A reconstituted dried morel is shown to the right.) |
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Using a rubber spatula, thoroughly combine the seafood, nut meat, truffle, and salt. In a separate bowl, using a whisk, stir (not beat) the cream with the cornstarch. The forcemeat expands greatly during cooking. It is important not to beat air into the mixture which would cause the forcemeat to expand even more. |
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| Add the egg yolk to the cream mixture and combine thoroughly. Fold three-fourths of the cream mixture into the seafood and combine thoroughly. Continue adding the cream mixture in small amounts until a small amount of cream separates at the edge of the bowl. Chill the mixture thoroughly before proceeding. |
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Lay a large piece of plastic wrap on a flat surface. Spoon the seafood mixture down the center of the plastic. Using a rubber spatula, shape the mixture into a 5 cm (2") wide by 1 cm (3/8") high linear mound. |
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| Fold one of the long edges of the plastic wrap over to the opposing edge and press to seal. Using the spatula, or a finger, press the plastic until the seafood is gathered into one long sausage shape. |
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Roll the filled portion of the plastic over onto the unfilled portion to produce a cylindrical shape. Run a finger up and down the plastic to even out the filling. The filling should not be too tight. Natural, medium-size hog can be substituted for the plastic wrap method of encasing the sausage. When natural casing is used, the sausage shape will be curved rather than straight. Also, it is very important not to overfill the casing since it will not expand during cooking as much as the plastic wrap, and can burst during steaming. |
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| Lay 6 pieces of cotton string under the seafood mixture at 10 cm (4") intervals. Tie off each section very tightly with a square knot. The square knot allows the string to sit perpendicular to the sausage. Other types of knots can leave a dimple in the end of the individual sausages. |
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At each end, tie off a 2 cm (1") piece of sausage. Then tie off a 6 mm (1/4") section. These two small “sausages” will prevent the strings at the end of the outer sausages from slipping under the pressure of the forcemeat expanding during cooking. The two knots to the right are square knots. |
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| Set up a steamer filled with simmering water (95 °C, 200 °F). Place the “string” of seafood sausages in the steamer. Using the tip of a sharp, round skewer, poke 3 or 4 small holes in each sausage. Steam the sausages for 25 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 85 °C (185 °F). |
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Place the cooling sausages on semicircular forms, such as those used to form icing flowers, to prevent the sausages from forming flat bottoms. Thoroughly cool the sausages in a refrigerator to 4 °C (40 °F) for at least 12 hours. The sausages should be prepared through this step one day in advance. |
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| When cold and firm, carefully cut the sausages apart by cutting on each side of the knots. Carefully unwrap each sausage. Wipe off any cream that has formed on the surface with a piece of absorbent paper. Set the finished sausages aside until needed. |
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