For Incredible Lightness of Being : Low-Fat Fish, Calorie-Sparing Sauces in Tune With Diet-Conscious Times

With so much emphasis today on lighter eating, it’s surprising to find there is still so much interest in nostalgic foods that are filling and satisfying. Yet stick-to-the ribs meals, such as rich and robust stews, filling soups and pastas in chunky aromatic sauces enjoy the same popularity they once did, but today they are made with low-fat ingredients.

Recipes still call for whipping cream, butter, cheese or half and half; just less of them is being used. Team this calorie-sparing technique with naturally low-fat fish like trout and firm white fillets and the possibilities for low-calorie, high-protein menus are endless.

Fresh apples make a delightful sauce for rainbow trout, although almost any fruit can be substituted in Trout With Apple Cream Sauce. Red grapes and Zinfandel come together to complement the delicate flavor of the fish in Rainbow Trout in Zinfandel-Grape Sauce.

Crab Meat Focaccia, the pizza-like country bread from Northern Italy that is topped with fresh herbs and olive oil, is made with an easy-to-prepare pizza dough and topped with imitation crab legs for an elegant but inexpensive dish.

Robust but Light

Pan-Bake Pesca Pasta is another aromatic and colorful robust but light dish. It features low-calorie, low-fat cod fillets and fettuccine in a wine-kissed spaghetti sauce topped with green peppers, onions. olives and a sprinkling of Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses.

In Broiled Pollock With Shrimp-Butter Sauce, mild lean fillets of whitefish are topped with a savory shrimp butter sauce then broiled. The fish is basted during cooking to keep it moist then, while keeping the cooked fillets warm, the pan juices are slightly thickened and finished with white wine to become a light, glossy sauce.

The last suggestion, Shrimp and Scallop Saute With Pecan Rice, is a rich flavor combination. The scallops and shrimp marinate in beef broth and beer, then the seafood is sauteed with garlic and red pepper and served over rice and toasted pecans.

TROUT WITH APPLE CREAM SAUCE

1 1/2 tablespoons butter or margarine

4 rainbow trout fillets

1 apple, peeled and sliced

1 tablespoon chopped shallots

1/3 cup whipping cream or half and half

1/4 cup apple cider

1/4 cup dry white wine

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

Salt, pepper

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in skillet over medium-high heat. Add trout, flesh-side down and cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Gently turn with spatula and cook about 2 minutes longer. Remove fillets to serving platter, cover and keep warm.

Saute apple slices in remaining butter until tender and set aside. Add shallots to pan and cook until tender, about 1 minute. Add cream, cider, wine and allspice and simmer until thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add apples and heat through. Pour over trout and serve immediately. Makes 2 to 4 servings.

TROUT WITH ZINFANDEL-GRAPE SAUCE

4 teaspoons butter or margarine

4 rainbow trout fillets

1 1/2 tablespoons chopped shallots

1/4 cup Zinfandel

1/4 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup water

1/3 cup whipping cream or half and half

1/2 teaspoon sugar

Salt, pepper

1/2 cup seedless red grapes, halved

Melt 3 teaspoons butter in skillet over medium-high heat. Add trout, flesh-side down and cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Gently turn with spatula and cook about 2 minutes longer. Remove fillets to serving platter, cover and keep warm.

Add remaining butter and shallots to pan. Saute until tender, about 1 minute. Add Zinfandel, white wine and water and simmer until reduced by half. Add cream and sugar and simmer until thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add grapes and heat through. Pour over trout and serve immediately. Makes 2 to 4 servings.

CRAB MEAT FOCACCIA

1 package dry yeast

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water

1/4 cup olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

4 1/2 cups flour

1 (12-ounce) package imitation crab legs

2 cups sliced mushrooms

5 green onions, sliced

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

3/4 cup tomato paste

1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1/2 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Dissolve yeast and sugar in water in large bowl and let stand 10 minutes until foamy. Stir in 2 tablespoons oil, salt and flour, 1 cup at time. Stir until dough comes together.

Knead on lightly floured surface until texture is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place in oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise about 1 hour, until doubled. Punch down, let rise 20 minutes. Press dough into greased jelly roll pan.

Bake at 450 degrees 10 minutes. Pull crab legs apart into bite-size pieces. While dough is baking, saute crab, mushrooms and green onions in butter. Remove crust from oven and brush with combined tomato paste and remaining olive oil. Top with crab mixture, tomatoes and cheeses. Continue baking 13 to 15 minutes until crust is crisp and cheese has melted. Makes 8 servings.

PAN BAKE PESCA PASTA

2 pounds frozen cod fillets

1 pound fettucine

1 (32-ounce) jar prepared spaghetti sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

2 tablespoons lightly salted butter or margarine

2/3 cup sliced black olives

1/4 cup dry red wine

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 (4-ounce) package shredded mozzarella cheese

Allow fish to stand at room temperature unwrapped 20 minutes. Cut each block into 4 sections and set aside.

Or, partially thaw in microwave. Place unwrapped fish in shallow container, cover with plastic wrap and microwave on defrost or low 5 to 6 minutes, turning once. Cut each block into 4 sections and set aside.

Cook fettuccine according to package directions and drain. Toss with spaghetti sauce in large bowl until well coated. Place mixture in 13x9-inch pan. Place fish sections on top of fettuccine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Saute onion and green pepper in butter in small skillet until tender, about 5 minutes. Spoon vegetables over fish, then sprinkle olives over all. Add wine to saute pan, stirring and scraping bottom. Pour over fish. Toss cheeses in small bowl and sprinkle over fish. Bake at 375 degrees 25 to 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and fish flakes easily when tested with fork. Makes 8 servings.

BROILED POLLOCK WITH SHRIMP-BUTTER SAUCE

1 tablespoon chopped shallots

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1/4 pound pink shrimp or crab meat, chopped

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed

Salt, pepper

1 pound pollock, cod or rockfish fillets, thawed if necessary

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 to 2 teaspoons chopped parsley

Saute shallots in butter. Add shrimp and thyme. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place fish in shallow baking pan. Pour shrimp-butter over fish and broil 4 inches from heat allowing 5 to 6 minutes per 1/2-inch thickness of fish measured at thickest part.

Baste fish with butter mixture in bottom of pan while broiling. Pour liquid from baking pan into saucepan. Combine wine and cornstarch and stir into liquid. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened, spoon into serving dish and place fish on sauce. Garnish with parsley. Makes 4 servings.

SHRIMP AND SCALLOP SAUTE WITH PECAN RICE

1 (10 1/2-ounce) can condensed beef broth

1/3 cup beer

1/2 pound scallops

1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1/4 cup pecan halves

3/4 cup long grain rice

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 cup water

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 large clove garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Stir together 1/2 cup broth and beer in 12x8-inch dish. Place scallops and shrimp in marinade, cover and refrigerate 1 hour, turning seafood occasionally.

Meanwhile, in 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, in 2 tablespoons hot butter, cook pecans 2 minutes until lightly browned, stirring constantly. With slotted spoon, remove pecans to paper towels and set aside.

Add rice, onion and turmeric to saucepan and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in remaining broth and water and cover. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat to low and simmer 20 minutes until liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally. Stir in reserved pecans.

About 10 minutes before rice is finished cooking, remove seafood from marinade and stir cornstarch into marinade. Set aside.

Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Cook seafood, garlic and pepper 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add marinade and cornstarch mixture and cook until seafood is done and sauce is slightly thickened, stirring constantly. Serve over pecan rice. Makes 4 servings.