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Serves 8 - 16
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 cup celery, sliced
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon thyme leaves
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 1/2 cups water
1 1/ 4 cup long-grain white rice
1 1/2 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 whole cleaned salmon (4 to 8 pounds)
1 small grapefruit
Melted butter or margarine
In a saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons butter. Add sliced celery and chopped onion. Cook over medium-high heat until vegetables are tender. Add thyme leaves, lemon peel, lemon juice and water. Bring to a boil. Mix in long-grain white rice and cover; reduce heat to low and cook for 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.
Meanwhile, melt remaining 3 tablespoons of butter in a skillet, add mushroom slices and cook over medium heat until soft. When rice is done, stir in mushrooms, salt and pepper.
Lightly pack stuffing into cavity of the whole salmon. Sew opening closed with heavy thread.
Cut a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil to fit one side of fish; grease foil generously. Slice grapefruit as thinly as possible; lay half the slices, overlapping on greased foil. Lay fish on grapefruit; then press foil smoothly to fit underside of fish. Arrange remaining slices of grapefruit evenly over top of fish.
Bank about 20- medium-glowing coals on each side of fire grill; place grill 4 to 6 inches above coals. Place fish, foil-side-down, on grill directly over space between coals. Arrange a wad of foil under tail to support it. Drizzle fish with melted butter.
Cover barbecue and adjust dampers or cover grill completely with heavy-duty foil, tucking foil over edges of barbecue to seal. Cook, basting occasionally with melted butter, until fish flakes easily when prodded with fork. (at least 30 minutes).
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