This recipe was clipped from an old newspaper and found in a large collection, date unknown but likely 1940s or 1950s. I’ve typed it below along with a scanned copy.

Baked Fish with Almond and Pickle Stuffing

1 1/2 qts. enriched bread cubes
1/2 cup blanched chopped almonds
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup minced parsley
1/2 teaspoon crumbled basil leaves
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup minced onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup dill pickle, chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 to 3/4 cup vegetable bouillon, or hot water
1 whole fish, cleaned and scaled, (3 to 6 pounds)

Fish suitable for baking include salmon, halibut, white fish, lake trout, wall-eyes.
Juice of two limes
Salt

Rub inside of cleaned fish with lightly salted lemon juice and chill for an hour or two.

Meanwhile prepare stuffing as follows: empty bread cubes into large bowl. Add almonds, salt, parsley, basil and pepper. Melt butter in saucepan, add onion and celery. Cook about 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Pour celery mixture over bread cubes…add dill pickle and toss lightly. Add bouillon or water and mix thoroughly, but lightly.

Place fish on greased heavy aluminum foil on baking pan. Fill fish loosely with stuffing. Close opening with skewers. Brush with melted butter and bake in very hot oven (500 degrees) from ten to fifteen minutes. Then reduce temperature to 375 degrees and bake till tender, allowing 15 to 20 minutes per pound of fish. Or if you wish reduce to ONLY 425 degrees, but watch carefully.

Brush with melted butter if fish tends to become dry while baking. I like to use a mixture of 4 tablespoons of melted butter and one cup of dry white wine, basting fish frequently while baking.

When finished, carefully lift fish to serving platter and flirt with parsley and lemon wedges. Serve immediately with almond butter sauce in that “pleased as punch” manner of a magician’s trick well done.

ALMOND BUTTER SAUCE

1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup slivered almonds, blanched
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Melt butter, add almonds, brown lightly.

Add lemon juice and serve hot.