Bluemouth. A type of rascasse from deep North American waters and the western Mediterranean. It has a blue flash on the gill covers and enormous eyes. It is an unsightly fish with good flavour and is used in bouillabaisse and other fish soups.
Au bleu. A method of cooking trout by stunning it, gutting it and plunging it into boiling vinegar court-bouillon as soon as it is killed and gutted, making the fish curl a little. It is called "au bleu" because fish cooked in this manner develop a slight bluish tinge to the skin.
Blue ling. A small variety of ling, it is a long, slender, scaleless fish with a barbel. This is a variety which lives in the Mediterranean which is considered to be slightly inferior to ling.
To blanch. This term means to lightly cook raw ingredients for varying amounts of time in boiling water, with or without salt and vinegar. The ingredients are then refreshed in cold water It also means to cover with boiling water for a few seconds to facilitate peeling. Tomatoes, peaches, almonds and pistachios can be treated in this way with no damage to the flesh.
To mix or blend wines or teas or grains of different origins and qualities to produce a better result. This is usually a respectable practice but sometimes is not. It also applies to the mixing of ingredients together, such as flour and water, to make a smooth paste before adding more liquid, or the ingredients of a cake.
Mixed salad. Generally speaking a mixed salad indicates that it is not a green salad. A mixed salad may have the same mixture of green leaves that populate a green salad, but might have a couple of tomatoes or some radishes, some red leaves or some peppers to jazz it up. Naturally, the quality of the mixed salad, and the green salad, will depend on where you are eating it. It only ever appears as a side dish.
