HOW TO COOK FISH.
There is nothing which is so delicious when cooked in paper bags as
fish. Boiled fish is light and digestible, but most of the nutriment and
flavour are lost in the water; and although less goes to waste when the
fish is steamed or cooked in a conservative cooker, there is no
comparison between these methods and paper-bag cookery. The flavour is
unsurpassed; there is no smell of frying or boiling fat; no risk of
burning; no spoiling by overcooking; no trouble or fuss looking out the
right saucepan and bringing the fat to just the right degree of heat; in
short, it is the perfection of fish cookery. It is an ideal way of
cooking small fish or portions of fish. A salmon steak, cooked in a
paper bag, is an epicure's dream, and no one who has not eaten one
cooked in this way can form any idea of its exquisite flavour. Cod
cutlet is a revelation, for it acquires a new and delightful flavour,
while the cheaper and coarser fish, such as hake, rock salmon,
monk-fish, etc., when treated in this way, gain so much in taste as to
become real delicacies.
Skate is particularly nice cooked in a paper bag. This fish, though
exceedingly wholesome and easily digested, has a rather strong flavour,
which is objected to by many people. Oddly enough, this strong flavour
entirely disappears when the fish is cooked in a paper bag.
SKATE.
A piece weighing about a pound should be soaked for about an hour in
strong salt and water, then shaken free from moisture and rubbed over
with butter. Season with salt and pepper and put into a well greased
bag, with one tablespoonful of water and half as much vinegar. Cook for
about eighteen minutes, and serve on a very hot dish, on which a slice
of butter has been melted. This is a capital supper dish.
SALMON CUTLETS.
Take a slice of salmon weighing half a pound. Rub it over with butter
which has been seasoned with pepper, salt, and a few drops of lemon
juice, and put it into a very well greased bag. Have the oven very hot,
and cook the salmon for fifteen minutes. Slit the bag with scissors, and
slip the fish on to a very hot dish. This will have all the savour of
fried salmon, but with a delicious flavour and aroma peculiarly its own.
If the effect of boiled salmon be desired, put a scant half-teacupful of
water into the bag with the fish.
FRESH HADDOCK
is particularly dainty when cooked in this fashion. Have the fish
cleaned and the head taken off. Rub both inside and out with butter, put
it into a well greased bag with a tablespoonful of water, and cook for
fifteen minutes. It will have the appearance of a boiled fish, and the
curd-like whiteness and delicacy of its flesh will be extremely
tempting, while the flavour will be far superior to that of a boiled
haddock. Or, if a more savoury dish be preferred, the fish must be well
dredged with flour, which has been highly seasoned with salt and pepper,
then covered with bits of butter, put without water into a greased
paper-bag and placed in a hot oven, the heat being maintained at the
same degree for twenty minutes. The paper will become very brown, but
must not be allowed to blacken or singe. The fish will then be a rich
golden brown, closely resembling fried fish, but much more wholesome and
digestible.
WHITING
is very delicate cooked in a paper bag, and can be eaten by the youngest
child or most delicate invalid without risk to the digestion. It is
skinned, the tail fastened in the mouth, then placed in the greased bag
with a tablespoonful of water, and cooked for about ten minutes. It is
not so insipid as boiled whiting and is more nutritious.
KIPPERS
are placed in a well greased bag, and cooked in a hot oven for about ten
minutes. They should be very savoury, yet by no means dried up by this
means of cooking, and are also not so rich as when fried.
BLOATERS
cooked the same way are quite as tasty as when fried, but lighter and
more digestible.
SMOKED HADDOCKS
acquire a new and delicious flavour when cooked in a paper bag. They
should be carefully wiped clean, well buttered, peppered, and put into a
greased bag for ten minutes. A very nice variety is obtained by cutting
a neat hole in the bag with scissors at the end of this time, carefully
dropping in a couple of eggs, and returning to the oven till the eggs
are cooked. Serve on a very hot dish upon which a good slice of butter
has been melted. Or, put two or three eggs in a separate bag with a cup
of water, and let them cook for six or eight minutes; serve in slices on
top of the haddock.
FISH PUDDING.
Take equal quantities of cold mashed potatoes and cold cooked fish. Mix
very thoroughly with two ounces of butter melted in two tablespoonfuls
of milk to each pound of fish and potato, a saltspoonful of salt, half
as much pepper, a pinch of dry mustard, and two hard-boiled eggs cut
very small. Thoroughly grease a paper bag, put in the mixture, place in
a hot oven, and cook for ten minutes.
RUSSIAN FISH PIE.
Roll out a short crust paste, made by rubbing three ounces of vegetable
lard into 1/2 lb. of self-raising flour, and adding a well-beaten egg.
Lay on this paste a thick layer of cooked rice; upon that put a layer of
cooked fish, freed from skin and bone and pulled into flakes; upon that
lay slices of hard-boiled egg, and another layer of rice. Season highly
with cayenne pepper, salt, and a little grated nutmeg or ground mace.
Just moisten with thick white sauce, nicely flavoured with a few drops
of lemon juice, and cover with pastry, pinching the edges well together.
Slip carefully into a thoroughly greased bag, and bake in a hot oven for
fifteen minutes. This is extremely delicious.
FISH SAVOURY.
This is an original recipe, and is a very great favourite with most
people. It requires special care and attention in making, but well
repays the cook for any slight trouble it may cause her. It is also a
capital way of using up cold fish and stale bread. Soak in cold water a
little stale bread for an hour or two. Then drain and press very dry,
beat up very thoroughly with a fork; season nicely with pepper, paprika
if possible, salt, a very little ground mace or the zest of a lemon. Add
cold fish, freed from skin and bone, and a well beaten egg. Mix all very
thoroughly; have ready some ripe but firm tomatoes, cut off the tops,
and scoop out the seeds and pulp. Fill the tomatoes with the fish
mixture. Beat up some cooked rice with the pulp taken from the tomatoes,
till it is a pretty red colour. Spread this coloured rice thickly on a
very well greased paper bag, keeping the opening as wide as possible to
admit the stuffed tomatoes, which must be embedded in the rice at equal
distances. Bits of butter are put on the tops of each, the opening of
the bag closed, and the bag very carefully slid into the oven and
cooked for twenty minutes. Great care must be exercised in dishing up to
preserve the appearance and shape of the dish. It is slid cautiously on
to a hot dish, the bag slit and removed as dexterously as possible
without disturbing the rice. If this is carefully done, the result will
be a pretty as well as a remarkably savoury and appetising dish.
TINNED FISH.
The usual method of serving tinned salmon or lobster is to put it on a
dish just as it is, though perhaps some more ambitious housewife may go
the length of surrounding it with parsley, or even handing some salad
with it. This is not very appetising; but as the fish is already cooked,
it is difficult to warm it up without extracting all the flavour and
nourishment left in it. Also, whether fried or baked or warmed up in the
tin, it falls to pieces and presents a forlorn and unsightly appearance
most untempting.
Now here is the chance of paper-bag cookery.
TO WARM UP TINNED SALMON.
Open the tin carefully, and drain off all the liquor. If it is in one
firm solid piece, it will be best treated as salmon cutlet. Dust it
lightly with pepper and salt, squeeze a little lemon juice over it, put
it into a well buttered bag, fasten up very securely, and cook for six
minutes in a very hot oven. Slide on to a very hot dish, dexterously
remove the paper, and serve with white sauce. In appearance and flavour,
it will be equal to fresh salmon. If the contents of the tin are in
several pieces, however, it will be best to turn them into:--
SALMON CROQUETTES.
Open a tin of salmon, drain the liquor off, and turn the fish into a
basin. Add an equal quantity of fine bread-crumbs, a little pepper and
salt, a few drops of lemon juice, a tablespoonful of chopped cucumber,
if at hand, and a well beaten egg, and mix thoroughly. Form into small
flat rounds, and lay in rows on the well buttered bag, taking great care
not to break them, and to keep them apart, otherwise they may run
together in cooking. Secure the opening, and keep the bag perfectly flat
as it is cautiously slid into the oven.
In such dishes, a large fish-slice is of great assistance in putting in
and taking out of the bags the cooked food.
CURRIED LOBSTER.
Remove the lobster from the tin and cut it into nice pieces; add an
ounce of butter, a finely chopped onion, a dessertspoonful of curry
powder, and a small teacupful of stock already browned and thickened.
Mix all well together, but avoid breaking up the pieces of lobster. Put
into a thoroughly greased bag, and cook in a hot oven for twenty
minutes. Turn into a very hot dish and add a squeeze of lemon before
sending it to table. Serve with boiled rice and chillies.
LOBSTER CUTLETS
made from tinned lobster are very nice. Take the lobster from the tin,
and pound it with an ounce of butter. Add half a saltspoonful of salt,
the same of white pepper, and of ground mace. Beat all into a smooth
paste, shape into neat cutlets, and cook in a well greased bag from six
to eight minutes.
HOT LOBSTER
can be made from tinned lobster quite as well as from fresh. The lobster
must be pounded exactly as in the previous recipe, salt, pepper, and
mace being added in the same proportions; mix in about half as much fine
bread-crumbs as there is lobster, or rather less, and moisten with two
well beaten eggs. Beat the mixture thoroughly, make into a shape as
nearly resembling a lobster as may be, or into a plain roll if artistic
talent is wanting, cover with tiny bits of butter, put into a well
greased bag with great care, and cook from eight to ten minutes. In
dishing up, be very careful not to let the lobster crumble or break.
LOBSTER PATTIES.
Make some good paste with 1/2 lb. of flour, 1/4 lb. of butter, and an
egg. Roll out to medium thickness, and with a pastry cutter cut into
small rounds. Mix in a basin a tinned lobster cut into pieces, four
tablespoonfuls of thick white sauce, a teaspoonful of finely minced
parsley, a few drops of anchovy sauce, two or three of lemon juice, and
a little cayenne pepper. Put small heaps of this mixture on half of the
rounds, leaving the other halves to serve as lids to the patties, cover
each with a lid, pinching the edges well together, and making them into
scallops. Place in a buttered bag, prick the top of the bag with a
skewer, slide into a hot oven, and bake from fifteen to twenty minutes.
The rich golden brown of the pastry will contrast prettily with the
lobster mixture, and this dainty dish will be as tempting in appearance
as it is appetising in flavour.
MACKEREL
has the reputation of being a tasty but very indigestible fish.
Paper-bagged, however, it retains its savoury nature, but loses its
undue richness. It should not be washed, but wiped with a damp cloth,
split open, seasoned with a little salt, pepper, and fine oatmeal,
sprinkled with a few tiny bits of butter on the inner side, slipped into
a greased bag, and cooked from ten to fifteen minutes according to size.
SARDINES
are very appetising when cooked in a paper bag. Open the tin, and empty
it, oil as well, into a bag. Do not grease the bag. While the sardines
are in the oven, make buttered toast, which, it is perhaps needless to
say, is one of the things which cannot be prepared in a paper bag. Cut
the toast into strips and serve one sardine on each strip. They will
take about five minutes in the oven.
KEDGEREE
is a splendid breakfast dish on a cold winter's morning, and as it can
be entirely prepared over night, saves much time and trouble in
preparing breakfast. Grease a bag very thoroughly and abundantly; place
in it equal quantities of cold cooked fish freed from bone and skin, and
cooked rice, pepper and salt to taste, one ounce of butter, one
teaspoonful of made mustard, and two chopped hard-boiled eggs. Mix very
thoroughly. Next morning all that remains to be done is to get the oven
hot, put in the bag and let it remain for ten minutes, when it will be
ready to serve.
BRILL AND TURBOT
are both extremely delicate cooked in paper bags. Clean the brill, cut
off the fins, and rub it over with lemon juice. Put it in a well greased
bag with half a teacupful of water, and cook it from fifteen to twenty
minutes according to size.
Turbot, of course, must not have the fins cut off, these being a great
delicacy, but otherwise it is cooked exactly like brill.
COD SOUNDS.
These must be soaked for an hour or two in strong salt and water, then
very thoroughly washed and dried. They are then put in a paper bag with
two tablespoonfuls of milk, and will take forty-five minutes to cook to
perfection.
SALT FISH
should be soaked for a few hours in water and a little milk, then wiped
dry and put into fresh water with a quarter of a pint of vinegar in it,
in which it must remain overnight. Next day, take it out, wipe it dry,
rub it over with butter, and put it into a well greased bag. It will
take an hour to cook.
EELS.
Small eels, such as are usually boiled, are most suitable for paper-bag
cookery. Take four small eels, put them into a very well greased bag
with one tablespoonful of water and a piece of butter the size of a
walnut. Put into a hot oven for ten minutes, then turn the gas half-way
down, and leave the bag for another twenty minutes. The eels will then
be cooked to perfection, and of rich and delicate flavour. They should
be served in a small tureen, and covered with parsley sauce.
EEL PASTY
is very delicious. A good crust is made from self-raising flour, butter,
and an egg. Cut the pastry in two, and roll each piece into a pretty
oval or round shape. Put the eels, cut into inch-long pieces, on the one
half of the pastry; sprinkle them with minced parsley, a finely chopped
onion, a little grated nutmeg, pepper, salt, and the juice of half a
lemon. Cover over with the other piece of pastry, pinching the edges
well together, and ornamenting them with a fork. Put into a very well
buttered paper bag, and cook for an hour in a moderate oven. Have ready
a very nicely flavoured thick white sauce, and when the pie has been
removed from the bag and is on a hot dish, cut a hole in the upper crust
and pour in the sauce.
FISH CAKE
can be made from the remains of any cold fish. Pick the fish free from
skin and bone, chop it finely, mix it well with equal quantities of
bread-crumbs and cold potatoes, finely minced parsley, salt, and pepper.
Make it into a cake with a well beaten egg, put it into a well greased
bag, and cook for about half an hour in a well heated oven.
A COD'S HEAD AND SHOULDERS
cannot be better cooked than in a paper bag. Cleanse the fish
thoroughly, and rub it well over with salt, which improves the flavour
very much. Then wipe it dry and fill with a stuffing of bread-crumbs,
chopped parsley, a small chopped onion, some grated suet, and a beaten
egg. Rub the fish lightly over with butter, put into a greased bag, and
cook forty minutes. The natural juices of the fish will form a sauce
impossible to improve upon. A fresh haddock may be stuffed and cooked in
the same manner, and is extremely savoury.
FRESH HERRINGS
gain very much in flavour when cooked in a paper bag, and lose their
oiliness. They are cleaned, wiped dry, split open, seasoned with salt,
pepper, and flour. The bag is lightly greased to prevent the fish from
sticking, but no butter or dripping must be put on the herring. Fifteen
minutes will cook them to a turn.
PLAICE, SOLES, AND FLOUNDERS
are simply brushed over with oiled butter, put into a well greased bag,
and cooked for ten to twenty minutes according to size.
SEA BREAM.
Paper-bag cookery is ideal for bream. Well wash the fish, but do not
have it scaled. Open it and fill with the stuffing recommended for cod's
head and shoulders. Fasten it together again, wipe dry, and put into a
greased bag. Cook for thirty minutes--longer if very large. Turn out on
a hot dish, remove paper, scales, and skin; then place the bream on
another hot dish on which a large piece of butter has been melted. Serve
at once.
FISH STEW
is an uncommon but very excellent dish. Small soles, flounders, dabs,
and eels are capital cooked thus. Sometimes very small fish of this sort
can be bought cheaply, but seem hardly worth cooking, and would be
certainly cooked into mere dry scraps in ordinary cookery. Prepared in a
paper bag, however, a very dainty meal may be made from them. Cleanse
the fish and wipe them dry. Have ready a large bag, which has been
sharply inspected and pronounced intact; well grease it both inside and
out, put in the fish, cut in halves, or if very tiny, whole, if eels,
cut into inch-long pieces. A mixture of the above-mentioned fish is
better than if the stew consist of one kind only. Add half an onion cut
into very thin slices, some finely chopped parsley, two cloves, one
blade of mace, two bay leaves, a sprig of thyme, salt and pepper to
taste. When this is all safely in the bag, pour in a cupful of stock,
fish or meat stock, or if none is at hand, water will do, but whatever
it is it must be slightly thickened. A small glass of port wine or
claret is a great improvement. Close the bag very securely, and put into
the oven for thirty-five minutes.