kinds of fish. Plaice, ling, hake, haddock, small fresh-water fish,
conger--all are good. The essential thing is to fry them properly.
Cover each piece with egg and breadcrumb, or dip in a thick batter of
flour and water; have perfectly fresh fat or sweet oil, and plenty
of it; let it be sufficiently hot; and serve the hot fish nicely
garnished with lemon and with slices of brown bread and butter.
Conger must first be parboiled, or it will not be done enough. As for
other fish, it is wise to cut them into strips or fillets.
(_b_) Frying fish in batter is often recommended, but it is not
nearly so nice as egg-crumbing, and, indeed, when this is considered
too troublesome or expensive, it is better merely to pass the fish
through flour mixed with pepper and salt. Fish dipped in batter must
be fried in a considerable quantity of fat, which, in small and poor
households, it is generally impossible to procure. Egg-crumbed or
dusted with flour, fish can be cooked in the frying-pan with a little
fat, and is very good in this way.
(_c_) Plain flour may be used instead of breadcrumbs; in America
“cracker-dust” (i.e. pounded biscuit) and Indian meal, the latter
occasionally mixed equally with flour, are used instead of
breadcrumbs.
(_d_) For eating cold. Well wash in water, rub with salt, dry, roll
in a cloth, and place for a few minutes before the fire previous to
cooking. Salmon, cod, and halibut should be cut into thick slices,
other fish into convenient-sized pieces. Soles are done either whole
or in fillets. Have ready a dish of beaten eggs, and another of
flour; turn the fish well over first in the eggs, and then in the
flour, so that each piece is completely covered, then place in a
pan with plenty of the best olive oil at boiling heat, fry the fish
gently till of a fine golden-brown colour on both sides. When done,
place on a drainer before the fire, for the oil to drain off. Great
care should be observed that the oil has ceased to bubble before the
fish is put in, or the latter will be greasy. It is a good plan to
try it with a crust of bread first. Tho oil can be used several times
if carefully strained, and put aside in a jar, adding a little fresh
each time if necessary.
_Stewing._--Put them in a stewpan; cover with water, and either white
wine or claret; add some salt, spices, and anchovies, and a bundle of
sweet herbs; cover the vessel, and put in a moderate oven. Garnish
with green leaves, sippets, &c.
The following dishes are mainly adapted for using up remnants of
fish, though whole fish may be employed if desired.
_Bouillabaisse._--Take several kinds of fish, such as whitings,
gurnets, John dory, turbot; cut them in pieces the size of an egg;
mince an onion, a small piece of garlic, one tomato, and a few sprigs
of parsley; put the whole in a saucepan with ½ tumbler finest olive
oil, a pinch of pepper, and one of mixed spice. When the onions are
slightly coloured, add the fish, salt, and a very small pinch of
powdered saffron; then fill up with sufficient boiling water to come
up to, but not cover, the fish. This done, let the bouillabaisse boil
fast for 20 minutes, or until the liquor be reduced by one-fourth.
Serve the fish on one dish, and the liquor on another over thick but
small slices of bread.
_Boudin._--Take the raw meat of either whiting, flounder, plaice,
or pike; pound in a mortar, and pass through a sieve. Put ½ pint
water into a saucepan with a pinch of salt, and a small piece of
butter; when it boils, stir it in enough flour to make a thick paste;
when cold, take of this paste, half the quantity there is of fish,
and take of butter half the quantity there is of paste; thoroughly
amalgamate the whole in the mortar, season with pepper, salt, and
grated nutmeg, work in 1 or 2 spoonfuls of white sauce (Béchamel),
and lastly as many eggs, in the proportion of two yolks to one white,
as will bind the mixture. Butter some small moulds, fill them with
the mixture, and steam in a stewpan half full of water for 15-20
minutes. Turn out, and serve with white sauce.
_Cakes._--(_a_) Take the remnants of any cold fish, pull them to
pieces, and thoroughly incorporate with them a small piece of butter
and some mashed potatoes; season the whole with pepper and salt to
taste, and a little cayenne. Form the mixture into cakes and fry in
butter till of a golden colour. Serve garnished with fried parsley.
(_b_) Remove skin and bone from cold fish; to 1 lb. fish add 4
tablespoonfuls breadcrumbs, 2 of suet finely chopped, and 1 of flour;
mix well together while dry; then beat 1 egg with ¼ pint milk: mix
all well together, and put in a greased mould; steam for 1 hour or
bake for ½ hour.
_Chowder._--Cover the bottom of the pot in which the chowder is to
be cooked with slices of pickled pork, or, if preferred, use a large
teaspoonful of lard. Take any kind of firm fish (cod and bass are
thought best), lay them over the pork or in the lard. If pork is
used, first fry it slightly; if lard, make it boiling hot. Strew over
the fish a layer of chopped onions if liked, one of split crackers
(biscuits), pepper and salt; spices are used, but are not necessary;
another layer of fish, onions, crackers, and seasoning until all the
fish is in; dredge with flour, just cover the fish with water; stew
gently; ½ hour will cook one of moderate size. Take up the chowder,
thicken the gravy by adding a teaspoonful of flour to a teacup of
butter, add this to the gravy; stew 2 minutes; add wine or ketchup if
liked. Oyster or clam chowder may be made in the same way.
_Croquettes._--Take some remnants of boiled turbot, brill, haddock,
or salmon; pick out the flesh carefully, and mince not too finely.
Melt a piece of butter in a saucepan, add a little flour and some
hot milk. Stir on the fire until the mixture thickens, add pepper
and salt, a little grated nutmeg, some chopped parsley, lastly the
fish; as soon as the mixture is quite hot, turn out on a dish to get
cold. Shape like corks, roll in beaten-up egg, and then in baked
breadcrumbs; repeat the process in an hour’s time; fry in hot lard,
and serve with fried parsley.
_Curry._--Take 1 teaspoonful curry powder, 1 of raw rice pounded, 1
of chillies, 2 cloves of garlic, a little ginger, a few peppercorns,
a little turmeric, half a coconut (remove the brown skin); grind all
up with a coffee cup of water, then put half an onion, half cooked
and minced, with ½ oz. butter in a stewpan, and melt it when quite
dissolved. Add the curry stuff, also the gravy of ½ lb. beef, or some
stock, and a dessertspoonful of vinegar; put 1½-2 lb. fish prepared
in pieces about 1 in. square, and stew the whole.
_Cutlets._--Melt 1 oz. butter, add 1 oz. flour and ¼ pint milk; let
it boil and thicken. Then stir in the flavouring--lemon juice or
vinegar, salt, cayenne, a little anchovy sauce or paste, or, as a
last resource, a tiny piece of bloater paste. Last of all, add about
a breakfastcupful of cold cooked fish cut small. When this mixture is
cold, shape it into cutlets or balls, egg and breadcrumb them, and
fry in hot fat or oil.
_Jelly._--Put several large onions (sliced), some scraped
horse-radish, lemon peel, pepper, salt, and mace into a stewpan with
good white stock, simmer till the vegetables are tender; strain,
remove the bones from 2 lb. turbot, sole, or any white fish; cut the
fish into shapely pieces, stew in the liquor till quite done, strain
the liquor, let it cool, add a glass of white wine, the whites of 2
or 3 eggs, and some lemon juice; hot it up. Lay the pieces of fish
into a flat mould, fill up with the liquor, let get quite cold, turn
out, and garnish with slices of cucumber. In very hot weather it will
require ice.
_Moolie._--Take some fried fish, 2 tablespoonfuls cream, 1
dessertspoonful butter, 3 or 4 onions, green chillies (when they are
to be had), a piece of ginger, and 2-3 tablespoonfuls vinegar; boil
10 minutes, then serve. An excellent breakfast dish.
_Omelet._--Beat up 3 fresh eggs with a quantity, equal to an egg in
bulk, of the flesh of boiled salmon, shredded finely with a fork,
a pinch of minced parsley, pepper, salt, and half a dozen bits of
butter the size of a pea. Put a piece of butter the size of an egg
into the pan, let it melt without browning, and as soon as it is
melted and hot pour in your omelet mixture, and, holding the hand of
the pan with one hand, stir the omelet with the other by means of a
flat spoon. The moment it begins to set, cease stirring, but keep
shaking the pan for a minute or so; then with the ladle or spoon
double up your omelet, and keep on shaking the pan until one side of
the omelet has become a golden colour, when you dexterously turn it
out on a hot dish, the coloured side uppermost. (G. C.)
_Patties._--1 moderate-sized haddock, 12 cooking oysters, 1
teaspoonful chopped parsley, a very little pounded mace, a pinch of
cayenne, a little salt, 1 teaspoonful anchovy essence, 2 oz. butter,
½ pint good white sauce, yolks of 2 eggs, ½ lb. good puff paste,
and a little lemon juice. Skin and fillet the haddock, dissolve the
butter in a stewpan; put in the fish, sprinkle with a little salt,
and let stand on the stove, where it will cook without taking any
colour. When the fish is done on one side turn carefully; while the
fish is cooking, beard the oysters, put the beards with the liquor
from them on the fire, in a small stewpan, and simmer for a few
minutes. When done, strain off and save the liquor for the sauce.
When the fish is done, which should be in 15-20 minutes, lift it out
of the butter on to a plate; and when cool, roughly mince, or cut it
into small dice; cut the oysters in quarters, and mix them with the
haddock. Put into a small stewpan ½ pint good white sauce, and when
it boils stir into it 1 oz. butter, the chopped parsley, anchovy
essence, mace, and cayenne. Let it boil up, then draw it back from
the fire, and stir in the yolks of the eggs, a little lemon juice,
a little salt, and lastly the fish. Let it stand by the fire a few
minutes, but do not let it boil, as this would curdle the egg, and
harden the oysters. Now turn the fish out on a plate ready for use.
Have ready some good puff paste, roll it out to the thickness of ½
in., cut out the patty cases with a tin cutter; and with another,
half this size, mark the cover by gently pressing it on the paste, so
as to make a slight incision; egg over the top, and bake in a quick
oven. When done, take off the covers, scoop out the underdone paste
inside, and leave the patties till dinner-time, then fill with the
prepared fish, and set in the oven to get hot. Serve as an entrée in
the first course. Note: The butter in which the fish was cooked would
make a fish sauce.
_Pudding._--Equal quantities of fish rubbed through a sieve, and fine
breadcrumbs, with seasoning to taste, and eggs sufficient to bind the
whole. Steam 1 hour in a buttered mould, turn out, and serve with
sauce poured round. (B.)
_Pulled Fish._--After any solid fish is boiled, pick it clear from
the bones in small pieces, and to 1 lb. fish add ½ pint cream, 1
tablespoonful mustard, 1 oz. anchovy sauce, and 1½ spoonfuls of
ketchup, a little pepper, flour, and butter mixed; make it quite hot
in a saucepan and serve.
_Quenelles._--Pound the raw flesh of any kind of fish, and pass it
through a sieve; take of breadcrumbs soaked in milk and squeezed
dry, half the quantity there is of fish, and take of butter the
same quantity there is of breadcrumbs; amalgamate the whole in a
mortar, seasoning with pepper, salt, and nutmeg according to taste;
add a little cream, one whole egg, and as many more yolks as may be
necessary to bind the mixture. Shape it into small quenelles, and
cook them as meat quenelles.
_Salad._--Fish makes an agreeable variety in the daily _menu_,
and the following mode of cooking plaice may be acceptable as a
substitute for soles. Select a moderate-sized one, which will
divide into 8 fillets; cover with egg and breadcrumbs, and fry a
light brown. Let them drain on white paper, and when quite cold
put in the centre of a dish, and surround with salad, garnished
with sliced beetroot, hard-boiled eggs, and sprigs of parsley. An
excellent supper dish. A small lobster added to the salad is a great
improvement.
_Toast._--Toast 6 rounds of bread about the size of a large tumbler,
and spread them with butter and anchovy or bloater paste. Put in a
saucepan the yolks of 2 eggs, 1 gill cream or milk, and any cold
fish cut small. When thick, spread it on the toasts, sprinkle some
breadcrumbs over, and brown in a very quick oven. Serve very hot on a
napkin.
Special recipes for each fish will now be given in alphabetical order.
_Anchovy_ (Anchois). Butter.--Wash, bone, and pound in a mortar some
anchovies, with an equal quantity of fresh butter and cayenne to
taste. Mix well together, pass them through a hair sieve, and either
spread it on slices of thin toast, or shape the butter into balls;
ice, and serve with a piece of toast under each ball.
With Eggs and Endive.--Boil 6 eggs quite hard, shell them carefully,
then cut the white with a sharp knife carefully across the middle
of the egg, and, taking care not to break it, remove it like a case
from the yolk. Mix the yolk with a little anchovy sauce. Form it
again into a ball, and replace it within the white. Close the latter
carefully, and when the eggs are thus prepared, place them in a pile
upon a nest of endive, the points of the leaves towards the edge of
the dish, which should be round.
Fried.--Slightly fry the little fish in their own oil, and serve them
on thin fried toast; they make a nice accompaniment to the cheese
course at dinner.
With Olives, Cold.--9 Spanish olives, 9 croûtons of fried bread, 4
anchovies, a little chopped parsley, ¼ teaspoonful chopped onion;
take the stones from the olives in the usual way, wash and fillet
the anchovies, and mince them very fine, also the parsley and onion;
pound altogether in a mortar, and season with a little red pepper.
Take a small portion of this preparation, and put into each olive
in place of the stone. Now, with a small tin cutter, stamp out 9
croûtons of bread a little larger than a five-shilling piece; scoop
out the middle, fry in some clean lard to a nice golden brown, and
drain on a piece of kitchen paper; when cold, put an olive on each
croûton, arrange them neatly in a silver dish, and put on each a
little mayonnaise sauce and a little round the base.
Sandwiches.--Take the contents of a bottle of anchovies, wash them
in several waters, remove the bones, and put them in a mortar with a
quantity of butter equal to them in bulk; pound thoroughly, so as to
get a smooth paste, wherewith spread slices of bread.
Toast.--Bone, clean, and wash a number of anchovies; make some slices
of toast, butter them on one side very plentifully, cut in pieces
the size of finger biscuits; lay 3 fillets of anchovy on each piece,
throw a dash of pepper and the least bit of cayenne on them, and put
them in the oven just long enough to get thoroughly hot, and so serve.
_Barbel_ (Barbeau).--Broiled: see Chub. Roast: see Chub.
_Bloater_ (Hareng pee).--On Toast.--Parboil 3 or 4 bloaters just
long enough to allow the skin to come off easily; remove it, and
take out the meat in fillets (4 to each fish). Have some slices of
well-buttered toast of a proportionate shape to the fillets, lay one
fillet on each, and trim them all to the same size. Rub each fillet
over with some butter, sprinkle a slight dust of cayenne and black
pepper over, put them in the oven to get quite hot, and serve.
À la Sefton.--The flesh of 3 bloaters well soaked, ½ lb. Parmesan
cheese grated; mixed together, seasoned to taste, and divided into
pieces the size of respectable minnows; then egged and breadcrumbed,
fried, and served hot. (E. P.)
_Bombay Ducks or Bumaloes._--(_a_) Soak ½ hour to soften them; then
beat out flat with a pestle, sprinkling with flour the while; cut
off heads and tails, and toast on an iron plate over the fire, with
another plate above to prevent curling up. They should be made quite
crisp.
(_b_) They are generally bought in tin boxes, prepared for table, and
only require crisping in the oven for a few minutes. They are served
with or after the cheese course, before the dessert, or, as in India,
as an accompaniment to curry, which in that country is always the
last dish.
_Bream_ (Brème).--Put into a deep dish, or baking tin, a marinade
of oil, vinegar, onions, thyme, bay leaf, pepper, salt, and a few
cloves; lay a good-sized sea bream in this for some hours, basting
occasionally; then cover with oiled paper, and put the dish or tin in
the oven till the fish is done (about 30 minutes). Melt a piece of
butter in a saucepan, mix with it a good pinch of flour, strain the
marinade into this, add a little stock, then one shallot and a little
parsley chopped very fine; let the sauce boil, add more pepper and
salt if necessary; pour over the fish and serve. River bream is far
inferior to sea bream--a misunderstood and underrated fish--but may
be cooked as a poor substitute for carp.
Broiled: see Carp. Roast: see Carp, Chub. Soused: see Carp. Stewed:
see Carp, Trout.
_Brill_ (Barbue).--Brill is very like turbot, but less firm,
thus requiring more care in the dressing. (_a_) After thoroughly
cleansing, cut off the fins and rub the fish over with lemon juice
2-3 hours before cooking to make it white. Place it in the fish
kettle with sufficient cold water to cover it, add 3-4 oz. salt and
a little vinegar to 1 gal. water, heat it gradually by the side of
the fire. As soon as it boils, skim, or the scum will fall on the
fish and spoil its appearance. Let simmer till well done, but not
broken. A large brill will take, after it boils, about 15 minutes,
but to make sure of its being nicely cooked, lift up the drainer and
try the fish with a fork (not steel). If the fish slips from the
bone easily, and the bone is not the least red, the brill is ready
to drain. It should be carefully drained before placing it on a hot
napkin, garnished with slices of lemon and some lobster coral. Serve
with lobster or shrimp sauce in a sauce tureen.
Brill, although inferior in plumpness and in the beautiful texture
and abundance of skin and fins to the turbot, is nevertheless a very
delicate fish, and worthy of the care often bestowed upon it. It is
very good when boiled and served with shrimp sauce, and may also be
cut into fillets and stewed or fried. (_b_) It is also nice when
dressed as follows: Cleanse the brill and cut its back down to the
central bone. Butter the bottom of a baking dish, and sprinkle this
with finely chopped shallots and mushrooms, a very little onion, and
some parsley similarly treated. Moisten these herbs with a mixture
of Madeira or brown sherry and some good brown gravy. Lay the brill
on his back on the couch of herbs, sprinkle a little more minced
mushroom and shallot over him, and pour over some rich melted butter.
Put the dish on the fire till it shows signs of boiling, and then
into a moderate oven till done.
_Carp_ (Carpe).--Au bleu.--A famous cold dish of fish is that called
_au bleu_. Trout, carp, and perch are good in this way. Prepare
the carp, tie up the head, and put the fish in a kettle. Make some
vinegar boiling hot, and pour it (scalding) over the carp; then
moisten with red wine, and add 3 large onions cut in rounds, 2
carrots sliced, parsley, sage, shallots, thyme, bay leaves, and a few
cloves, pepper, and salt. Put the fish kettle on the fire, and let it
simmer only for about 1 hour, when take it off. Let the fish get cold
in the liquor, and when wanted for serving take it out and lay on a
napkin in a dish. This is very nice when accompanied by a _remoulade_
sauce.
Broiled.--Take a fresh carp, gill it, draw, scrape off the slime,
and wipe it dry with a clean cloth inside and out, lay it on a dish
with vinegar, claret, salad oil, sweet herbs (rosemary, marjoram,
&c.), sliced ginger, coarse pepper, cloves, and mace; let them steep
2 hours, then gently broil over a clear fire, turning often, and
basting with the liquor and herbs it was steeped in. Serve with the
herbs, spices, and liquor boiled up together, and some butter beaten
up with the juice of oranges or lemons; or with plain salad oil,
and the spawn broiled by itself and laid on the carp; or with sauce
made with pickled oyster liquor, white wine, grated nutmeg, juice
of oranges, and a little vinegar broiled and beaten up with butter
and the yolk of an egg. Pike, mullet, roach, dace, or bream may so
be dressed; but their blood and spawn must not be used, and they may
be broiled either with scales or without. Also slices of salmon and
conger eel can be cut in pieces and cooked in the same way. This
latter is best parboiled before broiled.
En Matelote.--Clean a fat carp and leave it whole. Take any other
fresh-water fish that you may have handy, such as eels, pike, tench,
perch, &c., cut them into pieces, put into a stewpan with a liberal
allowance of butter and a few small onions blanched, and let them
take colour. Now put in the carp surrounded with roes, moisten with
equal quantities of red wine and good gravy, and a piece of butter
rolled in flour. Let it boil, and when it is half done put in a
couple of bay leaves and a little sage. Draw back the stewpan, and
cook gently. When the sauce is sufficiently reduced, put the carp
into a hot dish, pour the _ragoût_ over it, and garnish with fried
sippets and crayfish.
In Brown Sauce.--Cut the carp in pieces and pack them in a deep dish,
strewing between some salt, pepper, 3 pounded cloves, a bay leaf,
2 slices of lemon, and a small shallot minced; pour over a glass of
wine and the same of vinegar; cover, and let them stand a few hours;
melt some butter in a stewpan, and dredge in as much flour as it
absorbs, to brown; thin this with very little water, just to keep the
thickening from burning to a cake; mince a rasher or two of bacon and
a small onion; put these in a stewpan, and drain in the pickle from
the fish; when the sauce boils, lay in the fish, and simmer gently
till done; dish the slices whole, and strain the sauce over them.
Pie.--Scale a carp, draw, remove gills, &c.; lay butter in the pie
dish, and then the fish, with cloves, mace, nutmeg, 2 handfuls of
capers, and currants cleaned; mix some butter and salt, and lay them
over; cover with paste; lastly, pour in (at a hole in the top) some
white wine, and bake. It is as good hot as cold.
Roast.--Leave on the scales, cut out the gills, draw, wash, and
remove the spawn. Make a stuffing of grated manchet (breadcrumbs),
almond paste, cream, currants, grated nutmeg, new yolks of eggs,
candied lemon, or other peel, some lemon and salt. Make it stiff and
stuff the fish, but not too full. Roast in the oven on 2 or 3 sticks
laid across a dish, turn, and let the gravy drop into the dish. Dish
it with slices of lemon, and sauce made with the above gravy; the
juice of an orange or lemon, and some cinnamon mixed with butter.
Soused.--Draw, but do not scale the fish, save the liver, and wash it
well; boil 1 pt. white wine, and 4 of water with some spice and sweet
herbs; just before putting in the fish add a little vinegar (to make
it crisp); when done, take out the fish. Add to the liquor some white
pepper, bruised ginger, and let it boil, then get cold. Put the fish
into it for 4-5 days, serve with vinegar and fennel.
Stewed.--Scale, cut out gills, wash clean, and dry with a clean
cloth, flour, and fry them in butter; put them, when the liquor
boils, into a stewpan, with ½ pint claret, grated nutmeg, mace, and
anchovy chopped fine, a little sliced ginger, 3 or 4 cloves, salt,
and 3 or 4 slices of orange; cover up the stewpan, and stew quickly,
turning the fish occasionally. When cooked, dish with sippets of
fried bread and slices of orange, lay the spices on and pour over a
sauce made with butter and some of the liquor in which the fish was
stewed. Garnish with grated breadcrumbs.
With Polish Sauce.--Lay thin slices of parsnip, celery, and onion
in a stewpan, with a good-sized piece of butter, some salt, pepper,
2 slices of lemon, 2 bay leaves, and 6 cloves. Split open the carp,
leaving the back whole. Lay it flat on the seasoning with the back
uppermost. Lay the head, tail, liver, and milt on the top, and with
these 2 thick slices of brown gingerbread, broken up. Pour over 1-2
tablespoonfuls vinegar, and beer enough to barely cover the fish.
Simmer all till the fish is well done, take it up carefully, put the
head back into the sauce, and stew this to a rich brown. Season it
to taste, and strain it over the fish, which must have a thick brown
glazing.