the hole as small and as near to the gills as possible; put inside
some sweet herbs--rosemary, thyme, marjoram, parsley, and winter
savory--tie the fish to a spit and roast, basting frequently with
vinegar and butter, and plenty of salt. Barbel, tench, bream, &c.,
may be dressed in the same way, but should be basted only with
butter; salt first strewed on. See Carp.
Broiled.--Scale, wash, and clean the fish, slit it through the
middle, cut it 3 or 4 times across the back, and broil over a clear
fire, turning it frequently, and basting with butter, plenty of salt,
and a little powdered thyme. Trout, barbel, and tench may be dressed
in the same way.
Baked.--Put into a fish kettle enough water, with a little vinegar,
to cover the fish; add some fennel and a good quantity of salt. When
the water boils put in the fish (washed, cleaned, &c.); boil slowly;
when done drain for 1 hour, remove the fish from the house, put it
into a pie dish with plenty of butter and minced parsley, bake in the
oven, and serve very hot.
_Cockles_ (Clovisses, Prayres).--Cockles are very good when treated
properly, and make excellent sauce as well as stew prepared in this
fashion: Put 100 cockles into a pail of water, wash them with a birch
broom; then put them into a pail of spring water and salt for 2
hours; wash them out, and put them into a saucepan; cover them close,
and stew gently till they open. Strain the liquor through a sieve,
pick them out of the shells, and wash well. Now put into a saucepan
the cockles, the liquor drained from the settlings, ½ pint of hock,
grave, or sauterne, a little grated nutmeg, and a piece of butter
rolled in flour. Stew till thick and smooth, and serve in a hot dish
garnished with sippets.
_Cod_ (Cabillaud, Morue).--Cod is popularly supposed to come into
season in September, but is not really good till November, and
reaches its greatest perfection in December, January, and February,
after which month its quality again declines. In choosing this
fish, care should be taken to select one that is thick and round,
especially about the shoulders, which should present a clumsy and
“humpy” appearance, like those of a wild boar, whose general outline
is by no means unlike that of a prime codfish. The flesh should be
firm, the gills of a lively red, and the eye bright and plump. It
may be remarked that, though it is important to buy fresh cod, it is
not quite so well to cook it immediately, as when freshly caught it
is apt to be watery; but when rubbed with salt and kept for a day
or two it acquires the firmness and creaminess so much prized. Cod
is better crimped than when cooked whole, the operation of boiling
being more successfully performed under these conditions. The fish
may be partially crimped by scoring it at equal distances, without
absolutely cutting it through into slices; but the effect of the
operation is always to improve the fish. After being thoroughly
cleaned the cod should be scored or sliced at regular intervals
of about 1½-2 in.; then washed clean in spring water, and laid in
a pan of spring water in which a handful of salt has been allowed
to dissolve. About 2 hours’ soaking in this brine will produce the
desired effect, when the fish may be washed and set to drain.
Au gratin.--In common with turbot and other white fishes, cod is very
good when dressed _au gratin_. The cold fish should be picked out in
flakes, perfectly free from skin and bone, and in this case no liver
should be added; then take a dish, rub it with garlic, butter it
and put in the codfish; season with pepper and salt, and pour over
it a liberal allowance of melted butter, made with milk and cream;
cover the whole with plenty of finely-sifted baked breadcrumbs, then
put the dish in the oven; when well browned it is ready. A little
finely-grated Parmesan cheese may be sprinkled over the fish as an
agreeable variety.
Baked.--The tail-end of a codfish weighing 2-3 lb., or the whole of
a small fish, can be cooked as follows: Pass a knife down each side
of the backbone, and press in a good stuffing. For the above weight
of fish the quantity here given to make the stuffing will suffice:
Rub the crumb of a French roll through a coarse gravy-strainer;
have very finely chopped 1 oz. beef suet or cooked fat bacon, a
pinch of dried parsley and sweet herbs, salt and pepper; mix with
egg and ½ teaspoonful essence of anchovy; make ½ pint thin melted
butter, squeeze into it the juice of half a lemon, pepper and salt, a
teaspoonful of essence of anchovy, and pour into a tin baking dish.
Lay in the fish, bake in a moderate oven for about an hour, basting
frequently, and taking care it does not brown. Should the sauce
reduce too much and get thick in process of cooking, add a little
water, a bit of butter, and a few drops of anchovy. When the fish is
done, remove it to a hot dish and strain the sauce over it.
Boiled.--Tie the fish several times over with string, lay it in cold
water plentifully salted, and let it boil gently, carefully skimming
the water; when done lift it up and let it drain, then serve. An
ordinary-sized piece will be done 2-3 minutes after the water comes
to boiling point.
Fried.--Any piece of cod can be fried, but the slices should not be
more than ½ in. thick, because, if they are so, they take so long
to get done through, that either the outside is sodden or dried too
much, according to the method of frying. If there is time, sprinkle
the slices with pepper and salt, and leave them for 1-2 hours. When
ready to fry, wipe the cutlets dry, dip in yolk of egg and very
finely sifted breadcrumbs, mixed with an equal proportion of flour,
and highly seasoned with pepper and salt. The best plan is to fry
the cutlets in a wire basket, with plenty of fat, but if this is not
convenient, they can be done in the frying-pan, if care is taken to
do them quickly, and to have as much fat at the right temperature as
possible. It is best to fillet the tail of cod for frying, and it is
an economical dish. Having removed the flesh from the bones, press
it flat with the cutlet bat, and divide into neat pieces; finish as
directed above. Caper or piquant sauces are suitable for fried cod.
The latter can be made by warming finely-minced pickles in plain
butter sauce.
Mashed Salt (Brandade).--Take some salted codfish that has been
soaked for at least 24 hours. Boil in plain water, drain, carefully
pick out all the skin and bones, and separate the flesh into small
flakes. Put the flakes into a basin, and work them with a fork until
every flake is broken into little pieces. Rub a saucepan freely with
garlic, put the fish and a small quantity of fine salad oil into it,
stir well with a fork. Place the saucepan on a very slow fire, and
never cease stirring the contents; pour into it salad oil and milk
alternately, in the smallest possible quantities, but continuously,
until the mixture assumes the appearance of a thick creamy paste.
Season with white pepper, add some lemon juice, and never leave off
stirring, for it is upon the thoroughness of this operation that
the success of the dish depends. Served piled on a dish, with bread
sippets fried in butter.
Rock.--Plain boil the cod, remove all the meat, clear it from skin
and bone, then mince it fine; mince also an onion; put it in a
stewpan with a piece of butter, and steam it soft; then put in the
fish, with salt, white pepper, and finely mashed or grated potatoes;
stir all well together, with a piece of butter; make hot; serve
it well raised, with crumbs browned in butter, sprinkled over or
ornamented with narrow strips of pickled beetroot.
Roe (Laitance).--Soft roes, which are the best, are to be bought at
prices ranging from 2_d._ to 8_d._ each. This last is very large,
and will make a dish amply sufficient for 12 persons. The hard roe
is generally sold at 6_d._, but, as it does not go so far, it is not
so cheap as the soft. It has lately come into use, when cured and
smoked, as a breakfast delicacy, but, like all other dried fish, is
indigestible. When fresh, it requires to be carefully prepared, or
it will be tasteless; but properly managed it makes both a good and
elegant dish. Besides the recipes given, there are a number of other
ways of utilising this roe. It makes an excellent basis for fish
soups of any kind, or mulligatawny, and nothing can be better for
stewed oysters. It is also very good curried.
Soft Roe Fried.--Take the whole of a small roe or a portion of a
large one, about the size of a calf’s sweetbread. Boil ½ pint water
with a tablespoonful of vinegar, a large pinch of salt, and a shake
of pepper. Put the roe in, and let it boil for 10 minutes; then take
up and drain. Beat up half an egg, yolk and white together, in a
basin, and pass the rose through it so as to touch every part. Have
ready some finely-sifted breadcrumbs mixed with an equal quantity of
raspings, and well seasoned with pepper and salt, and dip the roe in
them, taking care it is nicely covered. Have ready some good frying
fat, and when boiling put in the roe; fry on one side until brown and
crisp; then turn and finish on the other. Butter sauce and anchovy
may be eaten with it; or butter sauce with a little lemon juice and
cayenne pepper added.
Hard Roe.--Get the roe the day before it is wanted. Boil it in salt
and water until perfectly firm. When cold, slice it into cutlets ¼
in. thick and lay them in a pickle composed of a pinch of saltpetre
and of baysalt, a teaspoonful of common salt, pinch of pepper, ground
cloves, nutmeg, and allspice, the whole mixed with 2 teaspoonfuls
vinegar. Let the cutlets remain in this pickle until the next
day, turning them occasionally. A little before cooking drain and
dry them, brush them over with egg, and dip them in finely-sifted
breadcrumbs, well seasoned with pepper and salt and a pinch of
chopped parsley. Fry the cutlets in butter until a nice brown, and
when about to serve pour round them a sauce made as follows: Take 4
spoonfuls good gravy, add a few drops essence of anchovy, thicken
with ½ teaspoonful flour, chop a tablespoonful of capers, and boil
them, for a minute or two in the gravy.
The preceding recipes for roe are due to the well-known authority,
Mary Hooper.
Sauté.--Boil a piece of codfish, but do not over do it. Pick out
the flesh in flakes, put them in a saucepan with a piece of butter,
pepper and salt to taste, some minced parsley, and the juice of a
lemon, with a dust of cayenne. Put it on the fire till quite hot, and
serve.
Sound (Nau).--(_a_) 6 fine salted sounds will make a good dish. Soak
in cold milk and water for several hours, and boil until tender in
fresh milk and water; then drain and dish on a napkin as any other
fish; serve egg sauce with them.
(_b_) After boiling the sounds, as in (_a_), cut into neat pieces,
not too small; and having made the egg sauce, put the pieces of
sounds into the stewpan containing it. Hold the stewpan over the
fire, shaking it about during the time until the fish is quite hot;
then dish it without a napkin, piling the sounds in pyramid form, and
pouring the remainder of the sauce over. Garnish with boiled parsnips
round the dish; cut into neat pieces alike in size and shape.
Steaks, with Mock Oyster Sauce.--The most economical way of having
cod steaks is to order either the tail of a good-sized cod or a cod’s
head and shoulders, so cut that there is sufficient to take off some
steaks, and what remains comes in for luncheon or the children’s
dinner the following day. Sprinkle the cod with salt, and fry, either
with or without breadcrumbs, a golden brown.
Stewed.--With a sharp knife remove the flesh in long slices from 2-3
lb. tail end of a codfish; divide each piece into three or four,
dip in flour highly seasoned with pepper and salt, and fry lightly.
Boil the bone of the fish with a minced onion, 3 or 4 peppercorns, a
small bundle of sweet herbs, and 1 qt. water, for 1 hour. Strain the
liquor, which should be about 1 pint. Let boil up, and thicken with
2 tablespoonfuls of flour, mixed smooth in a little cold water; add
2 teaspoonfuls essence of anchovy, and pepper to taste. Put in the
pieces of fish, and simmer them in this sauce for ¼ hour. When about
to serve, a few drops of vinegar may be added.
Twice Laid.--Take 1 lb. of the remnants of boiled codfish, remove all
skin and bone, taking care to leave the fish in nice pieces. Put 2
oz. butter into a saucepan, when melted add ½ tablespoonful flour;
stir it on the fire 2-3 minutes, pour in 1 gill milk, add salt and
pepper to taste, and a little nutmeg; stir until the sauce boils.
Take 2 hard-boiled eggs, cut each into 8 pieces; put them into the
sauce with the fish and about 1 lb. mashed potatoes; mix all lightly
together, dish up high on a plate, put into the oven to brown,
ornament with some slices of hard-boiled egg, and serve.
With Cream.--Pick out carefully in flakes all the flesh from the
remnants of some boiled codfish; melt a piece of butter in a
saucepan, and add to it a large pinch of flour and 1 gill milk or
cream, with pepper, salt, and grated nutmeg to taste, also the least
bit of cayenne; stir well, put in the fish, and gently shake it
in this sauce till quite warm. If the composition be too dry add
a little milk or cream; then add off the fire the yolks of 2 eggs
beaten up with a little milk, and serve.
_Crab_ (Écrevisse de mer). Browned.--Take the great shell, clean
and butter it; mince all the fish, shred some parsley, mushrooms,
truffles, and a little young onion. Brown these in a saucepan with a
very little butter; put in the minced crab with the inside bruised,
and some cayenne pepper and salt; stir this about, shake in some
flour, and add a little corach. Let this simmer up, fill up the
shell, strew over crumbs of bread with small piece of butter; brown
in a Dutch oven or with a salamander.
Dressed.--To produce a successful dressed crab, boil a large and
a small crab in salt and water. When cold, open them, pull off
and break the claws, and take out the chine. Clear out the shells
completely, and put the soft creamy part into a basin. Now pick out
all white meat from large and small claws and chine, and put some
of this aside. Add to remainder a dressing of oil, vinegar, pepper,
salt, and mustard, and mix well. Replace the mixture in the shell
of the large crab, strew over the top the reserve of white meat,
pulled into fibres, and adorn it with powdered yolk of hard-boiled
egg, lobster spawn, and caviar, disposed in stripes, triangles, or
diagonals.
Devilled.--Take 2 boiled crabs, pick out the meat and put it aside.
Mince 2 or 3 shallots very finely, and put them into a stewpan with
a goodly lump of butter. Fry the shallots to a gold colour, and then
put in a little milk, salt, cayenne pepper, a dash of ketchup, a
spoonful of chutnee, and a very little parsley finely chopped. Boil
till it thickens; put in the minced crab, and let it boil up; then
add the yolk of an egg, a little cream, and amalgamate quickly. Fill
the shell of the larger crab, egg and breadcrumb it, put into the
oven for 10 minutes, pass a salamander over it, and serve.
_Crayfish._--The sea crayfish (_langouste_) may be cooked in every
way like lobster, but its flesh is very inferior in texture and
richness. Freshwater crayfish (_écrevisse_) are in this country
frequently ignored in consequence of the abundance of lobsters, but
are excellent morsels even when simply boiled and eaten cold, and
are invaluable as garnish. The famous _bisque d’écrevisses_ is made
in the same way as lobster soup, save and except that the shells are
pounded and added to the soup at an early stage of its confection.
The rich, highly flavoured dish known as _écrevisses à la bordelaise_
is made by first getting ready a _mirepois_ thus: Cut into small
dice 3 carrots and 3 onions, and add to them a bay leaf, some thyme,
parsley, and lean ham, the whole chopped finely. Put all these into a
stewpan with a large piece of butter, and let it stew gently without
taking too much colour. Having thoroughly cleaned 24 raw crayfish,
put them into the _mirepois_ with half a bottle of sauterne, half
a glass of good cognac, a piece of glaze, and a little good stock;
throw in a little pepper and salt, and cook over a brisk fire. In
aspic: see Prawns.
_Dab_ (Limande): see Flounder.
_Dace_ (Vandoise) Boiled: see Carp. Stewed: see Carp, Trout.
_Eels_ (Anguilles).--When intended for frying or stewing, eels are
skinned, but for a broil or “spatchcock,” the skin, after thorough
scouring and cleansing, should be left on. In all these processes
care should be taken that the eels be not overdone. Nothing, of
course, can well be more detestable or more unwholesome than
underdone fish, but in the case of eels great nicety is required,
as if they are cooked too much all springiness and elasticity are
lost. This point is often neglected in a stew or _matelote_; all
individuality of texture is sacrificed, and a soft, tasteless dish is
the consequence. Very large eels may be stuffed with truffle or other
stuffing, and roasted; and small ones may be made into a pie; but the
broil, fry, and stew are the most popular forms.
Broiled.--To “spatchcock” an eel, select a large one. Scour well
with salt, wipe clean with a cloth, slit down the back, take out the
bone and inside, cut off the head, and wipe off the blood. Cut into
4-5 pieces. Brush these over with yolk of egg, and sprinkle with a
mixture of breadcrumbs, sweet herbs, parsley, and the thin rind of
lemon rubbed fine, a little grated nutmeg, pepper and salt. Put on a
well-anointed gridiron over a clear fire, skin-side downwards. When
that side is done, turn on the other, and broil to a fine brown.
Lay in a hot dish, and garnish with horseradish and parsley. Serve,
separately, anchovy sauce, _ravigote_ sauce, or, best of all, a cold
_tartare_.
Conger (Anguille de mer). Broiled.--Flay, draw, cut in pieces, and
wipe clean; then parboil in water with salt and sweet herbs; lay the
pieces on a clean gridiron, over a clear fire, turning often, and
basting with butter and sweet herbs. Serve with butter, beaten up
with 4 or 5 spoonfuls of hot spring water, and the beaten-up yolk of
an egg. See Carp; Ling.
Collared, to be eaten cold.--Prepare some large eels as for broiling,
divide down the back and take out the bone, strew inside with
powdered herbs (thyme, parsley, &c.) and spices (nutmeg, cloves,
ginger, pepper), and salt; roll up the eels, tie in a cloth, bound
close with packthread, and boil in water and vinegar, with salt, till
quite tender--the liquor must boil before putting in the eels. When
done, take them out of the liquor, which must be allowed to get cold,
then put them back and let remain 5-6 days. Serve either in collars
or in round slices, with vinegar. If to keep for a long time, no
herbs ought to be put in, only the salt and spices; and the pickle
they are kept in must be boiled every fortnight, vinegar and water
being added as it wastes.
Fricassée.--Scour some moderate sized eels, cut off the heads, draw,
&c., and cut them into pieces; put them into a frying pan with as
much white wine and water as will cover them; add spice, cloves,
mace, nutmeg, pepper, sweet herbs, and salt; boil well; when tender,
dish them with 2 pounded anchovies, the yolks of eggs, and butter,
added to the liquor and poured over.
Fried.--Wash clean, &c., cut them into pieces 3-4 in. long; put into
some boiling water, with salt and fennel, and let them partly boil;
drain the water well off, flour, and then fry till brown and crisp,
first on one side and then on the other.
Galantine.--Split a good-sized conger, and take out the bone. Chop
and mix a tablespoonful of parsley, the same quantity of sweet
herbs, the thin rind of a lemon with a seasoning of salt, cayenne or
pepper, and a little ground mace. A few mushrooms are an improvement.
Sprinkle this on the inside of the fish, and roll up, beginning at
the head end; wrap in a cloth to keep it in shape, and simmer in
equal parts vinegar and water until tender. Let remain in the stock
till both are cold, then take out of the cloth, and serve cold,
garnished with parsley, and if possible glazed. It is also very good
cut in slices, and set in a mould of clear jelly with hard-boiled
eggs.
Matelote.--Take 2 or more eels, cut them up into pieces 2 in. long.
Put ½ pint stock and the same quantity of claret into a saucepan with
a sliced onion, a pod of garlic, some whole pepper, salt, cloves,
thyme, bay leaf, and parsley, all according to taste, lay the eels
in this, and let boil gently till done. Strain the sauce, and add to
it a liqueur glass of brandy. Melt a good sized piece of butter in
a saucepan, stir in 1 tablespoonful flour, then add the sauce; let
boil, and pour over the fish which you serve with sippets of bread
fried in butter round it.
Pie.--Skin, prepare, and cut up the eel, season the pieces with
spices (cloves, mace, nutmeg, and pepper, well powdered) and salt;
line a pie dish with paste, and lay in the pieces with some currants
(well cleaned) and butter; cover over with paste, make a hole in the
top, pour in 6-8 spoonfuls of white wine, and bake in the oven.
Roast.--Wash a large eel in salt and water, partly pull back the skin
as far as to the vent, draw and clean but do not wash again; notch 2
or 3 times with a knife, and stuff with sweet herbs, an anchovy cut
very small, and some grated nutmeg. Cut off the head, put the skin
back and tie it, to keep in all the moisture, fasten to a spit and
roast slowly, basting (till the skin breaks) with salt and water,
then with butter. Sauce, melted butter, with the stuffing from the
fish.
Stewed.--1 middle-sized onion sliced, 1 dessertspoonful chopped
parsley, a small quantity of chopped lemon peel, 1 teaspoonful
chopped capers. Fry in a stewpan in a little butter, stir a few
minutes, add ½ pint good brown stock, with a little caper or
tarragon vinegar in it, and pepper and salt to taste; then add 1½
lb. middle-sized eels, not skinned, but cut into pieces rather less
than 3 in. long. Put in the heads, but take them away before sending
the dish to table. Cook gently ½ hour, then thicken with flour and
butter, and boil gently a few minutes to cook the flour. The sauce
should adhere to each piece of eel the thickness of good cream. Serve
in a hot covered dish, and send at once to table. (S. R.)
_Flounder_ (Carrelet).--The flounder may be cooked in any of the ways
prescribed for other flat fish, and is capital when fried. Still,
the highest expression of the flounder is found in the dish with
which he is specially identified--water souchet.
Water souchet.--To prepare this dish properly, a good fish stock
should be made of the heads, fins, and other trimmings of flounders,
or of any fish that may be handy. This may be prepared while the
flounders are crimping, an operation which should not be overlooked
if the fish are of tolerable size. Throw the trimmings into a
stewpan, with pepper and salt and sufficient water; add 6 parsley
roots cut up small, and a handful of green parsley; bring this to
the boil, let it simmer for 1-2 hours, and strain. Put some of this
liquor with a few finely shred and blanched parsley roots into a
saucepan, throw in a handful of salt, and boil for 5 minutes; then
put in the fish and boil for 5 minutes, when add a large handful
of green parsley, nicely washed and picked, and boil for 5 minutes
longer. Take up the fish very carefully, strain the parsley and roots
in a sieve, put them on the fish, and add enough of the liquor to
cover them well. Garnish with lemon, and eat with brown bread and
butter, cut very thin.
_Grayling_ (Ombre).--Stewed: see Carp, Trout.
_Gudgeon_ (Goujon).--Gudgeon requires a world of scraping and
cleaning, but are well worth the preliminary pains, as they only need
to be treated like whitebait, i.e. floured and fried in boiling lard,
to be quite successful. They may or may not be garnished with fried
parsley, and should be eaten with lemon, cayenne, and salt, and very
thin slices of brown bread and butter.