Now let us get to business. Suppose that some day you have a piping
hot oven that is as idle as you would like to be and that you have
also a fresh codfish in the house split with the backbone removed for
broiling. Let me suggest that you dry it well, put it in a buttered
baking pan, skin side down, coat it with melted butter, sprinkle it
with salt, pepper, lemon juice, chopped parsley and chopped onion.
Then bestrew it with bread crumbs moistened in melted butter and set
into the oven to brown. Get it out as gracefully as possible when it
is done, flip a little melted butter and lemon juice over it and
serve. Or, if you can't break away from tradition and have sworn to
have a broiled fish broiled then I am sure that you do keep within
your allowance for the table and will treat the fish this way: You
will dry it well with a cloth, then brush it with melted butter,
sprinkle salt and a little pepper, put it on the buttered bars of the
broiler, and let the fire do the rest. Then after it is dished,
sprinkle it with perhaps a few capers, surround it with broiled thin
slices of bacon, and be on the alert to catch the first expression
that flits over the face of the one who furnishes you with the
aforesaid table allowance to see if all is well with the fish and
consequently with you. Am I right?