FISH.

A General Chapter on Fish.

It may seem as if a small number of recipes has been given, but the

aim has been to present under the heads of Baking, Boiling, Broiling,

Frying and Stewing such general directions that one cannot be at a

loss as to how to prepare any kind of fish. Once having mastered the

five primary methods, and learned also how to make sauces, the variety

of dishes within the cook's power is great All that is required is

confidence in the rules, which are perfectly reliable, and will always

bring about a satisfactory result if followed carefully. Fish, to be

eatable, should be perfectly fresh. Nothing else in the line of food

deteriorates so rapidly, especially the white fish-those that are

nearly free of oil, like cod, cusk, etc. Most of the oil in this class

centres in the liver. Salmon, mackerel, etc., have it distributed

throughout the body, which gives a higher and richer flavor, and at

the same time tends to preserve the fish. People who do not live near

the seashore do not get that delicious flavor which fish just caught

have. If the fish is kept on ice until used, it will retain much of

its freshness; let it once get heated and nothing will bring back the

delicate flavor. Fresh fish will be firm, and the skin and scales

bright. When fish looks dim and limp, do not buy it. Fish should be

washed quickly in only one _(cold)_ water, and should not be

allowed to stand in it. If it is cut up before cooking, wash while

whole, else much of the flavor will be lost. For frying, the fat

should be deep enough to cover the article, and yet have it float from

the bottom. Unless one cooks great quantities of fish in this way it

is not necessary to have a separate pot of fat for this kind of

frying. The same pot, with proper care, will answer for chops,

cutlets, muffins, potatoes, croquettes, etc. All the cold fish left

from any mode of cooking can be utilized in making delicious salads,

croquettes, and escallops.

Boiled Fish.

A general role for boiling fish, which will hold good for all kinds,

and thus save a great deal of time and space, is this: Any fresh fish

weighing between four and six pounds should be first washed in cold

water and then put into boiling water enough to cover it, and

containing one table-spoonful of salt. Simmer gently thirty minutes;

then take up. A fish kettle is a great convenience, and it can be used

also for boiling hams. When you do not have a fish kettle, keep a

piece of strong white cotton cloth in which pin the fish before

putting into the boiling water. This will hold it in shape. Hard

boiling will break the fish, and, of course, there will be great

waste, besides the dish's not looking so handsome and appetizing.

There should be a gentle bubbling of the water, and nothing more, all

the time the fish is in it, A fish weighing more than six pounds

should cook five minutes longer for every additional _two_

pounds. Boiled fish can be served with a great variety of sauces.

After you have learned to make them (which is a simple matter), if you

cannot get a variety of fish you will not miss it particularly, the

sauce and mode of serving doing much to change the whole character of

the dish. Many people put a table-spoonful of vinegar in the water in

which the fish is boiled. The fish flakes a little more readily for

it. Small fish, like trout, require from four to eight minutes to

cook. They are, however, much better baked, broiled or fried.

Court-Bouillon.

This preparation gives boiled fish a better flavor than cooking in

clear water does. Many cooks use wine in it, but there is no necessity

for it. Four quarts of water, one onion, one slice of carrot, two

cloves, two table-spoonfuls of salt, one teaspoonful of pepper, one

table-spoonful of vinegar, the juice of half a lemon and a bouquet of

sweet herbs are used. Tie the onion, carrot, cloves and herbs in a

piece of muslin, and put in the water with the other ingredients.

Cover, and boil slowly for one hour. Then put in the fish and cook as

directed for plain boiling.

Boiled Cod with Lobster Sauce.

Boil the fish, as directed [see boiled fish], and, when done,

carefully remove the skin from one side; then turn the fish over on to

the dish on which it is to be served, skin side up. Remove the skin

from this side. Wipe the dish with a damp cloth. Pour a few spoonfuls

of the sauce over the fish, and the remainder around it; garnish with

parsley, and serve. This is a handsome dish.

Boiled Haddock with Lobster Sauce.

The same as cod. In fact, all kinds of fish can be served in the same

manner; but the lighter are the better, as the sauce is so rich that

it is not really the thing for salmon and blue fish. Many of the best

cooks and caterers, however, use the lobster sauce with salmon, but

salmon has too rich and delicate a flavor to be mixed with the

lobster.

Cold Boiled Fish, a la Vinaigrette.

If the fish is whole, take off the head and skin, and then place it in

the centre of a dish. Have two cold hard-boiled eggs, and cut fine

with a silver knife or spoon, (steel turns the egg black). Sprinkle

the fish with this, and garnish either with small lettuce leaves,

water-cresses, or cold boiled potatoes and beets, cut in slices. Place

tastefully around the dish, with here and there a sprig of parsley.

Serve the vinaigrette sauce in a separate dish. Help to the garnish

when the fish is served, and pour a spoonful of the sauce over the

fish as you serve it. This makes a nice dish for tea in summer, and

takes the place of a salad, as it is, in fact, a kind of salad.

If the fish is left from the dinner, and is broken, pick free from

skin and bones, heap it lightly in the centre of the dish, sprinkle

the sauce over it, and set away in a cool place until tea time. Then

add the garnish, and serve as before. Many people prefer the latter

method, as the fish is seasoned better and more easily served. The

cold fish remaining from a bake or broil can be served in the same

manner. This same dish can be served with a sauce piquante or Tartare

sauce, for a change.

Baked Fish.

As for the boiled fish, a general rule, that will cover all kinds of

baked fish, is herewith given: A fish weighing about five pounds;

three large, or five small, crackers, quarter of a pound of salt pork,

two table-spoonfuls of salt, quarter of a teaspoonful of pepper, half

a table-spoonful of chopped parsley, two table-spoonfuls of flour.

If the fish has not already been scraped free of scales, scrape, and

wash clean; then rub into it one table-spoonful of the salt. Roll the

crackers very fine, and add to them the parsley, one table-spoonful of

chopped pork, half the pepper, half a table-spoonful of salt, and cold

water to moisten well. Put this into the body of the fish, and fasten

together with a skewer. Butter a tin sheet and put it into a baking

pan. Cut gashes across the fish, about half an inch deep and two

inches long. Cut the remainder of the pork into strips, and put these

into the gashes. Now put the fish into the baking pan, and dredge well

with salt, pepper and flour. Cover the bottom of the pan with hot

water, and put into a rather hot oven. Bake one hour, basting often

with the gravy in the pan, and dredging each time with salt, pepper

and flour. The water in the pan must often be renewed, as the bottom

is simply to be covered with it each time. The fish should be basted

every fifteen minutes. When it is cooked, lift from the pan on to the

tin sheet, and slide it carefully into the centre of the dish on which

it is to be served. Pour around it Hollandaise sauce, tomato sauce, or

any kind you like. Garnish with parsley.

Broiled Fish.

Bluefish, young cod, mackerel, salmon, large trout, and all other

fish, when they weigh between half a pound and four pounds, are nice

for broiling. When smaller or larger they are not so good. Always use

a double broiler, which, before putting the fish into it, rub with

either butter or a piece of salt pork. This prevents sticking. The

thickness of the fish will have to be the guide in broiling. A

bluefish weighing four pounds will take from twenty minutes to half an

hour to cook. Many cooks brown the fish handsomely over the coals and

then put it into the oven to finish broiling. Where the fish is very

thick, this is a good plan. If the fish is taken from the broiler to

be put into the oven, it should be slipped on to a tin sheet, that it

may slide easily into the platter at serving time; for nothing so mars

a dish of fish as to have it come to the table broken. In broiling,

the inside should be exposed to the fire first, and then the skin.

Great care must be taken that the skin does not burn. Mackerel will

broil in from twelve to twenty minutes, young cod (also called scrod)

in from twenty to thirty minutes, bluefish in from twenty to thirty

minutes, salmon, in from twelve to twenty minutes, and whitefish,

bass, mullet, etc., in about eighteen minutes. All kinds of broiled

fish can be served with a seasoning of salt, pepper and butter, or

with any of the following sauces: _bearer noir, maître d' hôtel_,

Tartare, sharp, tomato and curry. Always, when possible, garnish with

parsley or something else green.

Broiled Halibut.

Season the slices with salt and pepper, and lay them in melted butter

for half an hour, having them well covered on both sides. Roll in

flour, and broil for twelve minutes over a clear fire. Serve on a hot

dish, garnishing with parsley and slices of lemon. The slices of

halibut should be about an inch thick, and for every pound there

should be three table-spoonfuls of butter.

Broiled Halibut, with Maître d' Hôtel Butter.

Butter both sides of the broiler. Season the slices of halibut with

salt and pepper, place them in the broiler and cook over clear coals

for twelve minutes, turning frequently. Place on a hot dish, and

spread on them the sauce, using one spoonful to each pound. Garnish

with parsley.

Stewed Fish.

Six pounds of any kind of fish, large or small; three large pints of

water, quarter of a pound of pork, or, half a cupful of butter; two

large onions, three table-spoonfuls of flour, salt and pepper to

taste. Cut the heads from the fish, and cut out all the bones. Put the

heads and bones on to boil in the three pints of water. Cook gently

half an hour. In the meanwhile cut the pork in slices, and fry brown.

Cut the onions in slices, and fry in the pork fat. Stir the dry flour

into the onion and fat, and cook three minutes, stirring all the time.

Now pour over this the water in which the bones have been cooking, and

simmer ten minutes. Have the fish cut in pieces about three inches

square. Season well with salt and pepper, and place in the stew-pan.

Season the sauce with salt and pepper, and strain on the fish. Cover

tight, and simmer twenty minutes. A bouquet of sweet herbs, simmered

with the bones, is an improvement. Taste to see if the sauce is

seasoned enough, and dish on a large platter. Garnish with potato

balls and parsley. The potato balls are cut from the raw potatoes with

a vegetable scoop, and boiled ten minutes in salted water. Put them in

little heaps around the dish.

Fried Fish.

All small fish, like brook trout, smelts, perch, etc., are best fried.

They are often called pan-fish for this reason. They should be

cleaned, washed and drained, then well salted, and rolled in flour and

Indian meal (half of each), which has been thoroughly mixed and

salted. For every four pounds of fish have half a pound of salt pork,

cut in thin slices, and fried a crisp brown. Take the pork from the

pan and put the fish in, having only enough to cover the bottom. Fry

brown on one side; turn, and fry the other side. Serve on a hot dish,

with the salt pork as a garnish. Great care must be taken that the

pork or fat does not burn, and yet to have it hot enough to brown

quickly. Cod, haddock, cusk and halibut are all cut in handsome slices

and fried in this manner; or, the slices can be well seasoned with

salt and pepper, dipped in beaten egg, rolled in bread or cracker

crumbs and fried in boiling fat enough to cover. This method gives the

handsomer dish, but the first the more savory. Where Indian meal is

not liked, all flour can be used. Serve very hot Any kind of fried

fish can be served with _beurre noir_, but this is particularly

nice for that which is fried without pork. When the cooked fish is

placed in the dish, pour the butter over it, garnish with parsley, and

serve.

To Cook Salt Codfish.

The fish should be thoroughly washed, and soaked in cold water over

night. In the morning change the water, and put on to cook. As soon as

the water comes to the boiling point set back where it will keep

_hot_, but will _not boil_. From four to six hours will cook

a very dry, hard fish, and there are kinds which will cook in half an

hour. The boneless codfish, put up at the Isles of Shoals, by Brown &

Seavey, will cook in from half an hour to an hour. Where a family uses

only a small quantity of salt fish at a time, this is a convenient and

economical way to buy it, as there is no waste with bone or skin. It

comes in five pound boxes, and costs sixty cents.

Dropped Fish Balls.

One pint bowlful of raw fish, two heaping bowlfuls of pared potatoes,

(let the potatoes be under medium size), two eggs, butter, the size of

an egg, and a little pepper. Pick the fish very fine, and measure it

lightly in the bowl. Put the potatoes into the boiler, and the fish on

top of them; then cover with boiling water, and boil half an hour.

Drain off all the water, and mash fish and potatoes together until

fine and light. Then add the butter and pepper, and the egg, well

beaten. Have a deep kettle of _boiling_ fat. Dip a table-spoon in

it, and then take up a spoonful of the mixture, having care to get it

into as good shape as possible. Drop into the boiling fat, and cook

until brown, which should be in two minutes. Be careful not to crowd

the balls, and, also, that the fat is hot enough. The spoon should be

dipped in the fat every time you take a spoonful of the mixture. These

balls are delicious.

Common Fish Balls.

One pint of finely-chopped cooked salt fish, six medium-sized

potatoes, one egg, one heaping table-spoonful of butter, pepper, two

table-spoonfuls of cream, or four of milk. Pare the potatoes, and put

on in _boiling_ water. Boil half an hour. Drain off all the

water, turn the potatoes into the tray with the fish, and mash light

and fine with a vegetable masher. Add the butter, pepper, milk and

eggs, and mix all very thoroughly. Taste to see if salt enough. Shape

into smooth balls, the size of an egg, and fry brown in boiling fat

enough to float them. They will cook in three minutes. If the potatoes

are very mealy it will take more milk or cream to moisten them, about

two spoonfuls more. If the fat is smoking in the centre, and the balls

are made _very_ smooth, they will not soak fat; but if the fat is

not hot enough, they certainly will. Putting too many balls into the

fat at one time cools it. Put in say four or five. Let the fat regain

its first temperature, then add more.

Salt Fish with Dropped Eggs.

One pint of cooked salt fish, one pint of milk or cream, two table-

spoonfuls of flour, one of butter, six eggs, pepper. Put milk on to

boil, keeping half a cupful of it to mix the flour. When it boils,

stir in the flour, which has been mixed smooth with the milk; then add

the fish, which has been flaked. Season, and cook ten minutes. Have

six slices of toasted bread on a platter. Drop six eggs into boiling

water, being careful to keep the shape. Turn the fish and cream on to

the toast. Lift the eggs carefully from the water, as soon as the

whites are set, and place very gently on the fish. Garnish the dish

with points of toast and parsley.

Salt Codfish, in Purée of Potatoes.

Six large potatoes, one pint and one cupful of milk, two table-

spoonfuls of butter, a small slice of onion (about the size of a

silver quarter), one pint of cooked salt codfish, salt, pepper, one

large table-spoonful of flour. Pare the potatoes and boil half an

hour; then drain off the water, and mash them light and fine. Add the

salt, pepper, one table-spoonful of butter, and the cupful of milk,

which has been allowed to come to a boil. Beat very thoroughly, and

spread a thin layer of the potatoes on the centre of a hot platter.

Heap the remainder around the edge, making a wall to keep in the cream

and fish, which should then be poured in. Garnish the border with

parsley, and serve.

To prepare the fish: Put the pint of milk on to boil with the onion.

Mix flour and butter together, and when well mixed, add two table-

spoonfuls of the hot milk. Stir all into the boiling milk, skim out

the onion, add the fish, and cook ten minutes. Season with pepper, and

if not salty enough, with salt. This is a nice dish for breakfast,

lunch or dinner.

Salt Fish Soufflé.

One pint of finely-chopped cooked salt fish, eight good-sized

potatoes, three-fourths of a cupful of milk or cream, four eggs, salt,

pepper, two generous table-spoonfuls of butter. Pare the potatoes and

boil thirty minutes. Drain the water from them, and mash very fine;

then mix thoroughly with the fish. Add butter, seasoning and the hot

milk. Have two of the eggs well beaten, which stir into the mixture,

and heap this in the dish in which it is to be served. Place in the

oven for ten minutes. Beat the whites of the two remaining eggs to a

stiff froth, and add a quarter of a teaspoonful of salt; then add

yolks. Spread this over the dish of fish; return to the oven to brown,

and serve.

Cusk, à la Crème.

A cusk, cod or haddock, weighing five or six pounds; one quart of

milk, two table-spoonfuls of flour, one of butter, one small slice of

onion, two sprigs of parsley, salt, pepper. Put the fish on in boiling

water enough to cover, and which contains one table-spoonful of salt.

Cook gently twenty minutes; then lift out of the water, but let it

remain on the tray. Now carefully remove all the skin and the head;

then turn the fish over into the dish in which it is to be served (it

should be stone china), and scrape off the skin from the other side.

Pick out all the small bones. You will find them the whole length of

the back, and a few in the lower part of the fish, near the tail. They

are in rows like pins in a paper, and if you start all right it will

take but a few minutes to remove them. Then take out the back-bone,

starting at the head and working gently down toward the tail. Great

care must be taken, that the fish may keep its shape. Cover with the

cream, and bake about ten minutes, just to brown it a little. Garnish

with parsley or little puff-paste cakes; or, you can cover it with the

whites of three eggs, beaten to a stiff froth, and then slightly

brown.

To prepare the cream: Put the milk, parsley and onion on to boil,

reserving half a cupful of milk to mix with the flour. When it boils,

stir in the flour, which has been mixed smoothly with the cold milk.

Cook eight minutes. Season highly with salt and pepper, add the

butter, strain on the fish, and proceed as directed.

Escaloped Fish.

One pint of milk, one pint of cream, four table-spoonfuls of flour,

one cupful of bread crumbs and between four and five pounds of any

kind of white fish--cusk, cod, haddock, etc., boiled twenty minutes in

water to cover and two table-spoonfuls of salt. Put fish on to boil,

then the cream and milk. Mix the flour with half a cupful of cold

milk, and stir into boiling cream and milk. Cook eight minutes and

season highly with salt and pepper. Remove skin and bones from fish,

and break it into flakes. Put a layer of sauce in a deep escalop dish,

and then a layer of fish, which dredge well with salt (a table-

spoonful) and pepper; then another layer of sauce, again fish, and

then sauce. Cover with the bread crumbs, and bake half an hour. This

quantity requires a dish holding a little over two quarts, or, two

smaller dishes will answer. If for the only solid dish for dinner,

this will answer for six persons; but if it is in a course for a

dinner party, it will serve twelve. Cold boiled fish can be used when

you have it. Great care must be taken to remove every bone when fish

is prepared with a sauce, (as when it is served _à la crème_,

escaloped, &c.), because one cannot look for bones then as when the

sauce is served separately.

Turbot à la Crème.

Boil five or six pounds of haddock. Take out all bones, and shred the

fish very fine. Let a quart of milk, a quarter of an onion and a piece

of parsley come to a boil; then stir in a scant cupful of flour, which

has been mixed with a cupful of cold milk, and the yolks of two eggs.

Season with half a teaspoonful of white pepper, the same quantity of

thyme, half a cupful of butter, and well with salt. Butter a pan, and

put in first a layer of sauce, then one of fish. Finish with sauce,

and over it sprinkle cracker crumbs and a light grating of cheese.

Bake for an hour in a moderate oven.

Matelote of Codfish.

Cut off the head of a codfish weighing five pounds. Remove bones from

the fish, and fill it with a dressing made of half a pint of oysters,

a scant pint of bread crumbs, a fourth of a teaspoonful of pepper, two

teaspoonfuls of salt, two table-spoonfuls of butter, half an onion, an

egg and half a table-spoonful of chopped parsley. Place five slices of

pork both under and over the fish. Boil the bones in a pint of water,

and pour this around the fish. Bake an hour, and baste often with

gravy and butter. Have a bouquet in the corner of the baking pan. Make

a gravy, and pour around the fish. Then garnish with fried smelts.

Smelts à la Tartare.

Clean the smelts by drawing them between the finger and thumb,

beginning at the tail. This will press out the insides at the opening

at the gills. Wash them, and drain in the colander; salt well, and dip

in beaten egg and bread or cracker crumbs (one egg and one cupful of

crumbs to twelve smelts, unless these are very large). Dip first in

the egg, and then roll in the crumbs. Fry in boiling fat deep enough

to float them. They should be a handsome brown in two minutes and a

half. Take them up, and place on a sheet of brown paper for a few

moments, to drain; then place on a hot dish. Garnish with parsley and

a few slices of lemon, and serve with Tartare sauce in a separate

dish; or, they may be served without the sauce.

Smelts as a Garnish,

Smelts are often fried, as for _à la Tartare_; or, rolled in meal

or flour, and then fried, they are used to garnish other kinds of

fish. With baked fish they are arranged around the dish in any form

that the taste of the cook may dictate; but in garnishing fish, or any

other dish, the arrangement should always be simple, so as not to make

the matter of serving any harder than if the dish were not garnished.

Smelts are also seasoned well with salt and pepper, dipped in butter

and afterwards in flour, and placed in a very hot oven for eight or

ten minutes to get a handsome brown. They are then served as a garnish

or on slices of buttered toast. When smelts are used as a garnish,

serve one on each plate with the other fish. If you wish to have the

smelts in rings, for a garnish, fasten the tails in the opening at the

gills, with little wooden tooth picks; then dip them in the beaten egg

and in the crumbs, place in the frying basket and plunge into the

boiling fat. When they are cooked take out the skewers, and they will

retain their shape.

Fish au Gratin.

Any kind of light fish--that is, cod, cusk, flounder, etc. Skin the

fish by starting at the head and drawing down towards the tail; then

take out the bones. Cut the fish into pieces about three inches

square, and salt and pepper well. Butter such a dish, as you would use

for escolloped oysters. Put in one layer of fish, then moisten well

with sauce; add more fish and sauce, and finally cover with fine bread

crumbs. Bake half an hour. The dish should be rather shallow, allowing

only two layers of fish.

Sauce for _au gratin_: One pint of stock, three table-spoonfuls

of butter, two of flour, juice of half a lemon, half a tablespoonful

of chopped parsley, a slice of onion, the size of half a dollar, and

about as thick--chopped very fine, (one table-spoonful of onion juice

is better); one table-spoonful of vinegar, salt, pepper. Heat the

butter in a small frying-pan, and when hot, add the dry flour. Stir

constantly until a rich brown; then add, gradually, the cold stock,

stirring all the time. As soon as it boils, season well with salt and

pepper, and then add the other seasoning. This quantity is enough for

three pounds of fish, weighed after being skinned and boned, and will

serve six persons if it is the only solid dish for dinner, or ten if

served in a course.

Another way to serve fish _au gratin_, is to skin it, cut off the

head, and take out the back-bone; and there are then two large pieces

of fish. Season the fish, and prepare the sauce as before. Butter a

tin sheet that will fit loosely into a large baking-pan. Lay the fish

on this, and moisten well with the sauce. Cover thickly with bread

crumbs, and cook twenty-five minutes in a rather quick oven. Then slip

on a hot dish, and serve with tomato, Tartare or Hollandaise sauce

poured around the fish.

Eels à la Tartare.

Cut the eels into pieces about four inches long. Cover them with

boiling water, in which let them stand five minutes, and then drain

them. Now dip in beaten egg, which has been well salted and peppered,

then in bread or cracker crumbs. Fry in boiling fat for five minutes.

Have Tartare sauce spread in the centre of a cold dish. Place the

fried eels in a circle on this, garnish with parsley, and serve.

Stewed Eels.

Cut two eels in pieces about four inches long. Put three large table-

spoonfuls of butter into the stew-pan with half a small onion. As soon

as the onion begins to turn yellow stir in two table-spoonfuls of

flour, and stir until brown. Add one pint of stock, if you have it; if

not, use water. Season well with pepper and salt; then put in the eels

and two bay leaves. Cover, and simmer gently three-quarters of an

hour. Heap the eels in the centre of a hot dish, strain the sauce over

them and garnish with toasted bread and parsley. If you wish, add a

table-spoonful of vinegar or lemon juice to the stew.