Request your fishmonger to send in these without their skins, heads,
and tails. Take a fish of from five to six pounds weight, and with a
large pair of scissors or shears, cut off all the fins close to the
body. Open it at the belly, from three inches below the vent up to the
head part, and clean away all the garbage, and opening a membrane that
covers the backbone, and hid clotted blood, which must be set free.
Cut the fish into pieces eight or nine inches long, and wash well and
very quickly in strong salt and water, and dry with cloths. Rub all the
pieces well inside and outside with this mixture:
Common salt or rock, pounded finely 1 lb.
Bay salt, powdered 1 lb.
Coarse sugar 1 lb.
White pepper, ground 2 oz.
and lay them in a deep pan, rubbing and turning them daily for four
days; then take them up, wipe them dry, stretch out the sides by
splints of wood, so that the wind may get easy access to the inside
surface, and hang them up in a free current of air for twenty-four
hours. Next lay them on their backs, and pay them inside plentifully
with
Essence of allspice 2 tablespoonfuls
Essence of cloves 1 tablespoonful
Essence of bays 2 tablespoonfuls
Essence of cayenne ½ tablespoonful
Particularly attend to the bone and the solid pieces below the vent,
towards the tail, which must be cut open to the bone, and specially
well paid over with the essences; repeating it three or four times. Let
the pieces lie thus on their backs forty-eight hours, attended to at
least twice a day, and the brushing part continued. Now wipe each piece
dry, rub warmed oatmeal over every part and hang them up to dry, which
fully accomplished, they must be smoked and dried three weeks, then the
ragged edges pared off, and either coated with gelatine or wrapped in
paper, and hidden well in malt cooms. Rich broiling steaks may be cut
in two months. The fuel for smoking them should be
Oak lops 2 parts
Peat 1 part
Beech 2 parts
Fern or turfs 1 part
If boiled in the pieces as they were cured they must be put into water
that boils, and when brought again to the boiling point, to be only
_simmered_ afterwards till done enough. To be eaten cold.