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is undoubtedly best boiled. The only exception to the rule of boiling
fish is in the case of salmon, which must be put in hot instead of cold
water, to preserve its color. A favorite way of boiling a whole salmon
is in the form of a letter S, as in plate. It is done as follows: Thread
a trussing-needle with some twine; tie the end of the string around the
head, fastening it tight; then pass the needle through the centre part
of the body, draw the string tight, and fasten it around the tail. The
fish will assume the desired form.
For parties or evening companies, salmon boiled in this form (middle
cuts are also used), served cold, with a _Mayonnaise_ sauce poured over,
is a favorite dish. It is then generally mounted in style, on an oval or
square block pedestal, three or four inches high, made of bread (two or
three days old), called a _croustade_, carved in any form with a sharp
knife. It is then fried a light-brown in boiling lard. Oftener these
_croustades_ are made of wood, which are covered with white paper, and
brushed over with a little half-set aspic jelly. The salmon is then
decorated with squares of aspic jelly. A decoration of quartered
hard-boiled eggs or of cold cauliflower-blossoms is very pretty, and is
palatable also with the _Mayonnaise_ sauce. The best sauces for a boiled
salmon served hot are the _sauce Hollandaise_, lobster, shrimp, or
oyster sauces--the _sauce Hollandaise_ being the favorite.
If lobster sauce is used, the coral of the lobster is dried, and
sprinkled over the fish, reserving some with which to color the sauce,
as in receipt for lobster sauce (see page 122).
If shrimp sauce is used, some whole shrimps should be saved for
decorating the dish.
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In decorating salmon, as well as any other kind of fish, potatoes cut in
little balls, and placed like little piles of cannon-balls around the
dish, are pretty. The potatoes should be simply boiled in salted water.
An alternate pile of button mushrooms are pretty, and good also. Parsley
or any pretty leaves around a dish always give a fresh and tasteful
appearance. Or,
An exceedingly pretty garnish for a large fish is one of smelts (in
rings, see receipt, page 111) fried in boiling lard. In this case, add
slices of lemon. Still another pretty garnish is of fried oysters or
fried parsley, or both.
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It is quite appropriate to serve a middle cut of salmon at a dinner:
1st, because it is the best cut; 2d, because it is easier and cheaper to
serve; and, 3d, because one never cares to supply more than is
necessary. This cut is better slowly boiled, also, in the acidulated
salted water.