No. 63. _Soles, the Jewish Fashion._ Trim the fish well, dip it into a
couple of eggs, well beaten, put six tablespoonfuls of salad-oil in a
sauté-pan, place it over the fire, and when quite hot put in your sole;
let remain five minutes, turn over, and fry upon the other side; ten or
twelve minutes will cook it according to the size; serve upon a napkin
without sauce. They are excellent cold.
No. 64. _Sole à la Meunière._ (See page 115, in the other department of
this work.)
No. 65. _Sole aux Fines Herbes._ Put a spoonful of chopped eschalots
into a sauté-pan, with a glass of sherry and an ounce of butter, place
the sole over, pour nearly half a pint of melted butter over it, upon
which sprinkle some chopped parsley, place it in a moderate oven for
half an hour, take the sole out of the pan, dress upon a dish without a
napkin, reduce the sauce that is in the pan over a sharp fire, add a
little Harvey sauce and essence of anchovy, pour over the sole, and
serve them with a little flour and butter.
No. 66. _Fried Whiting._ The whiting requires to be skinned, and the
tail turned round and fixed into the mouth, dip it first into flour,
then egg over, and dip it into bread-crumbs, fry as directed for the
sole; for whiting aux fines herbes proceed as directed for sole aux
fines herbes. At home I prefer the whiting fried with their skins on,
merely dipping them in flour.
No. 67. _Whiting au Gratin._ Put a good spoonful of chopped onions upon
a strong earthen dish, with a glass of wine, season the whitings with a
little pepper and salt, put it in the dish, sprinkle some chopped
parsley and chopped mushrooms over, and pour over half a pint of anchovy
sauce (page 32), over which sprinkle some brown bread-crumbs, grated
from the crust of bread, place it in a warm oven half an hour; it
requires to be nicely browned; serve upon the dish you have cooked it
in.
No. 68. _Red Mullets._ Procure two red mullets, which place upon a
strong dish not too large, sprinkle some chopped onions, parsley, a
little pepper and salt, and a little salad-oil over, and put them into a
warm oven for half an hour, then put a tablespoonful of chopped onions
into a stewpan, with a teaspoonful of salad-oil, stir over a moderate
fire until getting rather yellowish, then add a tablespoonful of sherry,
half a pint of melted butter, with a little chopped mushrooms and
parsley; reduce quickly over a sharp fire, keeping it stirred until
becoming rather thick; when the mullets are done sauce over and serve.
No. 69. _Mackerel_ are generally served plain boiled; put them in a
kettle containing boiling water, well salted, let simmer nearly half an
hour, take them up, drain, and dish them upon a napkin, serve melted
butter in a boat, with which you have mixed a tablespoonful of chopped
fennel, boiling it a few minutes.
No. 70. _Mackerel à la Maître d’Hôtel._ (See p. 127); as also for
Mackerel au beurre noir.
No. 71. _Gurnets_ are best stuffed and baked; stuff them as directed for
haddocks, turn them round in the same manner, lay slices of butter over,
cut very thin, and bake half an hour or more (according to their size)
in a warm oven, when done dress upon a dish without a napkin, and have
ready the following sauce: put a tablespoonful of chopped onions in a
stewpan, with one of vinegar, place over the fire a couple of minutes,
add half a pint of melted butter, a tablespoonful of Harvey sauce, one
of catsup, and two of water, reduce until rather thick, season with a
little pepper, cut the fillets of a good anchovy into strips, put in the
sauce, which pour round the fish and serve.
No. 72. _Boiled Gurnet._ You may boil it either with or without the
stuffing in very salt water, it will require rather more than half an
hour; serve with anchovy sauce separate.
No. 73. _Herrings boiled with Cream Sauce._ Boil six herrings about
twenty minutes in plenty of salt and water, but only just to simmer;
then have ready the following sauce: put half a gill of cream upon the
fire in a stewpan, when it boils add eight spoonfuls of melted butter,
an ounce of fresh butter, a little pepper, salt, and the juice of half a
lemon; dress the fish upon a dish without a napkin, sauce over and
serve.
For Broiled Herrings à la Digon, see page 132.
No. 74. _Skate_ is usually crimped, cut into long slices, and curled
round; procure two or three slices, tie them with string to keep the
shape in boiling, put them into a kettle of boiling water, in which you
have put a good handful of salt; boil gently about twenty minutes (have
ready also a piece of the liver, which boil with it), when done drain
well, and put it upon a dish without a napkin; put three parts of a pint
of melted butter in a stewpan, place it upon the fire, and when quite
hot add a wineglassful of capers, sauce over and serve.
For Skate au beurre noir, see page 133.
Skate may also be served upon a napkin with a boat of well-seasoned
melted butter, to which you have added a spoonful of Harvey sauce.
No. 75. _Flounders, Water Souchet._ Procure four or six Thames
flounders, cut each in halves, put half a pint of water in a sauté-pan,
with a little scraped horseradish, a little pepper, salt, sugar, and
forty sprigs of fresh parsley; place over the fire, boil a minute, then
add the flounders, stew ten minutes, take them out and place in a dish
without a napkin, reduce the liquor they were stewed in a little, pour
over and serve.
To fry flounders, trim them, and proceed precisely as directed for fried
soles (p. 114).
Smelts are likewise floured, egged, bread-crumbed, and fried as above.
Plaice are plain boiled in salt and water, and served with shrimp sauce
in a boat.
FRESH WATER FISH.--No. 76. _Pike._ Clean as directed (page 93), stuff
the interior as directed for haddocks (page 129), only adding some
fillets of anchovies and chopped lemon-peel with it; curl round and put
in a baking dish, spread a little butter all over, put in a moderate
oven; when about half done egg over with a paste brush, and sprinkle
bread-crumbs upon it; a middling-sized pike will take about an hour, but
that according to the size and the heat of the oven; when done dress
upon a dish without a napkin, and sauce round as directed for baked
haddock above referred to.
No. 77. _Pike, Sauce Matelote._ Cook a pike exactly as in the last,
dress it upon a dish without a napkin, and sauce with a matelote sauce
over, made as directed for salmon sauce matelote (No. 57).
This fish may also be served with caper sauce as directed for the skate
(No. 74)--the smaller ones are the best; the remains of a pike placed in
the oven the next day, with a cover over it and a little more sauce
added, is very nice.
No. 78. _Stewed Carp._ Procure a good-sized carp, stuff it, then put it
into a baking-dish with two onions, one carrot, one turnip, one head of
celery, and a good bunch of parsley, thyme, and bay-leaf; moisten with
two glasses of port wine, and put it in a moderate oven about two hours
to bake; try if done with a knife, which is the case if the flesh leaves
the bone easily, dress upon a dish without a napkin, then have ready the
following sauce: mince a large Spanish onion with two common ones, and
put them into a stewpan with three spoonfuls of salad-oil, fry rather a
yellow colour, add two glasses of port wine and two spoonfuls of flour,
mix all well together, add a pint of broth (reserved from some soup) or
water, with half an ounce of glaze, boil it up, drain the stock the carp
was cooked in from the vegetables, which also add to the sauce; boil
well at the corner of the stove, skim, and when rather thick add a
teaspoonful of Harvey sauce, one of essence of anchovies, twelve pickled
mushrooms, and a little cayenne pepper, pour all the liquor drained from
the fish out of your dish, sauce over and serve.
No. 79. _Carp, Sauce Matelote._ Put your carp into a small oval
fish-kettle, with wine and vegetables as in the last, to which add also
a pint of water and a little salt, with a few cloves and peppercorns;
put the lid upon the fish-kettle and stand it over a moderate fire to
stew an hour and a half, according to the size; when done drain well,
dress upon a dish without a napkin, and sauce over with a matelote sauce
made as directed for salmon sauce matelote (No. 57), or caper sauce, as
for skate (No. 74); small carp are very good-flavored, bread-crumbed and
fried.
No. 80. _Truite à la Twickenham._ When you have cleaned your trout as
described at page 23, put them into a kettle of boiling water, to which
you have added a good handful of salt, and a wineglassful of vinegar;
boil gently about twenty minutes, or according to their size, dress upon
a napkin, and serve melted butter, into which you have put a
tablespoonful of chopped gherkins in a boat.
The remains of trout, salmon, or mackerel are excellent pickled; put
three onions in slices in a stewpan, with two ounces of butter, one
turnip, parsley, thyme, and bay-leaf, pass them five minutes over the
fire, add a pint of water and a pint of vinegar; boil until the onions
are tender, then strain it through a sieve over the fish; it will keep
some time if required, and then do to pickle more fish by boiling over
again.
No. 81. _Truite à la Burton._ Boil the trout as in the last, then put
half a pint of melted butter in a stewpan, with two tablespoonfuls of
cream and two of milk, place it upon the fire, and when upon the point
of boiling add a liaison of one yolk of egg mixed with a tablespoonful
of cream (dress the fish upon a dish without a napkin), put two ounces
of fresh butter, a pinch of salt, and the juice of a lemon into the
sauce; shake round over the fire, but do not let it boil; sauce over the
fish and serve.
No. 82. _Tench, Sauce Matelote._ Put three onions, a carrot, and turnip,
cut in slices, into a stewpan, or very small fish-kettle, with a good
handful of parsley, a few sprigs of thyme, three bay-leaves, six cloves,
a blade of mace, a little salt, and two glasses of sherry; lay your
tench over (it will require four for a dish, and they may be either
cooked whole or each one cut into two or three pieces), add a pint of
water, cover down close, and stew gently over a slow fire for about half
an hour, take them out, drain upon a cloth, dress in pyramid upon a dish
without a napkin, and pour a sauce over made as directed for salmon
sauce matelote (No. 57), or as for stewed carp (No. 78).
No. 83. _Tench with Anchovy Butter._ Cook the tench as in the last, but
they may be plain boiled in salt and water; dress upon a dish without a
napkin, then put six spoonfuls of melted butter in a stewpan, with one
of milk; place it upon the fire, and when upon the point of boiling add
an ounce of anchovy butter (page 33), shake it round over the fire until
the butter is melted, when sauce over and serve.
No. 84. _Perch fried in Butter._ Clean the fish as explained (p. 94),
dry well, make an incision upon each side with a knife, put a quarter of
a pound of butter in a sauté-pan over a slow fire, lay in the fish, fry
gently, turning them over when half done; when done dress upon a napkin,
and serve melted butter in a boat.
No. 85. _Perch, Hampton Court Fashion._ Cook the fish as above, and have
ready the following sauce: put six spoonfuls of melted butter in a
stewpan, with a little salt and the juice of a lemon; when upon the
point of boiling stir in the yolk of an egg mixed with a tablespoonful
of cream; do not let it boil; blanch about twenty small sprigs of
parsley in boiling water ten minutes, drain and put them in the sauce,
which pour over the fish and serve.
Perch may also be served plain boiled or stewed as directed for tench,
with sauce served separate.
No. 86. _Eels Fried._ Cut your eels into pieces three inches long, dip
the pieces into flour, egg over with a paste brush, and throw them into
some bread-crumbs; fry in hot lard as directed for fried soles (p. 114).
No. 87. _Stewed Eels, Sauce Matelote._ Procure as large eels as
possible, which cut into pieces three inches long, and put them into a
stewpan, with an onion, two bay-leaves, a sprig of thyme and parsley,
six cloves, a blade of mace, a glass of sherry, and two of water; place
the stewpan over a moderate fire, and let simmer about twenty minutes,
or according to the size of the eels; when done drain upon a cloth,
dress them in pyramid upon a dish without a napkin, with a matelote
sauce over, made as directed for salmon sauce matelote (No. 57), but
using the stock your eels have been cooked in to make the sauce, having
previously well boiled it to extract all the fat.
No. 88. _Gudgeons_ are floured, egged, bread-crumbed, or simply floured
and fried as directed for smelts; but being smaller, they require less
time to cook.
No. 89. _Escaloped Oysters._ Put two dozen of oysters with their liquor
into a stewpan, place over a fire, and when a little firm drain them
upon a sieve, catching the liquor in another stewpan; detach the beard
from the oysters, and throw them again into their liquor; add half a
blade of mace, place again upon the fire, and when boiling add a piece
of butter, the size of a walnut, with which you have mixed a teaspoonful
of flour; shake round over the fire until becoming very thick, season
with a little cayenne, and salt if required, have an escalop-shell, well
buttered and bread-crumbed, place the oysters in, sprinkle bread-crumbs
over, put it in the oven a quarter of an hour, pass the salamander over,
and serve.
No. 90. _Stewed Oysters._ Blanch and beard the oysters as above, when
done, put them with their liquor in a stewpan, with four cloves, a blade
of mace, and a teaspoonful of essence of anchovies, with a little
chopped parsley and cayenne; let simmer a minute, stir in two pats of
butter, with which you have mixed half a teaspoonful of flour, let
simmer a little longer, lay the oysters in your dish upon a piece of
toast, and sauce over.
No. 91. _Gratin of Lobsters._ Procure a good-sized lobster, cut it in
halves, detaching the head from the body, take out all the meat, and
save the four shells; cut the meat into dice, then take a teaspoonful of
chopped eschalots in a stewpan, with a piece of butter the size of two
walnuts, pass them a few minutes over a fire, add a tablespoonful of
flour (mix well in), half a pint of milk, stir over the fire, boiling
about five minutes, then add the lobster, which season with a little
cayenne, salt, chopped parsley, and essence of anchovies; stand it again
upon the fire, stirring until boiling, then stir in the yolk of an egg;
take off the fire, fill the shells of the lobster, sprinkle
bread-crumbs over, put them into the oven about ten minutes, the top
requiring to be browned; serve upon a napkin garnished with parsley.