Handbook of Fish Cookery — Tested Recipes, part 2
Crayfish may also be potted like shrimps.
=Dabs.
=--These insignificant little fish are caught in the mouths of rivers near the sea.
They are nice if fried, but more tasty if wrapped in buttered paper and baked for fifteen minutes.
Send to table with sliced lemon.
=Dace.
=--This fish scarcely repays the trouble of cooking, and is usually only enjoyed by the angler who has caught it.
It may be either fried or boiled.
A little sharp sauce with lemon juice and mustard are almost necessary accompaniments.
=Dory.
=--Although by no means a handsome fish, yet the dory has a flavour which makes it excellent eating.
It is best boiled, or rather _simmered_, after it has boiled once, twenty minutes for a fair-sized fish.
Serve on a napkin, garnished with parsley.
Anchovy, shrimp, or caper sauce, are all suitable for serving with boiled dory.
=Eels, en Matelote.
=--Skin and clean about two pounds of eels, divide into pieces of two inches long, let them lie in salt water while some onions are being fried in butter.
When the onions have browned, stir in flour to absorb all the butter, then a cupful of stock and the same of red wine, a few mushrooms, pepper and salt, and a pinch of herbs.
Stew the eels in this gravy until thoroughly tender, about forty minutes.
Serve altogether.
=Eels, Boiled, for Invalids.
=--When the skin has been drawn off the eel, and it has lain in salt water to cleanse it, it should be placed before a clear fire for ten minutes to draw out the oil.
Wash again in warm water, and set to boil in a saucepan with a bunch of parsley and spoonful of salt.
When tender take it out, divide into lengths, thicken a small quantity of the broth, add cream and chopped parsley, and pour over the eel.
=Findon, or "Finnan," Haddocks.
=--The Findon haddock, so highly esteemed for its delicate flavour, may be distinguished by its odour and creamy yellow colour.
The skin should be stripped off, and the fish broiled quickly over a clear fire.
Rub butter over it before bringing to table.
=Flounders.
=--Flounders may be boiled, baked, fried, or stewed.
As they are apt to have a slight muddy flavour, they should lie in salt water for a while.
Perhaps the nicest way of cooking them is to dip them into beaten egg, cover with raspings, and boil them in fat.
Flounders may also be done _au gratin_, by laying the fish (neatly trimmed) on a bed of chopped shallots and parsley, breadcrumbs and butter, covering them with the same, then adding a glass of white wine, and baking for twenty minutes.
Allow at least one for each person.
=Gurnet.
=--The head of the gurnet is large in comparison with the rest of the body.
It is apt to be a dirty fish, and needs very thorough cleansing.
The gills should be cut off.
Perhaps the best way of cooking it is to remove the head and the inside, stuff it with a forcemeat, sew the body up and lay it in a deep tin, covering with a slice or two of salt fat.
Bake for half an hour, then remove on to a hot dish, and pour _maître d'hôtel_ butter over it.
=Haddock, Broiled.
=--Draw and clean the haddock very thoroughly, wiping it perfectly dry.
Dredge with flour, then pour a little salad oil over it.
Lay on the gridiron and broil quickly.
When brown and crisp it is done.
Serve with anchovy sauce.
=Haddock, Baked.
=--Empty and wash the fish, scaling it carefully; let it lie in vinegar for fifteen minutes, then dry it, dredge with flour, cover with beaten egg, then with breadcrumbs, and lay in a greased baking-dish.
Pour melted butter over it, and bake about twenty minutes.
The gravy which comes from the fish may be seasoned and sent to table with it.
Garnish with cut lemons.
=Haddock, Curried.
=--Choose small haddocks for this purpose.
Split them open, remove bones and the head, divide into convenient-sized pieces.
Dip each piece into seasoned flour and fry till crisp and brown.
Prepare a curry sauce by frizzling a small onion and an apple in butter, thickening with flour, adding seasoning and a little curry powder and clear stock to make the requisite quantity.
Put the fish into this sauce to heat through, then pile in the centre of a dish and pour the sauce over.
Garnish with rice.
=Halibut.
=--Being very large fish, perhaps the most satisfactory way of dealing with halibut is to cut them into steaks, viz.
, slices across the fish of any thickness desired.
They may be either broiled or fried.
When broiling, sprinkle them with seasoning, and let them lie in salad oil for a few minutes, then drain and broil quickly over a bright fire.
Lay on a hot dish, squeeze lemon juice over, and sprinkle with chopped parsley.
For frying, the steaks may be either dredged with flour, or dipped in egg and breadcrumbs, then fried in a shallow depth of fat till lightly brown.
Drain on blotting paper, and send shrimp or anchovy sauce to table with them.
Boiling is the least satisfactory way of cooking halibut, but if it be chosen, have the fish in one thick piece.
Put into boiling water, and simmer gently until the fish shows signs of parting from the bone.
=Halibut Pie.
=--Take a piece of the middle of the fish, remove all skin, and cut into pieces an inch square.
Roll each piece in a mixture of salt, pepper, and breadcrumbs, place in a pie-dish with lumps of butter at the top.
Pour a glass of white wine over.
Cover with a "short" crust, and when this has baked until well brown, the fish also will be done.
=Herrings, Boiled.
=--Few fish are more delicious than fresh herrings boiled.
Wash, scale, and empty them very particularly.
Souse them with vinegar, then drop into boiling salted water, simmer for about ten minutes, and lift them out the moment they are done.
Drain them, arrange nicely on a clean napkin, garnish with parsley and horseradish, and serve parsley sauce with them.
=Herrings, Broiled.
=--Let them lie in salt overnight, wash them, empty, and split them open.
Dry thoroughly, and dredge a little flour over them.
Lay on an oiled gridiron, broil on both sides.
Lay each one separately on a hot plate, and place a morsel of butter on the top.
Then pour the following sauce over them: a tablespoonful of chopped parsley, the same of minced herbs, and a "suspicion" of onion, same of butter, a teaspoonful of salt and pepper mixed, a wineglassful of vinegar; boil altogether for a moment.
=Herrings, Pickled= (to eat cold).
--Scale and clean the herrings carefully, split them open and take out the backbone.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper after laying in a deep dish.
Cover with vinegar and water.
Bake till tender through.
=Herrings, Pickled= (French mode).
--Scale and clean the herrings, empty without splitting them.
Cut off the heads, and put the fish into an earthern jar, strew salt liberally over them; let them lie twenty-four hours.
Drain them and place them in an enamelled saucepan with a dozen peppercorns, a bay-leaf or two, and an onion with a clove.
Cover with cold vinegar.
Let them come to boiling point, and boil two minutes only.
Stand aside until quite cold, when they may be placed in a covered jar.
They will keep good for some time.
=Lampreys, Stewed.
=--Rub the lamprey well with salt, and wash it in water (warm) to get rid of the slime.
Cut off the head, tail, and gills, empty it, then cut into pieces three inches long.
Slice three or four onions into the bottom of a stewpan, dip each piece of lamprey into flour, and lay over the onions.
Add next a dozen mushrooms, a tablespoonful of chopped parsley, grated lemon-rind and a little juice, pepper, and salt.
A glassful of red wine and sufficient stock to cover the whole, replace the lid, and stew gently for two hours.
Serve altogether.
=Ling, Baked.
=--Cleanse and empty the fish, cut it into thick slices, removing the head and tail.
Dredge the slices with flour, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Lay them in a baking-dish, and pour some melted butter over them.
Bake for twenty minutes, place the slices of fish on a hot dish, then add a cupful of cream and a small tinful of button mushrooms to the butter, make thoroughly hot and pour over the fish just before bringing to table.
Or, the slices of ling may be dipped into beaten egg, covered with raspings, and fried in hot fat, a _sauce rémoulade_ being brought to table with them.
=Lobster, à la Crème.
=--Pick the meat from a fresh lobster without breaking the shell; cut it into dice.
Put into an enamelled saucepan with a mixed teaspoonful of salt, pepper, and nutmeg, a glassful of white wine, a tablespoonful of vinegar, and an ounce of butter rolled in flour.
Simmer gently for ten minutes, stirring all the time.
Then stir in two tablespoonfuls of thickened cream.
Pour the mixture into the shell of the lobster, cover the top with breadcrumbs, brown quickly in the oven, then set the shell on a folded napkin, and garnish with parsley.
=Lobster Cutlets.
=--A large lobster is required for these.
Boil for five minutes, then crack the shell and take out the meat as whole as possible.
Cut this across in slices a quarter of an inch in thickness.
Dip each slice into beaten egg and breadcrumbs, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and fry in fat for about five minutes.
Make a small mound of whipped potato for the centre of a dish, arrange the cutlets round this, and send oyster sauce to table with them.
=Lobster Patties.
=--Boil a lobster for fifteen minutes.
Crack it open and pick the meat out into flakes.
Put the flakes into an enamelled saucepan with an ounce of butter, a tablespoonful of cream, same of white stock, and a teaspoonful of essence of anchovies, a little seasoning also, and a few dry breadcrumbs.
Boil up for a moment.
Line some patty-pans with good puff paste not rolled too thinly, place a morsel of crumb of bread in the middle before putting on the top crust;
bake the patties a bright brown, lift off the top crust, take out the bread, fill with the hot mixture, and replace the cover.
Serve very hot.
=Lobster Salad.
=--For this the lobster is required very sweet and fresh; it should have been boiled about twenty minutes and then have become quite cold.
Crack the shell and remove the meat as whole as possible, saving the coral for garnishing.
Divide the meat into small neat pieces, seasoning each with salt, pepper, and vinegar.
Take two lettuces with firm, white hearts, wipe them clean with a cloth.
They must be crisp and perfectly dry.
Place first a layer of shred lettuce at the bottom of a bowl, then a layer of seasoned lobster; alternate till the stock is exhausted.
Pour the following dressing over all at the last moment, and sprinkle the coral over the surface.
A fanciful outer edge may be made of sliced eggs and beetroot, or nasturtium flowers, radishes set in parsley, &c. _Dressing_.
--The yolks of two eggs beaten until thick, a saltspoonful of salt, half of pepper, same of made mustard.
Beat in slowly half a pint of oil and two spoonsful of vinegar.
=Lobster Butter, and Sauce.
=--The spawn and coral of a freshly-boiled hen lobster, pounded together in a mortar with twice their quantity of fresh butter and a spice of cayenne pepper, makes lobster butter.
It should be of a bright red colour.
Keep in small pots well covered, and in a cool place.
For the sauce, make some good plain melted butter, pick out a few flakes of the white meat of a lobster, then stir in a spoonful of the lobster butter.
Do not boil it after this, or the colour will be spoilt.
The juice of a lemon may be added if liked.
=Mackerel, Broiled.
=--For a perfectly fresh, small, plump mackerel, this is _the_ mode of cooking _par excellence_.
Cleanse the fish thoroughly, and dry them first with a cloth, then by hanging up in the open air.
Split them open flat and carefully remove the backbone.
Smear them with salad oil, sprinkle them with salt and pepper, wrap each one in a fold of buttered note-paper, and lay on the gridiron.
Broil carefully over a clear _red_ fire for twenty minutes, turning occasionally.
They may be broiled without the paper, in which case fifteen minutes will be more than long enough, but will taste less delicate and be less easily digested.
Lay on a hot dish, cover closely, and serve with or without _maître d'hôtel_ butter.
=Mackerel, Baked.
=--Large mackerel are preferable for this mode.
After cleaning and taking out the roes, fill with the following forcemeat:--Three ounces of breadcrumbs, an ounce of finely-shred beef suet, the same of chopped parsley, a pinch of savoury herbs, minced chives, and pepper and salt.
Bind the mixture with a beaten egg.
When the fish has been filled, sew the sides together with strong thread, lay it on a baking dish, dredge a little flour over it, and pour over either some melted butter or clarified fat.
Bake twenty minutes.
Serve with the same butter to the which some chopped parsley has been added, or with a _sauce piquante_.
=Mackerel, Boiled.
=--Wash and empty them without splitting them more than can be helped.
Lay them in _hot_ water with plenty of salt.
Let the water come to a boil, then draw aside and simmer them till the skin shows signs of breaking.
Drain, and serve on a clean serviette.
Garnish with parsley.
Serve either parsley or fennel sauce with them.
=Mullet, Red.
=--These fish are much the best if cooked in buttered paper.
They may be roast, baked, or boiled--all ways are excellent if the precaution of wrapping up be observed.
A liberal share of butter should be enclosed with them.
The gills and fins only are removed; the inside remains untouched, as the liver is much esteemed.
Cook them about twenty-five minutes, take out of the papers, and serve with plenty of sauce in a tureen.
Add the liquor which has oozed from the fish to some plain melted butter, with a spoonful of anchovy sauce, a squeeze of lemon juice, and a glassful of some good red wine.
=Mullet, Red= (Broiled _à la maître d'hôtel_).
--Clean the mullet and empty them, score them across in several places, lay them to soak in a marinade of salad oil and minced sweet herbs--garlic also if the taste is liked.
Let them lie in this for half an hour.
Drain them, sprinkle with salt and pepper, lay on a gridiron, and broil over a clear fire, turning on both sides.
=Mullet, Grey.
=--The grey mullet is but seldom offered for sale.
It is generally thought much inferior to the red, and is only seasonable during the heat of summer.
It may be cooked in any of the ways given for mackerel or for red mullet.
=Oysters.
=--Oysters are never so excellent or so easy of digestion as when they are eaten straight out of the newly-opened shell.
If carefully opened, and none of the juice be spilt, they will need no seasoning; but if it be preferred, salt and pepper may be sprinkled over them, also a squeeze of lemon juice.
Brown bread and butter is the usual accompaniment to them.
=Oysters, Browned in their own gravy.
=--This is a very dainty dish.
Take a dozen or more large oysters, open them carefully, and pour the juice from each one into a cup.
Take off the beards, dip each oyster into beaten egg thickened with flour.
Brown them in a little butter, lift them out, add the gravy from the cup to the butter, thicken with flour, and season with pepper and salt.
Let it simmer for two or three minutes, then stir in the browned oysters; let them heat through again, then pour over a slice of toast.
=Oysters, au Gratin.
=--Butter a bright tin or silver gratin-dish.
Stir into a few ounces of breadcrumbs a spoonful of chopped parsley and sweet herbs with seasoning.
Sprinkle these thickly over the butter, and moisten with white wine.
Then split open two dozen large oysters, take off the beards, and lay each oyster on the bed in the dish, pouring the juice over as well.
Cover them with a few more crumbs, place three or four nobs of butter on the top, and bake in a moderate oven for ten minutes.
Bring to table in the dish.
