HOW TO COOK FISH

BY OLIVE GREEN



[Page iii] CONTENTS

CHAP. I. THE CATCHING OF UNSHELLED FISH II. FISH IN SEASON III. ELEVEN COURT BOUILLONS IV. ONE HUNDRED SIMPLE FISH SAUCES V. TEN WAYS TO SERVE ANCHOVIES VI. FORTY-FIVE WAYS TO COOK BASS VII. EIGHT WAYS TO COOK BLACKFISH VIII. TWENTY-SIX WAYS TO COOK BLUEFISH IX. FIVE WAYS TO COOK BUTTERFISH X. TWENTY-TWO WAYS TO COOK CARP XI. SIX WAYS TO COOK CATFISH XII. SIXTY-SEVEN WAYS TO COOK CODFISH XIII. FORTY-FIVE WAYS TO COOK EELS XIV. FIFTEEN WAYS TO COOK FINNAN HADDIE [Page iv] XV. THIRTY-TWO WAYS TO COOK FLOUNDER XVI. TWENTY-SEVEN WAYS TO COOK FROG LEGS XVII. TWENTY-TWO WAYS TO COOK HADDOCK XVIII. EIGHTY WAYS TO COOK HALIBUT XIX. TWENTY-FIVE WAYS TO COOK HERRING XX. NINE WAYS TO COOK KINGFISH XXI. SIXTY-FIVE WAYS TO COOK MACKEREL XXII. FIVE WAYS TO COOK MULLET XXIII. FIFTEEN WAYS TO COOK PERCH XXIV. TEN WAYS TO COOK PICKEREL XXV. TWENTY WAYS TO COOK PIKE XXVI. TEN WAYS TO COOK POMPANO XXVII. THIRTEEN WAYS TO COOK RED SNAPPER XXVIII. ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY WAYS TO COOK SALMON XXIX. FOURTEEN WAYS TO COOK SALMON-TROUT [Page v] XXX. TWENTY WAYS TO COOK SARDINES XXXI. NINETY-FIVE WAYS TO COOK SHAD XXXII. SIXTEEN WAYS TO COOK SHEEPSHEAD XXXIII. NINE WAYS TO COOK SKATE XXXIV. THIRTY-FIVE WAYS TO COOK SMELTS XXXV. FIFTY-FIVE WAYS TO COOK SOLES XXXVI. TWENTY-FIVE WAYS TO COOK STURGEON XXXVII. FIFTY WAYS TO COOK TROUT XXXVIII. FIFTEEN WAYS TO COOK TURBOT XXXIX. FIVE WAYS TO COOK WEAKFISH XL. FOUR WAYS TO COOK WHITEBAIT XLI. TWENTY-FIVE WAYS TO COOK WHITEFISH XLII. EIGHT WAYS TO COOK WHITING XLIII. ONE HUNDRED MISCELLANEOUS RECIPES XLIV. BACK TALK XLV. ADDITIONAL RECIPES INDEX



[Page 1] HOW TO COOK FISH

* * * * *

THE CATCHING OF UNSHELLED FISH

"First catch your hare," the old cookery books used to say, and hence it is proper, in a treatise devoted entirely to the cooking of Unshelled Fish, to pay passing attention to the Catching, or what the Head of the House terms the Masculine Division of the Subject. As it is evident that the catching must, in every case precede the cooking—but not too far—the preface is the place to begin.

Shell-fish are, comparatively, slow of movement, without guile, pitifully trusting, and very easily caught. Observe the difference between the chunk of mutton and four feet of string with which one goes crabbing, and the complicated hooks, rods, flies, and reels devoted to the capture of unshelled fish.

An unshelled fish is lively and elusive past the power of words to portray, and in this, undoubtedly, lies its desirability. People will travel for two nights and a day to some spot [Page 2] where all unshelled fish has once been seen, taking $59.99 worth of fishing tackle, "marked down from $60.00 for to-day only," rent a canoe, hire a guide at more than human life is worth in courts of law, and work with dogged patience from gray dawn till sunset. And for what? For one small bass which could have been bought at any trustworthy market for sixty-five cents, or, possibly, some poor little kitten-fish-offspring of a catfish—whose mother's milk is not yet dry upon its lips.

Other fish who have just been weaned and are beginning to notice solid food will repeatedly take a hook too large to swallow, and be dragged into the boat, literally, by the skin of the teeth. Note the cheerful little sunfish, four inches long, which is caught first on one side of the boat and then on the other, by the patient fisherman angling off a rocky, weedy point for bass.

But, as Grover Cleveland said: "He is no true fisherman who is willing to fish only when fish are biting." The real angler will sit all day in a boat in a pouring rain, eagerly watching the point of the rod, which never for an instant swerves a half inch from the horizontal. The real angler will troll for miles with a hand line and a spinner, winding in the thirty-five dripping feet of [Page 3] the lure every ten minutes, to remove a weed, or "to see if she's still a-spinnin'." Vainly he hopes for the muskellunge who has just gone somewhere else, but, by the same token, the sure-enough angler is ready to go out next morning, rain or shine, at sunrise.

It is a habit of Unshelled Fish to be in other places, or, possibly, at your place, but at another time. The guide can never understand what is wrong. Five days ago, he himself caught more bass than he could carry home, at that identical rocky point. A man from La Porte, Indiana, whom he took out the week before, landed a thirty-eight pound "muskie" in trolling through that same narrow channel. In the forty years that the guide has lived in the place, man and boy, he has never known the fishing to be as poor as it is now. Why, even "ol' Pop Somers" has ceased to fish!

But the real angler continues, regardless of the local sage. He who has heard the line sing suddenly out of his reel, and, after a hard-fought hour, scooped a six-pound black bass into the landing net, weary, but still "game," is not dismayed by bad luck. He who can cast a fly a hundred feet or more finds pleasure in that, if not in fishing. Whoever has taken in a muskellunge of any size will ever after troll patiently, even through masses of weed. [Page 4] Whoever has leaned over the side of a sailboat, peering down into the green, crystalline waters of the Gulf, and seen, twenty feet down, the shimmering sides of a fifteen-pound red grouper, firmly hooked and coming, will never turn over sleepily, for a last nap, when his door is almost broken in at 5 A.M.

And, fish or no fish, there are compensations. Into a day of heart-breaking and soul-sickening toil, when all the world goes wrong, must sometimes come the vision of a wooded shore, with tiny dark wavelets singing softly on the rocks and a robin piping cheerily on the topmost bough of a maple. Tired eyes look past the musty ledger and the letter files to a tiny sapphire lake, set in hills, with the late afternoon light streaming in glory from the far mountains beyond.

It may be cold up North, but down in the Gulf they are fishing—scudding among the Florida Keys in a little white sailboat, landing for lunch on a strand as snowy as the northern streets, where the shimmering distances of white sand are paved with shell and pearl, and the tide thrums out its old song under the palms. And fish? Two-hundred and fifty pounds is the average day's catch for a small sailboat cruising among the Florida Keys.

Yet, when all is said and done, the catching of fish is a matter of luck—a gambler's chance, [Page 5] if you will have it so. The cooking, in unskilled hands, is also a lottery, but, by following the appended recipes, becomes an art to which scientific principles have been faithfully applied.

Having caught your fish, you may cook him in a thousand ways, but it is doubtful whether, even with the finest sauce, a pompano will taste half as good as the infantile muskellunge, several pounds under the legal weight, fried unskilfully in pork fat by a horny-handed woodsman, kneeling before an open fire, eighteen minutes after you had given up all hope of having fish for dinner, and had resigned yourself to the dubious prospect of salt pork, eggs, and coffee which any self-respecting coffee-mill would fail to recognize.

All of which is respectfully submitted by

O.G.



[Page 6] FISH IN SEASON

Bass—All the year. Blackfish—April 1 to November 1. Bluefish—May 1 to November 1. Butterfish—October 1 to May 1. Carp—July 15 to November 1. Codfish—All the year. Eels—All the year. Flounder—All the year. Haddock—All the year. Halibut—All the year. Herring—October 1 to May 1. Kingfish—May 1 to November 1. Mackerel—April 1 to October 1. Mullet—June 1 to November 1. Perch—September 1 to June 1. Pickerel—June 1 to January 1. Pike—June 1 to January 1. Pompano—May 1 to August 1 and November 15 to January 1. Red Snapper—October 1 to April 1. Salmon—All the year. Salmon Trout—October 1 to April 1. Shad—January 1 to June 1. Sheepshead—June 15 to November 15. [Page 7] Skate—September 1 to July 1. Smelts—August 15 to April 15. Sole—November 1 to May 1. Sturgeon—June 1 to October 15. Trout—April 1 to September 1. Turbot—January 1 to July 15. Weakfish—May 15 to October 15. Whitebait—May 1 to April 1. Whitefish—November 1 to March 1.

Salt, smoked, and canned fish are never out of season.



[Page 8] ELEVEN COURT BOUILLONS

I

Put into the bottom of the fish-kettle a thick layer of sliced carrots and onion, and a sliced lemon. Season with parsley, thyme, a bay-leaf, half a dozen whole peppers, and three or four whole cloves. Lay the fish on top of this and cover with equal parts of cold water and white wine, or with water and a little lemon-juice or vinegar. Put the kettle over the fire and let it heat slowly. The fish must always be put into it while cold and after boiling allowed to cool in the water.

II

Cut fine a stalk of celery, a carrot, an onion, and a small sweet pepper. Fry in butter, and add eight cupfuls of water, one cupful of vinegar, and the trimmings of fish. Season with salt and pepper, add half a bay-leaf, four cloves, and two sprigs of parsley. Boil for ten minutes and let cool thoroughly before cooking the fish in it.

[Page 9] III

One pint of water, one quart of white wine, one tablespoonful of butter, a bunch of parsley, four young onions, a clove of garlic, a bunch of thyme, a bay-leaf, a carrot, and a blade of mace. Bring to the boil and let cool thoroughly before cooking the fish in it.

IV

Fry a large onion in two tablespoonfuls of butter. Add half a can of tomatoes, salt, pepper, allspice, and minced parsley to season, and half a cupful of tomato catsup. Add also one cupful of sliced carrot and sufficient water to cover the fish.

V

One onion, two bay-leaves, four whole cloves, a stalk of celery, two sprigs of parsley and three quarts of cold water. Add any trimmings of fish at hand, simmer for two hours, season with salt and pepper, and strain. Cool before using.

VI

Chop fine one onion, one stalk of celery, and two or three sprigs of parsley. Fry in butter, add two tablespoonfuls of salt, six pepper-corns, a bay-leaf, three cloves, two quarts of [Page 10] boiling water, and two cupfuls of vinegar or sour wine. Boil for fifteen minutes, strain, and cool. Rub the fish with salt and lemon-juice before cooking.

VII

Chop fine a large onion and a carrot. Add three bay-leaves, a few sprigs of parsley, a pinch of powdered thyme, and three tablespoonfuls of tarragon vinegar. Add enough water to cover the fish. The vinegar may be omitted and equal parts of water and white wine used for liquid.

VIII

Chop fine a quarter of a pound of bacon and an onion. Fry, add a can of tomatoes, a chopped clove of garlic, and cayenne, salt, and pepper to season. Add sufficient boiling water and cook for fifteen minutes. Cool before putting in the fish.

IX

Half a carrot, half an onion, two cloves, three sprigs of parsley, three pepper-corns, two tablespoonfuls of lemon-juice or vinegar, a teaspoonful of salt, a blade of mace, half a bay-leaf, half a teaspoonful of paprika, a dash of celery salt, and two quarts of cold water. Bring to the boil and cool before using.

[Page 11] X

Fry an onion in butter. Add half a teaspoonful of beef extract, a pinch of celery seed, a few drops of Worcestershire, a tablespoonful of tomato catsup, half a cupful of vinegar, and salt and pepper to season. Add two quarts of cold water, bring to the boil, and cool before using.

XI

Four quarts of water, one onion, one slice of carrot, two tablespoonfuls of salt, one tablespoonful of pepper, two cloves, one tablespoonful of vinegar, the juice of half a lemon, and a bouquet of sweet herbs. Boil for an hour before putting in the fish.



[Page 13] ONE HUNDRED SIMPLE FISH SAUCES

ADMIRAL SAUCE

Add two pounded anchovies, four chopped shallots, a teaspoonful of chopped capers, and a little grated lemon-peel to one cupful of Drawn-Butter Sauce. Reheat, season with salt and pepper and lemon-juice. Serve hot.

ALBERT SAUCE

Boil three chopped shallots with a tablespoonful of butter and one-fourth cupful of vinegar. Add one cupful of freshly grated horseradish, half a cupful of white stock and one cupful of Veloute Sauce. Boil until thick, rub through a sieve, reheat, add the yolks of three eggs beaten with a cupful of cream, two tablespoonfuls of butter in small bits, and a little minced parsley.

ALLEMANDE SAUCE—I

Put two cupfuls of white stock into a saucepan with half a dozen mushrooms, chopped fine, a two-inch strip of lemon-peel, salt and [Page 14] pepper to season, and a teaspoonful of minced parsley. Simmer for an hour and strain. Thicken with a teaspoonful of flour, rubbed smooth in a little cold stock or water, take from the fire, and add the yolks of three eggs beaten with the juice of half a lemon. Reheat, but do not boil. Take from the fire and add a tablespoonful of butter.

ALLEMANDE SAUCE—II

Cook together two tablespoonfuls of butter and three of flour. Add two cupfuls of white stock and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Beat the yolks of three eggs and add the sauce gradually to the eggs, beating constantly. Strain, add the juice of half a lemon and a tablespoonful of butter. Serve hot.

ANCHOVY BUTTER

Soak, bone, dry, and pound eight salted anchovies. Add twice their bulk of fresh butter, mix thoroughly, press forcibly through a fine sieve, add a little more butter and the juice of a lemon. Make into small pats and keep in a cold place.

ANCHOVY BUTTER SAUCE

Prepare a pint of Brown Sauce according to directions elsewhere [Page 15] given and season with melted butter, lemon-juice, and anchovy essence.

ANCHOVY SAUCE—I

Stir two tablespoonfuls of anchovy essence into one cupful of melted butter. Season with cayenne and powdered mace.

ANCHOVY SAUCE—II

Pound three anchovies smooth with three tablespoonfuls of butter, add two teaspoonfuls of vinegar and a quarter of a cupful of water. Bring to the boil and thicken with a tablespoonful of flour rubbed smooth in a little cold water. Strain through a sieve and serve hot.

ANCHOVY SAUCE—III

Add a tablespoonful of anchovy paste to a cupful of Drawn-Butter Sauce and season with lemon-juice and paprika.

AURORA SAUCE

Add one half cupful of mushroom liquor to one cupful of Bechamel Sauce. Add also three tablespoonfuls of stewed and strained tomatoes, and one tablespoonful of butter. Reheat, add a few cooked mushrooms cut into dice, and serve.

[Page 16] AVIGNONNAISE SAUCE

Chop together four shallots and two beans of garlic. Fry in olive-oil, add two cupfuls of Bechamel Sauce, bring to the boil, add the yolks of three eggs, two tablespoonfuls of grated Parmesan cheese, and a little minced parsley. Heat, but do not boil, and use as soon as it thickens.

BEARNAISE SAUCE—I

Bring to the boil two tablespoonfuls each of vinegar and water. Simmer in it for ten minutes a slice of onion. Take out the onion and add the yolks of three eggs beaten very light. Take from the fire, add salt and pepper to season, and four tablespoonfuls of butter beaten to a cream. The butter should be added in small bits.

BEARNAISE SAUCE—II

Beat the yolks of five eggs, add a pinch of salt and one tablespoonful of butter. Heat in a double-boiler until it begins to thicken, then take from the fire and add two more tablespoonfuls of butter. Season with minced fine herbs and parsley and add a teaspoonful of tarragon vinegar.

BEARNAISE SAUCE—III

Beat the yolks of two eggs very light [Page 17] and put into a double-boiler. Add gradually three tablespoonfuls of olive-oil, then the same quantity of boiling water, then one tablespoonful of lemon-juice. Season with salt and cayenne and serve immediately.

QUICK BEARNAISE SAUCE

Beat the yolks of four eggs with four tablespoonfuls of oil and four of water. Add a cupful of boiling water and cook slowly until thick and smooth. Take from the fire, and add minced onion, capers, olives, pickles, and parsley and a little tarragon vinegar.

BECHAMEL SAUCE

Cook together two tablespoonfuls each of butter and flour, add two cupfuls of white stock and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Season with salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg.

BOMBAY SAUCE

Season Drawn-Butter Sauce highly with chopped pickle, curry powder, and tarragon vinegar.

BORDELAISE SAUCE

Fry in butter a tablespoonful of chopped shallots and two minced beans of garlic. Add [Page 18] half a cupful of Claret, a pinch of red pepper, and a pint of Espagnole Sauce. Boil until thick, take from the fire and add lemon-juice and minced parsley to season. Add also a quarter of a pound of beef marrow cut in small pieces and parboiled in salted water. Serve at once.

WHITE BORDELAISE SAUCE

Fry a tablespoonful of chopped onions in butter, add a wineglassful of white wine and a cupful of Veloute Sauce. Season to taste, boil for five minutes, take from the fire, add one tablespoonful each of minced parsley, lemon-juice, and butter.

BROWN SAUCE—I

Brown two tablespoonfuls of flour in butter. Add two cupfuls of milk or cream and cook until thick, stirring constantly.

BROWN SAUCE—II

Fry in pork fat two slices of onion, a slice of carrot, a bay-leaf, and a sprig of parsley. Add a heaping teaspoonful of flour and, when brown, a cupful of stock. Cook until thick, stirring constantly. Take from the fire, strain, add the juice of half a lemon, and salt and pepper to season.

[Page 19] BROWN BUTTER SAUCE

Melt butter in a frying-pan and cook until brown, taking care not to burn. Take from the fire and add lemon-juice or vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

BUTTER SAUCE

Mix chopped hard-boiled eggs with a liberal amount of melted butter. Season with salt, pepper, and minced parsley.

CAPER SAUCE—I

Add half a cupful of capers to two cupfuls of Drawn-Butter Sauce.

CAPER SAUCE—II

Prepare a pint of Drawn-Butter Sauce and add to it two tablespoonfuls of capers, a tablespoonful of anchovy essence, and salt and pepper to season.

CLARET SAUCE

Reheat one cupful of Brown Sauce, season with grated onion, add half a cupful of Claret, bring to the boil, and serve.

COLBERT SAUCE

Put into a saucepan one cupful of Espagnole [Page 20] Sauce, two tablespoonfuls of beef extract, the juice of a lemon, red and white pepper and minced parsley to season, and half a cupful of butter in small bits. Heat, but do not boil, and serve at once.

CREAM SAUCE

Cook together one tablespoonful of butter and two of flour. Add two cupfuls of cream or milk and cook until thick, stirring constantly Season with salt and pepper.

CUCUMBER SAUCE—I

Chop two cucumbers, drain, and add one tablespoonful of grated onion and half of a minced bean of garlic. Season with salt, pepper, and vinegar, and add enough olive-oil to make a smooth paste. Serve immediately.

CUCUMBER SAUCE—II

Grate four large cucumbers and drain. Season the pulp with salt, pepper, grated onion, and tarragon vinegar. Add enough whipped cream to make a smooth mixture and serve at once.

CUCUMBER SAUCE—III

Chop a cucumber finely, season with salt, [Page 21] pepper, and vinegar and add it to Hollandaise Sauce.

CURRY SAUCE

Fry a tablespoonful of chopped onion in butter and add a tablespoonful of flour mixed with a teaspoonful of curry powder. Mix thoroughly, add one cupful of cold water, and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Take from the fire, season with salt and onion juice, and serve hot.

DRAWN-BUTTER SAUCE

Cook to a smooth paste two tablespoonfuls of butter and two of flour. Add two cupfuls of cold water and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper.

DUTCH SAUCE

Cook together two tablespoonfuls each of butter and flour, add one cupful of white stock, and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper, take from the fire and add the yolks of three eggs beaten with half a cupful of cream. Cook in a double-boiler for three minutes, take from the fire, add a tablespoonful of lemon-juice and strain.

[Page 22] DUXELLES SAUCE—I

Cook in butter one cupful of chopped mushrooms; and one tablespoonful each of minced onion and parsley. Add to one pint of Spanish Sauce and serve.

DUXELLES SAUCE—II

Prepare a pint of Veloute Sauce, add a wineglassful of white wine and two tablespoonfuls of beef extract. Boil for five minutes, add two tablespoonfuls each of chopped mushrooms and cooked beef tongue or ham. Add a little minced parsley, reheat, and serve.

EGG SAUCE—I

Add one half cupful of sliced or chopped hard-boiled eggs to two cupfuls of Drawn-Butter Sauce.

EGG SAUCE—II

Prepare a Cream Sauce according to directions previously given, and add the yolks of two raw eggs, a tablespoonful of grated onion, a hard-boiled egg, chopped fine, and a teaspoonful of minced parsley.

ESPAGNOLE SAUCE

Add a small bay-leaf, a blade of mace, and [Page 23] two cloves, to two cupfuls of white stock. Simmer for fifteen minutes. Cook together two tablespoonfuls of butter and three of flour; add the heated stock and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Add one tablespoonful each of chopped ham, onion, celery, carrot, and parsley, with salt and paprika to season. Simmer for an hour, strain, and serve very hot.

FINE HERB SAUCE—I

Fry in butter one tablespoonful each of minced parsley and onion. Add to one pint of White Sauce and reheat. Season with salt and pepper, and serve.

FINE HERB SAUCE—II

Prepare according to directions given for Brown Italian Sauce, using butter instead of oil and half a cupful of minced parsley instead of the thyme and bay-leaf. Season with grated nutmeg and add to either Spanish or Veloute Sauce.

FLEMISH SAUCE

Prepare a cupful of Drawn-Butter Sauce, take from the fire, add the yolks of two eggs well-beaten, and pepper, grated nutmeg, made mustard, vinegar, and minced parsley to season. [Page 24] Add gradually half a cupful of melted butter and serve.

GARLIC SAUCE

Peel the garlic and boil for an hour, changing the water four times. Drain, chop, and mix to a smooth paste with melted butter. The flavour is mild and resembles almond.

SAUCE A LA GASCONNE

Chop together a tablespoonful of capers and a bean of garlic. Fry in olive-oil, seasoning with pepper and grated nutmeg. Add a wineglassful of white wine, a cupful of Veloute Sauce, a bay-leaf, and a sprig of thyme. Boil for fifteen minutes, skim, add another wineglassful of white wine, strain, and add the yolks of three eggs well beaten. Season with lemon-juice, butter, anchovy essence, and minced parsley.

GENEVA SAUCE

Brown one tablespoonful of flour in butter, add two cupfuls of thick stock and one cupful of red wine, and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Add two small onions chopped, a bunch of sweet herbs, two tablespoonfuls of chopped mushrooms, and salt and pepper to [Page 25] season. Simmer for half an hour, add a wineglassful of Madeira, strain, and serve.

GOOSEBERRY SAUCE

Boil a pint of green gooseberries for ten minutes in water to cover. Drain, press through a sieve, and mix with an equal quantity of White Sauce.

HESSIAN SAUCE

Mix four tablespoonfuls of freshly grated horseradish with an equal quantity of fresh bread-crumbs, a tablespoonful of sugar, and a little salt and pepper. Mix to a smooth paste with sour cream and serve with baked fish.

HOLLANDAISE SAUCE—I

Beat half a cupful of butter to a cream and add gradually the yolks of two eggs well beaten. Then add the juice of half a lemon and pepper and salt to season. Place the bowl over boiling water and beat with an egg-beater until thick and smooth. Take from the fire and beat for a few moments. Be careful not to cook it too long.

HOLLANDAISE SAUCE—II

Put a bay-leaf and a chopped onion in two tablespoonfuls of tarragon vinegar, bring to the [Page 26] boiling point, strain and cool. Cook together two tablespoonfuls of butter and one of flour, add a half cupful of cold water, and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Take from the fire and add the yolks of two eggs beaten with the vinegar. Reheat for a moment, seasoning with salt and pepper, strain, and serve immediately. Lemon-juice may be used in place of the vinegar.

HORSERADISH SAUCE—I

Add half a cupful of freshly grated horseradish to a cupful of Drawn-Butter Sauce. Season with lemon-juice and beat until smooth.

HORSERADISH SAUCE—II

Prepare a Cream Sauce according to directions previously given, and add three tablespoonfuls of freshly grated horseradish and half a cupful of melted butter. Serve with boiled fish.

HORSERADISH SAUCE—III

To one cupful of Spanish Sauce add two tablespoonfuls of prepared horseradish, two tablespoonfuls of bread-crumbs, a teaspoonful of powdered sugar, and salt, pepper, and made mustard to season. [Page 27] Heat in a double-boiler, and just before serving add one-half cupful of whipped or cold cream. (Cow cream, not cosmetic.)

ITALIAN SAUCE

Fry in butter two tablespoonfuls of minced parsley and one tablespoonful of chopped mushrooms and shallots. Add two cupfuls of white wine and boil until reduced half. Add one cupful of Veloute Sauce and one half cupful of stock. Boil until thick, skim, and serve.

BROWN ITALIAN SAUCE

Fry in olive-oil half a cupful of chopped mushrooms, four chopped shallots, a sprig of thyme, and a bay-leaf. Add half a cupful of white wine and simmer until the liquid is reduced half. Take out the thyme and bay-leaf, add a cupful of Spanish Sauce, skim, boil, and serve.

JAPANESE SAUCE

Chop fine a shallot and two cloves of garlic. Add two tablespoonfuls each of walnut catsup, soy, and Worcestershire sauce. Season highly with paprika, add two cupfuls of tarragon vinegar, and let stand for two weeks. Strain, and serve with fish.

[Page 28] JERSEY SAUCE

Brown four tablespoonfuls of flour in butter, add two cupfuls of brown stock and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Season with salt, pepper, and Worcestershire.

LEMON SAUCE—I

Melt half a cupful of butter and add to it the juice of a large lemon. When very hot take from the fire and pour over the well-beaten yolks of two eggs.

LEMON SAUCE—II

Prepare a pint of Drawn-Butter Sauce according to directions previously given, season with salt, pepper, grated nutmeg, and lemon-juice, and add half a cupful of melted butter.

LIVOURNAISE SAUCE

Soak, bone, and pound to a pulp eight salted anchovies. Add the yolks of two eggs, well beaten. Add slowly half a cupful of olive-oil and two tablespoonfuls of vinegar. Season with pepper, grated nutmeg, and minced parsley. Serve very cold.

LOBSTER SAUCE—I

Add half a cupful of chopped cooked lobster [Page 29] meat and the pounded coral to each cupful of Drawn-Butter Sauce. Season with paprika, butter, and lemon-juice.

LOBSTER SAUCE—II

Prepare a Hollandaise Sauce and mix with finely-cut cooked lobster meat. Season with melted butter, lemon-juice, tabasco, and Worcestershire.

MAITRE D'HOTEL SAUCE

Work into half a cupful of butter all the lemon-juice it will take and add a teaspoonful or more of minced parsley. Or, melt the butter without burning, take from the fire, add the juice of half a lemon and a teaspoonful of minced parsley.

MAYONNAISE

Put into an earthen bowl the yolk of a fresh egg and a pinch of salt, a dash of red pepper, and half a teaspoonful of dry mustard. Place the bowl on ice or in ice-water. Pour one cupful of olive-oil into a small pitcher from which it will drop easily. When the egg and seasoning are thoroughly mixed, begin to add the oil, using a silver teaspoon, and rubbing rather than stirring. Add the oil until a clear spot is formed upon the egg, and then mix [Page 30] until smooth. Only a few drops can be added at first, but the quantity may be gradually increased. The clear spot on the egg is an infallible test of the right quantity of oil. If too much oil is added the dressing will curdle. A few drops of lemon-juice and long beating will usually make it right again. If this fails, set the bowl directly on the ice in the refrigerator, and let stand for half an hour. If it is still curdled, begin again with the yolk of another egg and add the curdled mayonnaise by degrees to the new dressing.

When the mayonnaise is so thick that it is difficult to stir it, add the juice of half a lemon, if desired.

MILANAISE SAUCE

Melt two tablespoonfuls of butter, add two chopped mushrooms and two boned and pounded anchovies. Add two tablespoonfuls of flour and cook until the flour is brown. Add one cupful of brown stock and one tablespoonful each of sherry and vinegar drained from capers. Cook until thick, stirring constantly, seasoning with salt, cayenne, and made mustard. Simmer for twenty minutes, strain, add one tablespoonful of capers, boil for five minutes, and serve.

MUSHROOM SAUCE

Prepare a Drawn-Butter Sauce according to [Page 31] directions previously given and add to it one cupful of chopped cooked mushrooms.

NICOISE SAUCE

Rub through a fine sieve the yolks of three hard-boiled eggs. Put into a deep bowl, with two raw yolks, a tablespoonful of made mustard, and salt and pepper to season. Add gradually half a cupful of olive-oil and a little vinegar, finishing with two tablespoonfuls of minced fine herbs.

NONPAREIL SAUCE

Add chopped hard-boiled eggs and chopped cooked mushrooms to Hollandaise Sauce.

NORMANDY SAUCE

Add one tablespoonful of mushroom catsup to one pint of Veloute Sauce and cook for ten minutes. Add one fourth cupful of strong fish stock, bring to the boil, take from the fire and add the yolks of two eggs beaten with the juice of half a lemon. Strain, add a tablespoonful of butter, and serve.

OLIVE SAUCE

Prepare according to directions given for Jersey Sauce, adding half a dozen chopped olives instead of the Worcestershire.

[Page 32] OYSTER SAUCE—I

Prepare a Cream Sauce according to directions previously given, using the oyster liquor for part of the liquid. Add parboiled oysters cut fine, and season with paprika and lemon-juice.

OYSTER SAUCE—II

Cook two dozen oysters in their liquor with a little water, butter, white and red pepper, and grated nutmeg. Thicken with a tablespoonful each of butter and flour cooked together, take from the fire, add the yolks of two eggs well beaten, the juice of a lemon, and two tablespoonfuls of butter. Serve with boiled fish.

PARSLEY SAUCE—I

Prepare a Drawn-Butter Sauce according to directions previously given, add half a cupful of fine minced parsley, and season with lemon-juice.

PARSLEY SAUCE—II

Boil two large bunches of parsley in water to cover for five minutes. Strain the water, and thicken with a tablespoonful each of butter and flour cooked together. Season with salt, [Page 33] pepper, and grated nutmeg, take from the fire, add the yolks of two eggs beaten with a little vinegar, three tablespoonfuls of butter in small bits, and a little minced parsley.

PARSLEY AND LEMON SAUCE

Squeeze the juice out of a lemon, remove the seeds, and chop the pulp fine with a bunch of parsley. Add a little of the grated peel. Cook together one tablespoonful each of butter and flour, add the parsley and lemon and one and one half cupfuls of stock. Season with salt, pepper, and powdered mace, and boil for ten minutes. Take from the fire, add the yolks of two eggs beaten with a little cold stock, and serve.

PERSILLADE SAUCE

Put into a bowl one fourth cupful of olive-oil with a tablespoonful of made mustard, the juice of two lemons, two tablespoonfuls of minced parsley, and salt and pepper to season. Add a few drops of tarragon vinegar, mix thoroughly, and serve.

PIQUANT SAUCE—I

Cook together a teaspoonful of chopped onion, a pinch of sugar, a few drops of Worcestershire sauce, and one tablespoonful each [Page 34] of chopped capers and pickles, with two tablespoonfuls of tarragon vinegar, and salt and cayenne to season. Prepare a Spanish Sauce and add the mixture to it.

PIQUANT SAUCE—II

Mix together half a cupful of beef stock, two tablespoonfuls of tarragon vinegar, two tablespoonfuls of chopped pickle, one tablespoonful each of chopped onion, capers, and parsley, a teaspoonful each of sugar and salt, and paprika to season.

POOR MAN'S SAUCE

Brown a tablespoonful of flour in butter, add two cupfuls of stock, and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Add two tablespoonfuls of tomato catsup and one of anchovy essence. Strain and serve.

PORTUGUESE SAUCE

Put six tablespoonfuls of butter into a saucepan with the yolks of two eggs beaten with the juice of half a lemon. Season with salt and pepper and heat thoroughly but do not boil. Take from the fire, stir until thick, and serve immediately.

POULETTE SAUCE

Simmer for ten minutes a pint of White [Page 35] Sauce, seasoning with salt, pepper, and lemon-juice. Beat the yolks of three eggs light and pour the hot sauce over them slowly. Cook for two minutes in a double boiler, and serve immediately.

RAVIGOTE SAUCE

Put one cupful of stock into a saucepan with two tablespoonfuls of white wine and three tablespoonfuls of chopped chives and parsley. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for twenty minutes. Thicken with one tablespoonful each of butter and flour cooked together. Take from the fire, add the juice of half a lemon, and serve.

COLD RAVIGOTE SAUCE

Chop together a tablespoonful each of parsley, chives, chervil, tarragon, and shallot. Add to a stiff mayonnaise and tint green, if desired, with color paste.

REMOULADE SAUCE

Mix two tablespoonfuls each of capers and minced anchovies, add a tablespoonful of minced parsley, a teaspoonful of dry mustard, and salt and pepper to taste. Add one half bean of garlic, chopped very fine, and enough olive-oil to make a smooth paste. Add a few drops of vinegar and serve.

[Page 36] ROYALE SAUCE

Cook together half a cupful of butter and the beaten yolks of three eggs until the yolks begin to thicken. Take from the fire and add by degrees two tablespoonfuls of tarragon vinegar, two tablespoonfuls of Indian soy, one finely chopped small pickle, and cayenne and salt to season. Mix thoroughly and cool. Serve cold.

SARDINE SAUCE

Add skinned, boned, and mashed sardines to Mayonnaise. Beat until smooth and serve with cold fish.

SHAD ROE SAUCE

Boil, drain, skin, and mash a shad roe. Season with salt, pepper, grated onion, and powdered mace. Add half a cupful of Madeira and half a cupful or more of melted butter. Serve with shad or any other fish.

SHRIMP SAUCE

Add one cupful of chopped cooked shrimps to each pint of White Sauce. Season with lemon-juice, paprika, and tabasco sauce.

SICILIAN SAUCE

Slice four onions, fry brown and drain carefully. [Page 37] Put into a saucepan with two cupfuls of Espagnole Sauce, a wineglassful of sherry, and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Reheat, strain, and serve.

SPANISH SAUCE

Prepare according to directions given for Brown Sauce, using one cupful of highly seasoned stock for liquid.

SUPREME SAUCE

Prepare according to directions given for Drawn-Butter Sauce, using chicken stock and a little cream for liquid. Take from the fire, and add two tablespoonfuls of butter and the juice of half a lemon.

TARTAR SAUCE—I

Chop together capers, olives, parsley, and pickles. Add one half cupful of the mixture to a cupful of Mayonnaise.

TARTAR SAUCE—II

Mix together one tablespoonful each of vinegar and Worcestershire sauce, add a teaspoonful of lemon-juice and a pinch of salt. Brown half a cupful of butter and strain into the hot vinegar. Serve hot.

[Page 38] TARTAR SAUCE—III

Prepare a cupful of Drawn-Butter Sauce and add to it a teaspoonful each of made mustard, grated onion, and chopped pickle. Take from the fire, season with salt and cayenne, add the beaten yolk of an egg, and serve.

TOMATO SAUCE—I

Prepare according to directions given for Drawn-Butter Sauce, using tomato-juice or stewed and strained canned tomatoes for liquid.

TOMATO SAUCE—II

Chop together capers, pickles, onion, and olives. There should be half a cupful in all. Add one half cupful of stewed and strained tomatoes, a teaspoonful each of made mustard and sugar, and salt and cayenne to season highly. Serve very hot.

TOMATO SAUCE—III

Chop fine an onion and a clove of garlic. Fry in butter and add half a can of stewed and strained tomatoes. Thicken with butter and flour cooked together, season with salt and pepper and serve.

[Page 39] BROWN TOMATO SAUCE

Fry a tablespoonful of chopped onion in butter, add one tablespoonful of flour and one half cupful each of stock and stewed and strained tomato. Cook until thick, stirring constantly. Season with salt, pepper, and kitchen bouquet. Strain and serve.

VELOUTE SAUCE

Cook together three tablespoonfuls each of butter and flour, add one cupful of white stock and one quarter cupful of cream. Cook until thick, stirring constantly. Season with salt, cayenne, grated nutmeg, and minced parsley. Simmer for an hour, strain, and serve.

VENETIENNE SAUCE—I

Cook together for five minutes two tablespoonfuls of tarragon vinegar, six pepper-corns, a tablespoonful of chopped ham, six parsley roots, a sprig of thyme and a bay-leaf. Strain, and add to one cupful of Veloute Sauce. Reheat, add a teaspoonful of minced parsley and serve.

VENETIENNE SAUCE—II

Add minced parsley, tarragon vinegar, [Page 40] grated nutmeg, and a tablespoonful of butter to Allemande Sauce.

VINAIGRETTE SAUCE

Mix four tablespoonfuls of olive-oil with one tablespoonful of vinegar. Season with salt and paprika and add to it minced parsley, pickle, and capers.

WHIPPED CREAM SAUCE

Mix a teaspoonful of dry mustard with a tablespoonful of vinegar and two tablespoonfuls of freshly grated horseradish. Mix with one fourth cupful of Mayonnaise, and when smooth fold in carefully one cupful of whipped cream. Season with salt and red pepper and serve very cold with cold fish.

WHITE SAUCE

Cook together two tablespoonfuls each of butter and flour, add one cupful of white stock and one half cupful of cream. Cook until thick, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper. One and one half cupfuls of milk may be used instead of the stock and cream.



[Page 41] TEN WAYS TO SERVE ANCHOVIES

I

Clean, bone, and trim the fish. Arrange on a dish, alternating with quarters of hard-boiled eggs. Moisten with olive-oil, sprinkle with parsley, and serve with toasted crackers.

II

Split the anchovies, wash in white wine, and bone them. Make a paste with the yolks of eggs, equal parts of minced cooked fish, and bread-crumbs. Stuff the anchovies, dip into batter, and fry in deep fat.

III

Pound the fish in a mortar, seasoning with minced parsley, grated onion, and cayenne. Serve on small circles of fried bread, as a first course at dinner.

IV

Drain a bottle of anchovies and mash fine with enough butter to make a smooth paste. Season with lemon-juice and cayenne. Spread [Page 42] on fingers of toast and lay a whole anchovy on each piece.

V

Wash eight salted anchovies, remove the skin and bones, and soak in clear water for an hour. Drain and wipe dry. Arrange on lettuce leaves with sliced hard-boiled eggs and pour over a French dressing.

VI

Toast circles of bread, spread with butter, cover with chopped hard-boiled eggs, make a hollow in the egg, lay an anchovy upon it, and set into a hot oven for five minutes.

VII

Toast thin circles of graham bread, butter, and cover each piece with anchovies. Sprinkle with lemon-juice and paprika and put into hot oven for five minutes.

VIII

Clean and rinse the fish and dry on a cloth. Butter a small baking-dish, put in a layer of cracker crumbs, then a layer of anchovies, then sugar and crumbs. Repeat until the dish is full, having crumbs and butter on top. Beat the yolks of two eggs with half a cupful [Page 43] of cream and a little sugar. Pour over the fish and bake in the oven.

IX

Use salted Norwegian anchovies soaked for two hours in cold water. Split down the back, bone and skin, cut into strips, and arrange on a platter. Mince separately parsley, capers, boiled carrots, beets, and the whites and yolks of hard-boiled eggs. Arrange small piles of contrasting colors among the fish and pour over a French dressing.

X

Fry thin circles of bread, put a pimola in the centre, and curl an anchovy around it. Fill the remaining space with chopped hard-boiled eggs and serve as a first course at dinner or luncheon.



[Page 45] FORTY-FIVE WAYS TO COOK BASS

BAKED BASS—I

Scale, wash, and clean, leaving the head intact. Make a stuffing of two cupfuls of bread-crumbs, one cupful of butter, two eggs well beaten, and enough cold water to make a smooth paste. Season with pepper, salt, grated lemon, minced parsley, thyme, and marjoram. Split the fish, stuff, and sew up. Lay thin slices of salt pork over the fish and put into a baking-pan with a little boiling water seasoned with wine and tomato juice. Bake carefully, basting frequently. The gravy may be thickened and served with the fish.

BAKED BASS—II

Split the fish and stuff with seasoned mashed potatoes. Put a little boiling water and a tablespoonful of butter into the baking-pan, and baste frequently while cooking.

BAKED BASS—III

Rub the inside of the fish with salt, sprinkle [Page 46] the outside with pepper and salt, cover with sliced onion and salt pork. Dredge with flour and put into the baking-pan with sufficient boiling water to keep from burning. Baste frequently while cooking, remove the pork and onion, thicken the sauce with a tablespoonful each of butter and flour blended and mixed with a little tomato catsup. Pour the hot sauce over the fish and serve.

BAKED BASS—IV

Make a stuffing of one cupful of bread-crumbs, one teaspoonful each of melted butter, Worcestershire sauce, tomato catsup, minced parsley, minced onion, minced olives or pickles, lemon-juice, salt, black pepper, and paprika to taste, and sufficient cold water to moisten. Sew up the fish and bake as usual. Serve with Tartar Sauce.

BAKED BASS WITH WHITE WINE

Put a bass into a baking-dish with salt, pepper and mushroom liquor to season, and enough white wine to moisten. Cover with buttered paper and bake for fifteen minutes. Melt two tablespoonfuls of butter, add three tablespoonfuls of flour, and cook thoroughly. Add two cupfuls of white stock and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Take from the fire [Page 47] and add the yolks of three eggs beaten with a little cold water, and the juice of half a lemon. Add a tablespoonful of butter and the juice in the baking-pan. Pour over the bass and serve.

BAKED BASS WITH SHRIMP SAUCE

Marinate the cleaned fish for an hour in oil and vinegar. Put into a baking-pan with slices of salt pork underneath and on top and sufficient boiling water to keep from burning. Add a teaspoonful of butter to the water and baste two or three times during the hour of baking. Strain the gravy and set aside. Melt one tablespoonful of butter, add one tablespoonful of flour and cook until brown. Add one cupful of the liquid left in the baking-pan, making up the required quantity with boiling water if necessary. Cook until thick, stirring constantly; season with cayenne and lemon-juice, and add half a can of shrimps chopped fine. Bring to the boil, pour over the fish, and serve.

BAKED AND STUFFED BLACK BASS

Mix together one cupful of bread-crumbs, two small onions chopped, two eggs well beaten, and cold water to moisten. Season with Worcestershire, tabasco and minced parsley. Stuff a bass with this [Page 48] mixture, rub with melted butter, and bake with a little boiling water, basting as required.

BAKED BASS A LA NEWPORT

Clean the fish, gash the top, season with salt and pepper, and cover with thin slices of salt pork. Pour a little boiling water into the pan and bake slowly, basting as required. Serve with the pork. Bacon may be used instead.

BAKED BASS A LA MANHATTAN

Butter a baking-dish, put in the cleansed fish, rub with melted butter, season with salt and pepper, and cover with thin slices of bacon and bread crumbs. Add a little boiling water and bake in a very hot oven, basting as required.

BAKED BASS AND TOMATOES

Select one large black bass or two small ones; clean the head and let it remain on the fish. Slice four tomatoes and cut in halves. Make a plain bread dressing; open the fish, rub the inside lightly with salt and soft butter; lay a thick layer of tomatoes in, then a layer of the bread dressing, alternating them until the fish is well stuffed; then bind with a tape. Lard the fish with strips of salt pork. Lay in a baking-pan, add one cupful of hot water [Page 49] and one tablespoonful of butter, and bake, basting often. In fifteen minutes take the pan out of the oven and spread the fish with a layer of thinly sliced tomatoes, seasoned with a sprinkling of salt, some melted butter, and a light sprinkling of grated cheese. Bake until the tomatoes are done, then carefully remove to a platter, taking off the tape first. Garnish with parsley and serve.

BAKED BLACK BASS A LA BABETTE

Clean the fish, salt it well, and put into a baking-pan with a cupful of water. Put lumps of butter on top, and season with salt, pepper, and minced parsley. Bake for an hour, basting often. Add a wineglassful of Sherry and a little catsup to the sauce remaining in the pan. Thicken with a teaspoonful of flour, rubbed smooth with a little cold water.

BAKED FILLETS OF BASS

Cut bass into small fillets, sprinkle with salt and pepper, put into a shallow pan, cover with buttered paper and bake for twelve minutes in a hot oven. Serve with a border of boiled rice and Hollandaise Sauce.

BLACK BASS A LA MONTMORENCY

Clean, skin, and bone a bass, and cut into [Page 50] pieces. Butter a baking-dish, put in the fish, season with salt, pepper, and white wine; cover with buttered paper and set in the oven until the fish is partly cooked. Take out the fish and arrange in a baking-pan. Add to the remaining liquor a chopped onion, half a dozen mushrooms, and two sprigs of parsley finely chopped. Add a little stock and thicken with a teaspoonful of flour rubbed smooth in a little cold water. Pour this sauce over the fish, lay a large mushroom on each piece, cover with crumbs, dot with butter, and bake in the oven. Sprinkle with lemon-juice before serving.

STUFFED SEA-BASS

Clean the fish and cover it with a marinade of olive-oil and vinegar. Soak for an hour. Fill the fish with chopped salt pork and mushrooms, put into a baking-pan with slices of salt pork underneath and on top, and sufficient boiling water. Bake for forty minutes, cover with slices of tomatoes and half of a sweet green pepper chopped fine. Dot with butter and bake for twenty minutes more. Take up the fish and rub the sauce through a colander. Stir in a tablespoonful of butter rolled in flour, add one teaspoonful of sugar and two teaspoonfuls of grated onion. Dilute with boiling [Page 51] water if too thick, bring to the boil, pour over the fish, and serve.

BASS A LA BORDELAISE

Split a large sea-bass. Put into a baking-dish with a wineglassful of Claret and salt and pepper to season. Sprinkle with chopped shallot, cover with buttered paper, and cook in a moderate oven for fifteen minutes. Lay the bass on a platter, put the juice in a saucepan with half a teaspoonful of beef extract, four chopped mushrooms, and a bruised bean of garlic. Thicken with flour browned in butter, bring to the boil, pour over the fish, and serve very hot.

BOILED BASS

Clean the fish, put it into warm salted water and simmer for twenty minutes.

BOILED SEA-BASS WITH EGG SAUCE

Boil the fish according to directions previously given. Melt one tablespoonful of butter, add two tablespoonfuls of flour, and cook thoroughly. Add two cupfuls of the water in which the fish was boiled, and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Season with salt, pepper, minced parsley, and lemon-juice; add three hard-boiled eggs [Page 52] coarsely chopped, pour over the fish, and serve.

BOILED BASS WITH MUSHROOMS

Boil a bass in water to cover, adding to the water four tablespoonfuls of vinegar, six pepper-corns, and a little salt. Melt one tablespoonful of butter, add one tablespoonful of flour and cook thoroughly. Add one cupful or more of boiling water and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Add the juice of half a lemon, half a can of mushrooms chopped fine, and pepper and salt and minced parsley to season. Bring to the boil, pour over the fish, and serve.

BOILED BLACK BASS WITH CREAM SAUCE

Clean the bass and sew it up in coarse cheese-cloth. Boil in enough water to cover, adding half a cupful of vinegar, a sliced onion, six or eight whole peppers, a blade of mace, and salt to season. Take up the fish and reduce the liquid by rapid boiling. Strain and set aside. Melt one tablespoonful of butter, add one tablespoonful of flour and cook thoroughly. Add a cupful of the strained liquid and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Season to taste, add half a cupful of cream, bring to the boil, pour over the fish, and [Page 53] garnish with sliced lemons.

BLACK SEA-BASS A LA POULETTE

Prepare a Poulette Sauce and pour over a black sea bass boiled according to directions previously given.

COLD BASS WITH TARTAR SAUCE

Boil the fish in court bouillon and drain. Chop fine parsley, pickles, olives, and capers. Mix with a stiff Mayonnaise and spread over the fish. Serve with a border of sliced cucumbers.

BROILED BASS

Clean the fish, split it, and cut each half into two or three pieces. Dip in oil or melted butter, sprinkle with flour, and broil carefully.

BROILED BLACK BASS

Clean and split the fish, remove the bone, rub with melted butter or oil, and broil carefully. Pour over a little melted butter, and garnish with lemon and parsley.

BASS STEWED WITH TOMATOES

Clean the fish, remove the bones and cut [Page 54] into square pieces. Fry two sliced onions in olive-oil. Lay the fish upon it, season with salt and pepper and pour over a can of tomatoes which have been rubbed through a sieve. Season with salt and pepper, cover closely, and cook for an hour. Serve in the same dish.

FRIED BASS WITH BACON

Clean and cut up the fish, season with pepper and salt, roll in flour, and fry in hot lard. Serve with rashers of bacon fried separately. Garnish with parsley and lemon.

FRIED BLACK BASS

Scale, clean, and cut up the fish, season with salt and pepper, dredge with flour, and fry in deep fat.

BREADED FILLET OF BASS

Clean the fish and cut into convenient pieces. Season with salt and pepper, dip in beaten egg, then in crumbs, and fry in deep fat. Serve very hot with Tartar Sauce.

BREADED BASS WITH BACON

Clean the fish and cut into pieces. Season with pepper and salt, roll in flour, then in beaten egg, then in bread-crumbs. Fry in deep fat and serve with a border of rashers of bacon fried [Page 55] separately. Garnish with parsley.

BOILED SEA-BASS WITH PARSLEY SAUCE

Put two medium-sized cleaned sea-bass into a fish-kettle with a bunch of parsley. Cover with salted and acidulated water, bring to the boil, simmer for half an hour, drain, garnish with lemon and parsley, and serve with a parsley sauce.

FRIED SEA-BASS WITH TARTAR SAUCE

Clean and wipe small sea-bass, score the sides deeply, dip in milk, roll in flour, fry in deep fat, drain, sprinkle with salt, and garnish with quartered lemons and fried parsley. Serve with Tartar Sauce.

MATELOTE OF SEA-BASS

Clean three pounds of sea-bass and cut in convenient pieces for serving. Put into a saucepan with a bunch of parsley, salt and pepper to season, and a teaspoonful of sweet herbs. Add two onions, sliced, and two small cloves of garlic. Cover with equal parts of stock and Claret and simmer slowly until the fish is done. Move the fish carefully to a serving-dish and strain the liquid into [Page 56] another saucepan. Brown two tablespoonfuls of flour in as much butter as is required to make a smooth paste, add the liquid, and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Add to the sauce three tablespoonfuls of essence of anchovy and some mushrooms and small button onions fried brown in butter. Pour over the fish and serve.

BROILED SEA-BASS

Select a large fish, clean, and split. Season with salt and pepper, rub with olive-oil, and broil carefully. Serve with Maitre D'Hotel Sauce and garnish with lemon and parsley.

SEA-BASS A LA BUENA VISTA

Prepare and clean a large sea-bass. Cut a long, deep incision lengthwise on each side. Place in a buttered baking-dish with a chopped onion, a bunch of parsley, a pinch of sweet herbs, half a can of tomatoes and a small green pepper, shredded. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, add two cupfuls of stock and one cupful of Port wine. Dot with butter and bake in a moderate oven for forty minutes, basting freely. Take up the fish, and strain the sauce. Melt a tablespoonful of butter, brown in it a tablespoonful of flour, add two cupfuls of well-seasoned beef stock and cook until [Page 57] thick, stirring constantly. Combine these two sauces, cover the fish with broiled tomatoes, pour the sauce over, sprinkle with parsley and lemon-juice, and serve.

BOILED SEA-BASS WITH MELTED BUTTER SAUCE

Boil the fish in acidulated water according to directions previously given. Drain, garnish with parsley, and serve with a sauce made by melting half a cupful of butter with the juice of a lemon, and seasoning with white pepper and a little grated nutmeg.

SEA-BASS A LA FRANCAISE

Clean and trim two large sea-bass. Put into a saucepan, with salt and pepper to season, three tablespoonfuls of butter, two large onions, sliced, a bunch of parsley, and enough Claret to cover the fish. Simmer for forty minutes, drain, and place on a serving-dish. Take out the parsley and keep the liquid warm. Brown two tablespoonfuls of flour in two tablespoonfuls of butter, add the onions and liquid and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Add stock or water if there is not enough liquid. Add a tablespoonful each of melted butter and minced parsley, pour over the fish, and serve.

[Page 58] SEA-BASS WITH BLACK BUTTER

Boil medium-sized sea-bass in salted and acidulated water, drain, and marinate with salt, pepper, and vinegar. Brown a cupful of butter in a saucepan, skim, pour the top part over the fish, leaving the sediment in the pan, garnish with fried parsley, and serve.

STRIPED BASS WITH SHAD ROE

Clean a four-pound striped bass and soak the soft roes of four shad in cold water. Put the bass into a fish-kettle with an onion, salt and pepper to season, a small bunch of parsley, a tablespoonful of butter, two wineglassfuls of white wine, and enough white stock to cover. Cover, cook for half an hour or more, basting as required, and drain. Strain the liquid and add it to a tablespoonful each of butter and flour cooked together. Cook until it thickens, stirring constantly. Add the juice of a lemon and two tablespoonfuls of butter. Cook the roes for five minutes in salted and acidulated water, drain, cut in two, and arrange around the fish. Pour the sauce over, sprinkle with minced parsley, and serve.

FILLETS OF STRIPED BASS A LA BORDELAISE

Clean two striped bass and cut into fillets. [Page 59] Cover the trimmings with water, add one cupful of white wine, two cupfuls of white stock, a sliced onion, a bay-leaf, a sprig of thyme, a tablespoonful of butter, and salt and pepper to season. Skin the fillets, season with salt, and marinate for half an hour in oil and lemon-juice. Drain, sprinkle with flour, dip in egg yolks beaten smooth with a little melted butter, then in crumbs. Broil carefully, basting with melted butter as required. Fry a tablespoonful of chopped onion in two tablespoonfuls of flour and cook to a smooth paste. Add the liquid strained from the fish trimmings and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Add half a cupful of stewed and strained tomato, a tablespoonful of minced parsley, and two tablespoonfuls of butter. Season with red pepper and lemon-juice, pour over the fish, and serve.

FILLETS OF STRIPED BASS A LA MANHATTAN

Clean and trim a four-pound bass, skin, remove the bones, and chop very fine. Add four tablespoonfuls of butter, season with salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg, and add enough cream to make a stiff paste. Shape into cutlets, dip in egg and crumbs and fry in deep fat, or saute in clarified butter. Drain. and serve with Tomato Sauce.

[Page 60] STRIPED BASS WITH CAPER SAUCE

Clean and trim a large striped bass, cut two incisions across the back, tie in a circle, and boil slowly in salted and acidulated water for forty minutes. Drain, pour over a Caper Sauce, garnish with parsley, and serve.

STRIPED BASS A LA DAUPHINE

Clean and trim a striped bass. Put into a fish-kettle with salt, pepper, a bunch of parsley, a pinch of sweet herbs, a sliced onion, two cupfuls of white wine, two cupfuls of water, and four tablespoonfuls of butter. Cook for forty minutes in a moderate oven, basting frequently. Drain the fish, strain the liquor, and add enough white stock or oyster liquor to make the required quantity of sauce. Cook two tablespoonfuls of flour in one tablespoonful of butter, add the liquid, and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Add three egg yolks well beaten with four tablespoonfuls of butter, a tablespoonful of anchovy essence, the juice of half a lemon, and a pinch of paprika. Bring to the boiling point, pour over the fish, and serve. Garnish with fried mushrooms.

STRIPED BASS A LA CARDINAL

Clean and trim a striped bass. Cook in a [Page 61] fish-kettle with two cupfuls of water, one cupful of white wine, four tablespoonfuls of butter, a bunch of parsley, an onion, and a carrot, sliced, and salt and pepper to season. Simmer for forty minutes and drain. Add two cupfuls of white stock to the liquid, strain, and skim off the fat. Cook two tablespoonfuls of flour in a tablespoonful of butter, add the strained liquid and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Take from the fire and add the yolks of four eggs, beaten with the juice of a lemon, four tablespoonfuls of melted butter, and a pinch of paprika. Bring to the boil, then take from the fire, add sufficient dried and pounded lobster coral to color, pour over the fish, and serve.

STRIPED BASS A LA HOLLANDAISE

Clean and trim a striped bass and simmer half an hour in salted and acidulated water to cover. Drain, garnish with parsley, and serve with Hollandaise Sauce.

STRIPED BASS A LA COMMODORE

Clean and stuff a striped bass. Put into a fish-kettle with a bunch of parsley, a cupful of mixed vegetables cut fine, a cupful of white wine, a cupful of oyster liquor, and enough water or stock to cover. Simmer for forty [Page 62] minutes and drain. Strain the gravy, skim off the fat, and set aside. Brown two tablespoonfuls of flour in one tablespoonful of butter, add one cupful of stock and cook until very thick, stirring constantly. Add the strained sauce and reheat, stirring until smooth. Add a tablespoonful of anchovy essence, four tablespoonfuls of butter, and lemon-juice to taste. Pour over the fish and serve.

STRIPED BASS A L'AMERICAINE

Cook together one tablespoonful each of butter and flour, add a pint of oysters, with their liquor, and the yolks of two eggs, well beaten. Cook until thick, stirring constantly. Prepare and trim a striped bass, fill with the oyster mixture, season, and sew up. Put into a fish-kettle with enough white wine and water, in equal parts, to cover. Add a sliced onion, a bunch of parsley, a little salt and pepper and a tablespoonful of butter. Simmer for an hour and drain. Strain the gravy and skim off the fat. Cook together two tablespoonfuls of flour and one of butter, add the strained liquid and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Take from the fire, add the yolks of four eggs beaten with four tablespoonfuls of melted butter, the juice of a lemon, and a tablespoonful of minced parsley. Bring to the boil, pour [Page 63] over the fish, and serve. Garnish with fried oysters.

STRIPED BASS A LA MARSEILLES

Clean a large striped bass and divide into fillets. Put into a fish-boiler with three tablespoonfuls of butter, two large onions, sliced, a bunch of parsley, a bay-leaf, salt and pepper to season, and red wine and water, in equal parts, to cover. Simmer for an hour, drain the fish, take out the parsley, strain the liquid, and spread the cooked onions over the fish. Cook three tablespoonfuls of flour in two tablespoonfuls of butter, add the strained liquid and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Take from the fire, add the juice of a small lemon, a tablespoonful of anchovy essence, and two tablespoonfuls of butter. When the butter is melted, pour over the fish and serve.

STRIPED BASS A LA CONTI

Clean and trim a large striped bass. Put into a baking-pan with four tablespoonfuls of olive-oil, a small onion, chopped fine, salt and pepper to season, a bunch of parsley, and two cupfuls each of white wine and white stock. Cover and cook for an hour in a moderate oven, basting often. Drain the fish and remove the parsley. Strain the sauce. Brown [Page 64] two tablespoonfuls of flour in one of butter, add the strained liquid, and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Add the juice of half a lemon and a tablespoonful of minced parsley. Pour over the fish and serve.



[Page 65] EIGHT WAYS TO COOK BLACKFISH

BLACKFISH A L'AMERICAINE

Draw two large blackfish, trim, and clean thoroughly. Put into a baking-dish with two chopped onions fried in butter. Add two cupfuls of cold water and half a cupful of Port wine. Season with salt and pepper, a pinch of powdered cloves, mace, allspice, and thyme, two bay-leaves, a small bunch of parsley, and two leeks. Cover tightly and cook for an hour. Lift out the fish and strain the liquid. Thicken it with a tablespoonful of butter, blended with an equal quantity of flour. Bring to the boil, add two tablespoonfuls of butter, and minced parsley and lemon-juice to season. Pour over the fish and serve.

BLACKFISH WITH FINE HERBS

Put the cleaned fish into a baking-dish with chopped onions, parsley and mushrooms. Gash the fish and fill the incisions with butter and chopped onion. Moisten with equal parts [Page 66] of white wine and stock, cover with buttered paper, and cook in a moderate oven for half an hour, basting frequently. Take out the fish, strain the sauce, and add stock to make the necessary quantity. Thicken with a tablespoonful of butter rolled in flour, and pour over the fish. Cover with crumbs, dot with butter, and brown in the oven. Sprinkle with lemon-juice before serving.

BROILED BLACKFISH WITH CHILLI SAUCE

Clean the fish, season with salt and pepper, rub with oil, and broil slowly. Fry in butter a chopped shallot and two chilli peppers. Add two chopped tomatoes, a wineglassful of Catawba wine, and a cupful of stock. Boil to the consistency of a thick sauce, add two tablespoonfuls of butter and a little chopped parsley. Spread over the fish.

MATELOTE OF BLACKFISH

Cover four pounds of cleaned blackfish with equal parts of Claret and water. Add salt and pepper to season, two small cloves of garlic, two onions sliced, and a bunch of parsley. Boil for half an hour and strain the liquid. Thicken it with two tablespoonfuls of butter blended with a little flour. Add two tablespoonfuls [Page 67] of butter, a tablespoonful of anchovy paste, and lemon-juice to season. Strain over the fish and garnish with fresh fried mushrooms and small white onions sprinkled with sugar and fried brown in clarified butter.

STEWED BLACKFISH A LA NEWPORT

Cook four pounds of blackfish in Catawba wine and water to cover, seasoning with parsley and onion, three cloves, salt, and half a dozen pepper-corns. Boil for half an hour, strain the sauce, and thicken with two tablespoonfuls of flour browned in butter. Cook until thick, add two tablespoonfuls of butter and the juice of half a lemon. Strain over the fish and surround with a border of baked tomatoes.

BAKED BLACKFISH—I

Put two cleaned blackfish into a buttered baking-pan with one cupful of Port wine and two cupfuls of water. Add salt, white and red pepper, grated nutmeg, minced parsley, and sweet herbs to season. Dot the fish with butter, cover with buttered paper, and bake for forty-five minutes, basting as required. Take out the fish, strain the sauce, and put it into a saucepan with two cupfuls of stock. Thicken with two tablespoonfuls of butter [Page 68] blended with an equal quantity of flour, and boil for ten minutes. Skim, add two tablespoonfuls each of butter and anchovy paste, and lemon-juice to taste. Reheat, pour over the fish, and serve.

BAKED BLACKFISH—II

Remove the skin and fins from a six-pound fish and place in a baking-pan. Cover with two cupfuls of bread-crumbs moistened with hot water, and seasoned with butter, salt, pepper, sage, summer savory, and sweet marjoram. Bake for an hour and a half and serve with any preferred sauce.

BLACKFISH WITH PORT WINE SAUCE

Put two cleaned blackfish into a pan with one cupful of Port wine, one cupful of water, one cupful of white stock, and salt, pepper, minced parsley, and sweet herbs to season. Cover and simmer for forty minutes. Take out the fish, add two cupfuls of stock to the sauce, thicken with one tablespoonful of butter blended with two of flour, and cook until of the proper consistency. Strain through a cloth, add two tablespoonfuls of butter, and lemon-juice and red pepper to season. Pour over the fish and serve.



[Page 69] TWENTY-SIX WAYS TO COOK BLUEFISH

BAKED BLUEFISH A L'ITALIENNE

Score and scale the bluefish and put it into a buttered pan with three tablespoonfuls each of white wine and mushroom liquor, a tablespoonful of chopped onion, half a dozen chopped mushrooms and salt and pepper to season. Cover with buttered paper and bake for fifteen minutes. Take out the fish and add to the sauce half a teaspoonful of beef extract, dissolved in half a cupful of boiling water. Add a wineglassful of white wine and thicken with one tablespoonful each of butter and browned flour. Pour the sauce over the fish, sprinkle with chopped parsley, and serve.

BAKED BLUEFISH—I

Clean, scrape, and split the fish and take out the backbone. Gash the flesh and insert a thin slice of salt pork under the skin. Make a stuffing of one cupful of bread-crumbs, two tablespoonfuls of chopped salt pork, and salt, [Page 70] minced parsley, chopped onion, red pepper, kitchen bouquet, and tomato catsup to season. Add one egg well beaten. Fill the fish and sew up. Lay on thin slices of salt pork and bake, basting frequently with the fat. Garnish with cress and lemon.

BAKED BLUEFISH—II

Clean a large bluefish, put into a baking-pan, pour over it a cupful of boiling salted water, cover and bake for an hour, basting frequently. Put on a serving platter, and thicken the sauce with browned flour, seasoning with salt, pepper, Worcestershire and tomato catsup. Serve with a garnish of sliced lemon.

BAKED BLUEFISH—III

Make a stuffing of bread-crumbs, two tablespoonfuls of minced onion, a teaspoonful of minced parsley, three tablespoonfuls of butter, one egg well-beaten, and salt and pepper to season. Stuff the fish and tie securely. Bake in a pan with a cupful of hot water and a tablespoonful of butter, basting frequently. Take out the fish, boil up the sauce, add a tablespoonful of catsup, a tablespoonful of browned flour wet with four tablespoonfuls of cold water, and the juice of a lemon. Cook until thick, and strain.

[Page 71] BAKED BLUEFISH—IV

Prepare a stuffing of crumbs, grated onion, beaten egg and capers. Stuff a large bluefish and sew up. Season with salt and pepper, rub with butter, and add sufficient boiling water. Bake, baste frequently, and serve with any preferred sauce.

BAKED BLUEFISH—V

Make a stuffing of one cupful of bread-crumbs, a tablespoonful of melted butter, and salt and pepper to season. Fill the fish and sew firmly. Gash the fish and lay strips of pork in the gashes. Cover with crumbs, dot with butter and add sufficient boiling water to keep from burning. Bake for an hour, basting frequently. Garnish with parsley and lemon and serve with tomato sauce.

BAKED BLUEFISH—VI

Slit a large bluefish, take out the bone, put in a buttered baking-dish and season with salt and pepper. Fry a chopped onion in butter, add half a dozen chopped mushrooms, three tablespoonfuls of chopped cooked egg-plant, and a teaspoonful of minced parsley. Add two cupfuls of stock, and cook for fifteen minutes. Thicken with a tablespoonful or more of flour rubbed smooth in cold water, [Page 72] and pour over the fish. Sprinkle with crumbs, dot with butter, and bake for an hour in a moderate oven.

BAKED BLUEFISH WITH WHITE WINE SAUCE

Put a cleaned bluefish into a buttered pan with salt, pepper, minced parsley, sweet herbs, a sliced onion, two cupfuls of white wine, and one cupful of white stock. Cover with a buttered paper and cook for forty minutes, basting as required. Take out the fish, strain the sauce, and thicken with a tablespoonful of flour cooked in butter. Boil for ten minutes, add three tablespoonfuls of butter, the juice of half a lemon and three egg yolks well beaten. Bring to the boil, pour over the fish, and serve.

BAKED BLUEFISH A LA NAPLES

Prepare the fish according to directions given for Baked Bluefish—II. Fry in butter for five minutes two tablespoonfuls each of chopped onion, carrot, and lean raw ham. Add twelve pepper-corns, two cloves, and a sprig of marjoram. Add two and one half tablespoonfuls of flour and cook until brown. Add gradually one cupful of brown stock and one and one fourth cupfuls of white wine. Cook until [Page 73] thick, stirring constantly, strain, reheat, pour over the fish, sprinkle with minced parsley, and serve.

BOILED BLUEFISH

Prepare according to directions given for Boiled Bass.

BROILED BLUEFISH—I

Split the fish down the back and soak for half an hour in brine. Rinse in fresh water, dry on a towel and broil on a buttered broiler. Serve on a hot platter with melted butter poured over, and garnish with watercress and sliced lemon.

BROILED BLUEFISH—II

Clean and split down the back, season with salt and pepper, and broil according to directions previously given. Sprinkle with minced parsley and lemon-juice and pour over a little melted butter. Serve with a border of mashed potatoes.

PAN-BROILED BLUEFISH

Lay the fish flesh side down in a well greased, very hot pan. Turn with a pancake-turner.

[Page 74] BROILED BLUEFISH AU BEURRE-NOIR

Broil a bluefish according to directions previously given. Mix together one tablespoonful each of vinegar and minced parsley, one teaspoonful of lemon-juice, and salt and pepper to season. Put two tablespoonfuls of butter into a frying-pan and when it browns add the other ingredients. Bring to the boil and pour it over the broiled fish.

BROILED BLUEFISH WITH MUSTARD SAUCE

Broil a bluefish according to directions previously given, and sprinkle with lemon-juice. Pour over a Cream Sauce to which prepared mustard has been added.

MATELOTE OF BLUEFISH

Prepare according to directions given for Matelote of Blackfish, using white wine instead of Claret.

STUFFED BLUEFISH—I

Prepare according to directions given for Stuffed Sea-Bass.

STUFFED BLUEFISH—II

Scrape, clean, and dry a large bluefish. [Page 75] Chop three onions fine and fry in butter. Add enough mashed potatoes to make the required quantity of stuffing, and season with salt, pepper, minced parsley, and melted butter. Fill the fish and sew up. Rub with melted butter, put a little hot water into the pan, and bake for thirty minutes, basting as required. Garnish with lemon and parsley.

ESCALLOPED BLUEFISH

Flake cold cooked bluefish and mix it with an equal quantity of mashed potatoes. Fill buttered shells, sprinkle with grated cheese, cover with crumbs, dot with butter, and brown in the oven.

FILLETS OF BLUEFISH A LA DUXELLES

Skin, bone, and fillet a bluefish. Season with salt and pepper, and cook with melted butter and lemon-juice until firm. Take from the fire and cool. Prepare a Duxelles Sauce, boil down until thick, and cook the fish with it. Dip in crumbs, then in beaten egg, then in crumbs, and fry in deep fat. Serve with the diluted sauce poured around the fish.

FILLETS OF BLUEFISH WITH ANCHOVY SAUCE

Prepare the fish according to directions [Page 76] given in the preceding recipe, cooking with white wine as well as lemon-juice. Prepare a Cream Sauce, and add to it two tablespoonfuls each of butter and anchovy paste. Pour over the fish and serve.

BLUEFISH A L'ICARIENNE

Scale and score a two-pound bluefish, and put in a buttered baking-dish with three tablespoonfuls each of mushroom liquor and white wine, and salt and pepper to season. Cover with a buttered paper and bake for fifteen minutes. Take out the fish and add to the sauce three tablespoonfuls of stewed and strained tomatoes and one tablespoonful of chopped, cooked, smoked beef tongue. Bring to the boil, pour over the fish, and serve.

BLUEFISH A LA VENETIENNE

Prepare according to directions for Baked Bluefish a la Italienne, adding to it a chopped tomato and six whole mushrooms. Sprinkle with crumbs, dot with butter, brown in the oven, and sprinkle with minced parsley.

FRIED FILLETS OF BLUEFISH

Cut the fish into fillets and soak for half an hour in olive-oil and lemon-juice. Dip in crumbs, then in beaten egg, then in seasoned [Page 77] cracker crumbs, and set into a cold place for an hour. Fry in deep fat and serve with Tartar Sauce.

FRIED BLUEFISH

Clean the fish, season with salt and pepper, dredge with flour and fry in plenty of hot lard. Drain on brown paper and garnish with parsley.

STEAMED BLUEFISH

Season the fish with salt and pepper and pour over it a cupful of vinegar. Let stand for an hour, pour off the vinegar, and steam for twenty minutes. Serve with any preferred sauce.



[Page 79] FIVE WAYS TO COOK BUTTERFISH

FRIED BUTTERFISH—I

Trim, draw, and clean the fish. Wipe dry, dip in milk, roll in flour and fry in a frying-pan in plenty of clear hot fat. Drain on a cloth, sprinkle with salt, and garnish with lemon and parsley.

FRIED BUTTERFISH—II

Clean, wash and dry the fish, rub with flour, season with salt and pepper, dip in beaten egg, then in cracker dust or sifted bread-crumbs. Fry in deep fat.

FRIED BUTTERFISH—III

Clean and gash the fish, roll in corn-meal and saute in hot salt pork fat. Serve with Tartar Sauce.

BUTTERFISH WITH FINE HERBS

Prepare according to directions given for Sole with Fine Herbs.

[Page 80] BOILED BUTTERFISH

Cover well-cleaned and lightly-gashed butterfish with boiling water, season with one chopped onion, parsley and thyme, salt and pepper. Boil gently for about ten minutes if small. Take from the water, and serve with scalded milk seasoned with butter, pepper, salt, and minced parsley.



[Page 81] TWENTY-TWO WAYS TO COOK CARP

BAKED CARP—I

Clean a carp and cover it with salted cold water and vinegar. Soak for an hour, then drain and dry. Stuff with seasoned crumbs, sew up, and put into a deep baking-pan. Brush with beaten egg, sprinkle with bread-crumbs and dot with butter. Add two sliced onions and a pinch of sweet herbs, a cupful each of sweet wine and stock, and a teaspoonful of anchovy paste. Bake for an hour, basting as needed. Take out the fish, strain the liquor, thicken with a tablespoonful of butter rolled in flour, and season with salt, pepper, lemon-juice, and a pinch of sugar.

BAKED CARP—II

Let the fish stand in vinegar for fifteen minutes. Stuff with seasoned crumbs and sew up. Brush with beaten egg, cover with crumbs, and dot with butter. Put into a baking-pan with two chopped onions, a bunch of parsley, a cupful [Page 82] of water, and a teaspoonful of Worcestershire sauce. Bake in a moderate oven, basting as required. Add enough water to make a cupful of the liquid remaining after taking up the fish. Thicken with a tablespoonful of flour blended with an equal quantity of butter, strain, add the juice of a lemon, and pepper and salt to season.

STEWED CARP—I

Clean and scale a carp, pouring boiling vinegar over the fish to facilitate the process. Wrap in a cloth and cook it gently in court bouillon. Serve with a sauce made of court bouillon, strained and thickened, with a few capers and a little anchovy sauce added.

STEWED CARP—II

Mix together one tablespoonful of salt, half a teaspoonful of pepper, and a pinch of powdered mace. Rub a cleaned fish with it, both inside and out. Leave it in a cold place for two hours. Then put into a kettle, cover with boiling water, add a small onion sliced, a sprig of parsley, a bay-leaf, and a teaspoonful of marjoram. Simmer until done, drain, and serve with Cream Sauce.

BOILED CARP

Put a cleaned carp into a saucepan with [Page 83] sufficient beef stock to cover. Add an onion, four cloves, a bunch of sweet herbs, and salt to season. Simmer until the fish is done. Take out the fish and strain the sauce. Add two cupfuls of beef stock and thicken with browned flour. Boil until thick, add a wineglassful of white wine and the juice of half a lemon. Pour the sauce over the fish and serve.

PICKLED CARP

Put a cleaned carp into a fish-kettle and pour over it boiling vinegar and a cupful of Claret. Add two carrots and three onions chopped fine, and sage, thyme, bay-leaves, parsley, cloves, and bruised garlic to season. Simmer for an hour and let cool in the liquid.

CARP A L'ITALIENNE

Clean, scale, and slice the fish. Fry with onion, parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper, using plenty of butter. Add white wine to cover and simmer for ten minutes; then put in the oven and bake until tender. Add two lemons sliced and one cupful each of chopped almonds and currants. Cook long enough to soften the currants, adding stock if necessary.

CARP A L'ALLEMANDE

Clean and cut into strips two pounds of [Page 84] carp. Add one wineglassful of Claret, one cupful of beef stock, one cupful of chopped mushrooms, a carrot and an onion chopped fine, and salt, pepper, thyme, clove and parsley to season. Simmer for an hour, add a tablespoonful of capers, and serve on buttered toast.

CARP A LA BORDELAISE

Chop fine an onion, a carrot, and a bunch of parsley. Add two cupfuls of white wine, a clove of garlic, three cloves, and salt and pepper to season. Cook for fifteen minutes, then add two quarts of cold water. Boil the carp in this sauce and drain. Prepare a sauce as follows: Chop fine a small onion and a shallot. Season with salt and pepper, and cook until soft with a wineglassful of Claret. Add two cupfuls of beef stock and bring to the boil. Thicken with two tablespoonfuls of browned flour rubbed smooth in a little cold water, season with salt, red pepper, minced parsley, and chives, and add a small piece of cooked chopped marrow. Pour over the fish and serve very hot.

BROILED CARP

Broil as usual and serve with melted butter, lemon-juice, and minced parsley poured over it.

[Page 85] CARP A LA FRANCAISE

Cut the cleaned fish into square pieces and put it into a saucepan with four tablespoonfuls of olive-oil, one cupful of Claret, and a tablespoonful of butter blended with an equal quantity of flour. Add a chopped clove of garlic, a shallot, a quarter of a pound of mushrooms, and salt, pepper, and minced parsley to season. Cook for twenty minutes and serve.

FRIED CARP—I

Soak the fish over night in salt water. Drain, rinse in cold water, season with pepper and salt, dredge in flour, and fry in butter.

FRIED CARP—II

Cook the carp in court bouillon, drain, and cut in slices. Cover with a very thick Cream Sauce and let cool. Dip in crumbs, then in egg and crumbs, and fry in deep fat.

FRIED CARP—III

Clean the fish and cut it into convenient pieces. Dip in milk then in seasoned flour, and fry in hot fat.

CARP A LA COBLENTZ

Boil the fish with one cupful of Rhine wine, two cupfuls of white [Page 86] stock, two carrots and two onions sliced, half a cupful of sliced mushrooms and minced parsley, salt, pepper, and sweet herbs to season. Add water if the stock is not sufficient to cover. Boil for half an hour, take the fish up, then thicken the sauce with butter and flour, and add the juice of half a lemon with another tablespoonful of butter. Pour over the fish and serve.

BAKED CARP A LA MARINIERE

Clean the fish and line it with bacon. Boil carefully in court bouillon to which one quarter of the quantity of white wine has been added. Boil for five minutes, then put the pan into the oven and bake for an hour and a half, basting frequently. Take out the fish, strain the liquid, thicken with browned flour, add a wineglassful of white wine, and boil until thick. Rub through a sieve and add three tablespoonfuls of butter. Pour over the fish and serve.

STEAMED CARP

Scale and clean the fish and steam until done. Serve with sour cream or with a Drawn-Butter Sauce seasoned with lemon-juice.

CARP IN MATELOTE

Cook the cleaned carp in a fish-kettle with [Page 87] two sliced onions, a bunch of parsley, a little salt, a few pepper-corns, two cloves of garlic, a quart of red wine and a pint of water. Cook slowly for forty minutes and take out the fish. Strain the sauce and reduce by rapid boiling to one quart. Thicken with butter and browned flour and boil for half an hour. Skim, add three tablespoonfuls of butter, one tablespoonful of anchovy paste, and the juice of a lemon. Pour over the fish and serve.

CARP A LA BOURGUINOTTE

Stew the carp in red wine, drain, and place on a platter. Cook four shallots, two cloves, a blade of mace, a pinch of thyme, a bay-leaf, and a mushroom for five minutes in enough red wine to cover. Add enough beef stock to make the required quantity of sauce, and thicken with butter and browned flour. Cook until thick, strain, and pour over the fish.

CARP A LA PERIGUEUX

Cook the carp in wine and drain. Chop six truffles fine, add a tablespoonful of chopped raw ham, a pinch of thyme, and a bay-leaf. Cook for ten minutes in sufficient white wine to cover. Add a cupful of beef stock and thicken with butter and browned flour. [Page 88] Cook until thick, rub through a sieve, add a tablespoonful of butter and a little anchovy paste and the juice of half a lemon.

CARP A LA LYONS

Clean the fish and cut into thick slices. Soak for an hour in a marinade of oil and vinegar, season with salt, pepper, thyme, bay-leaves, and chopped onion. Drain, dip in flour, then in beaten egg, then in bread-crumbs, mixed with Parmesan cheese. Fry in deep fat and garnish with lemon and parsley.

CARP A LA PROVENCALE

Stew the carp in court bouillon and white wine. Drain and place on a platter. Cook together two tablespoonfuls each of chopped ham and olive-oil, four bruised cloves of garlic, a pinch of thyme, a bay-leaf, a tablespoonful of capers, a peeled lemon sliced, a small bunch of parsley, and paprika to season. Cook for five minutes, add enough beef stock to make the required quantity of sauce, and cook for ten minutes. Thicken with browned flour, rub through a sieve, skim, add a tablespoonful of butter and a little anchovy paste, and pour over the fish.



[Page 89] SIX WAYS TO COOK CATFISH

CATFISH STEWED WITH TOMATOES

Slice the fish and fry in butter. When half cooked, add a cupful of water, a chopped onion, a red pepper, and a can of tomatoes. Cook slowly for half an hour and serve with buttered toast.

FRIED CATFISH—I

Clean and cut the fish in squares. Season with salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Dip in egg, then in crumbs or corn-meal, and fry in deep fat.

FRIED CATFISH—II

Prepare the fish according to directions given above, dredge with seasoned flour, and fry in butter in a frying-pan.

FRIED CATFISH—III

Skin and clean the fish, cut into pieces. Soak for an hour in olive-oil and vinegar, dip in egg and crumbs, and fry in deep fat.

[Page 90] STEWED CATFISH

Soak the skinned fish in brine for an hour. Put into a saucepan with a chopped onion, cover with cold water, and simmer until they are tender. Take out the fish, season with salt, pepper, and butter, and thicken the liquid in which they were cooked with a tablespoonful each of butter and flour cooked together and mixed with half a cupful of boiling cream. Bring to the boil, add a teaspoonful of minced parsley and one egg well beaten. Pour the sauce over the fish and serve.

BOILED CATFISH

Boil the fish according to directions previously given. Thicken the remaining liquid with butter rolled in flour, season with salt, pepper, and lemon-juice, add two chopped hard-boiled eggs, pour over the fish, and serve.



[Page 91] SIXTY-SEVEN WAYS TO COOK CODFISH

BAKED CODFISH—I

Rub the inside of a small fresh cod with butter and lemon-juice and put on a buttered drainer in a fish-kettle. Rub with butter, sprinkle with chopped mushrooms, shallots, and parsley, lemon-juice, and minced garlic. Pour over the fish three cupfuls of white wine, bring to the boil, and simmer for an hour and a half. Baste as required. Thicken the liquor with butter and flour and serve with the sauce.

BAKED CODFISH—II

Stuff the fish with seasoned crumbs and season with pepper and salt. Pour over two cupfuls of Sherry and a tablespoonful of mushroom catsup. Add two cupfuls of stock, cover with buttered paper, and bake, basting often. When nearly done, sprinkle with bread-crumbs and dot with butter, and bake until brown. Take up the fish carefully, [Page 92] add a teaspoonful of beef extract and a little anchovy paste to the liquor in the baking-pan, strain, add two tablespoonfuls of butter and the juice of half a lemon, bring to the boil, pour over the fish, and serve.

BAKED CODFISH—III

Prepare according to directions given for Baked Codfish—I, adding a pint of parboiled oysters to the sauce.

BAKED SALT CODFISH

Prepare the fish according to directions given in the recipe for Boiled Salted Cod. Mix with an equal quantity of mashed potatoes, season, add two tablespoonfuls of melted butter and enough hot milk to make very soft. Put into a buttered baking-dish, rub with butter, and bake until brown. Serve with Cream or Drawn-Butter Sauce.

CREAMED AND BAKED CODFISH

Put into a stoneware platter creamed codfish prepared according to directions elsewhere given, and surround with a border of mashed potatoes beaten light with an egg. Cover with crumbs, dot with butter, and brown in the oven.