How to Cook Fish Part 44

Clean a large roe shad, saving the roe and removing the back-bone.

Soak stale bread in cold water and squeeze dry. Chop a large onion [Page 330]

fine and fry in b.u.t.ter. Add the bread, and salt, pepper, parsley, and sage to season. Cook thoroughly, take from the fire and add the yolks of two eggs well beaten. Stuff the fish, sew up, rub with salt and put in a b.u.t.tered baking-pan with thin slices of salt pork or bacon to cover the top. Fill the pan with sweet milk, leaving only the pork exposed. Bake slowly, basting often. Take up the fish carefully, strain the liquor, thicken with b.u.t.ter and flour, and serve separately.

Fry the roe in b.u.t.ter, cut in slices, and garnish the fish with it.

BAKED SHAD a LA VIRGINIA

Clean the fish and stuff with seasoned crumbs made very rich with melted b.u.t.ter. Put in a baking-pan with enough boiling water to keep it from burning, and bake until done, basting with melted b.u.t.ter and the liquid in the pan. Take up the fish carefully and keep warm. Thicken the gravy with a tablespoonful of flour browned in b.u.t.ter, and mix smooth with cold water. Season with catsup, lemon-juice, Sherry or Madeira. Serve the sauce separately.

BAKED SHAD a LA CAROLINA

Clean a large roe shad, leaving the head on, [Page 331]

take out the backbone and stuff with the boiled roe chopped, six chopped hard-boiled eggs, half a cupful of bread-crumbs, a chopped onion, a tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter, and salt, pepper, and minced parsley to season. Stuff the fish, sew up and put in a b.u.t.tered baking-pan, adding enough hot water to keep from burning, three or four slices of bacon, and salt and pepper to season. Baste often and serve with Tartar Sauce.

BAKED SHAD WITH FINE HERBS

Sprinkle a b.u.t.tered baking-dish with chopped onion and parsley, lay the prepared fish upon it and sprinkle with onion and parsley, seasoning with salt, pepper, and dots of b.u.t.ter. Add half a cupful of white wine and a cupful of white stock. Cover with a b.u.t.tered paper and bake in a moderate oven. Take up the fish carefully and thicken the gravy with flour cooked in b.u.t.ter. Pour the sauce over the fish, sprinkle with crumbs, dot with b.u.t.ter, and brown in the oven. Squeeze the juice of a lemon over and serve.

BAKED SHAD STUFFED WITH OYSTERS

Rub a large cleaned fish with salt inside and out. Stuff with oysters and seasoned crumbs made very rich with melted b.u.t.ter, and bake, [Page 332]

basting with melted b.u.t.ter and hot water. Thicken the gravy with flour browned in b.u.t.ter, adding a little hot water or stock if necessary, season with lemon-juice and catsup and serve the sauce separately.

STUFFED SHAD--I

Make a stuffing of two cupfuls of bread-crumbs, half a cupful of tomatoes, an onion chopped fine, half a cupful of melted b.u.t.ter, and salt and pepper to season. Stuff the fish, sew up, rub with b.u.t.ter, season with salt and pepper, dredge with flour, and bake for an hour, basting often with melted b.u.t.ter and hot water. Serve with Tomato Sauce.

STUFFED SHAD--II

Season a cupful of cracker crumbs with grated onion, minced capers and parsley, add a heaping tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter, and salt and pepper to season. Or, fry a small chopped onion in b.u.t.ter, add a cupful of crumbs, season with salt, pepper and lemon-juice, take from the fire and add the yolk of an egg beaten smooth with a little milk. Stuff the cleaned shad and sew up. Cover the bottom of a baking-dish with thin slices of salt pork, lay the fish upon it, cover with more pork, add enough boiling water to keep from burning, [Page 333]

and bake, basting frequently. For the sauce, melt half a cupful of b.u.t.ter and add to it the juice of half a lemon and three tablespoonfuls of Claret. Serve the sauce separately.

STUFFED SHAD--III

Prepare a shad as for boiling and stuff with seasoned crumbs, adding the beaten yolk of an egg to bind. Fill the fish and sew up; put into a baking-pan enough water or stock to keep from burning and two tablespoonfuls of b.u.t.ter. Bake carefully, basting as required.

Take up the fish and add to the liquid enough stock to make the required quant.i.ty of sauce. Thicken with flour browned in b.u.t.ter, season with lemon-juice, catsup, and Sherry or Madeira. Pour around the fish and serve.

ROASTED SHAD

Marinate the cleaned fish for an hour in oil and lemon-juice, seasoning with salt, pepper, minced parsley, and thyme. Drain, wrap in oiled paper, fastening securely, and bake carefully. Take up the fish and serve with Ravigote Sauce.

[Page 334]

TOASTED SHAD

Put into a baking-pan a tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter and lay a cleaned and split shad upon it, skin-side up. Place it under a gas flame until the skin is puffed and blistered. Turn out on a hot platter; season with salt and pepper, dot with b.u.t.ter, and serve garnished with lemon and parsley.

PLANKED SHAD--I

Prepare the fish as for boiling, b.u.t.ter the plank, and tack the fish upon it, skin-side down. Season the fish with salt, pepper, and b.u.t.ter and bake in the oven. Serve on the plank.

PLANKED SHAD--II

Split the shad as for broiling and tack it on a b.u.t.tered fish plank, skin-side down. Rub with melted b.u.t.ter and cook under a gas flame or in the oven. Season with salt, pepper, and melted b.u.t.ter, surround with a border of mashed potatoes, garnish with lemon and parsley and serve on the plank.

PLANKED SHAD--III

Tack the split fish on a b.u.t.tered board, flesh-side up. Put into the oven and bake until brown, basting with melted b.u.t.ter seasoned [Page 335]

with walnut catsup. Serve with a garnish of pickled walnuts.

PLANKED SHAD--IV

Tack a large split shad skin-side down on a b.u.t.tered plank. Spread with b.u.t.ter, season with salt and pepper, and pour over a tablespoonful of walnut catsup or white wine. Cook under a gas flame, sprinkle with minced parsley, and serve with any preferred sauce.

PANNED SHAD

Split the fish down the back, remove the backbone, and put into a b.u.t.tered baking-pan, flesh-side up. Rub with b.u.t.ter, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bake in the oven. Garnish with lemon and parsley and serve with any preferred sauce.

STEWED SHAD

Prepare and clean a small shad and soak it for two or three hours in a marinade of oil and lemon-juice seasoned with onion and parsley.

Put it in a b.u.t.tered stewpan with half a winegla.s.sful of white wine, three tablespoonfuls of mushroom liquor, four sprigs of parsley, a sprig of celery, a bay-leaf, a sprig of thyme, and two cloves. Add [Page 336]

two handfuls of picked and washed sorrel or spinach, chopped fine.

Season with salt and pepper and simmer slowly for two hours. Take up the fish, thicken the gravy with b.u.t.ter and flour cooked together, pour over the fish and serve.

PICKLED SHAD--I

Boil a shad in salted water to cover, drain and cool. Add to the water in which it was boiled half as much vinegar and a red pepper pod, whole cloves, allspice, and mace to season. Boil for an hour.

Cut the fish into large pieces, put into an earthen jar and pour the boiling spiced liquid over the fish. Cover and let stand for two days before using.

PICKLED SHAD--II

Cut a large shad into pieces, put a layer in the bottom of an earthen crock, sprinkle with salt, and add a few whole cloves, allspice, peppers, and bay-leaves. Cover with fish, add more spices, and pour on strong vinegar to cover. Cover the dish, bake for four hours in a moderate oven, and let stand for three or four days before using. Serve cold.

CREAMED SHAD

Cook together a tablespoonful each of b.u.t.ter [Page 337]

and flour, add two cupfuls of milk and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Add a teaspoonful of grated onion, take from the fire and add the beaten yolks of two eggs, and salt, pepper, and minced parsley to season. Add two cupfuls of cold cooked shad flaked fine, put into a b.u.t.tered baking-dish, sprinkle with crumbs and brown in the oven.

SHAD VERT-PRe

Prepare and clean a small shad and put into a b.u.t.tered baking-dish with salt and pepper to season, two finely chopped shallots and half a winegla.s.sful of white wine. Cover with b.u.t.tered paper and bake in a moderate oven. Take up the fish, add the juice to a cupful of Allemande Sauce and tint green with minced parsley and spinach juice. Pour over the fish and serve.

BROILED SHAD ROE--I

Soak two shad roes for twenty minutes in seasoned olive-oil, drain and broil. Serve with Maitre d'Hotel Sauce.

BROILED SHAD ROE--II

Wash and dry the roe and broil on a well-greased broiler, rubbing with b.u.t.ter while broiling. Serve with Maitre d'Hotel Sauce.