Hand-Book of Practical Cookery for Ladies and Professional Cooks Part 24

_The same fried._--Small flounders are fried like other small fish, and served either with or without a tomato-sauce or _a la Orly_.

_The same, boned and fried._--Bone and skin small flounders as directed; mix together a tablespoonful of oil, a teaspoonful of chopped parsley, the juice of half a lemon, and salt; dip the pieces of fish in the mixture, dust them slightly with flour, and fry. Serve hot.

_Pike, Pickerel, and Trout or Troutlet._--Those three fish, besides being prepared as directed for ba.s.s, etc., and in all its different ways, they are boiled as directed and served warm, with a _genoise_ sauce.

A more delicious dish of fish can hardly be prepared.

_Ray, Skate, and Angel or Monk fish._--Ray, though excellent, is very little known; there is only one place at which it can be bought--Was.h.i.+ngton Market, New York.

It is unquestionably an excellent dish, prepared _au beurre noir_. When clean, boil the fish as directed, and dish it, sprinkling salt and pepper on it.

While it is boiling, put about two ounces of b.u.t.ter to a pound of fish in a frying-pan, set it on a sharp fire, stir now and then, and when brown, throw into it about six sprigs of parsley, which you take off immediately with a skimmer. As soon as the parsley is taken off, pour the b.u.t.ter over the fish, quickly put two tablespoonfuls of vinegar in the frying-pan and over the fire, give one boil, and pour also over the fish. Frying the parsley and boiling the vinegar cannot be done too fast, as the fish must be served very warm. The warmer it is served, the better it is.

_Salmon_, _sturgeon_, and _white-fish_, after being baked or boiled, may be served with a caper, and also with a _Mayonnaise_ sauce. They may also be served in _court bouillon_, like ba.s.s. They are broiled whole, or in slices, and served with a _maitre d'hotel_ or a caper sauce.

_The same in Fricandeau._--Cut the fish in slices about half an inch thick, and place them in a saucepan with slices of fat salt pork, carrots and onions under them; set on a good fire; ten minutes after, add a little broth, just enough to cover the bottom of the pan; after about five minutes, turn the slices over; finish the cooking and serve with the gravy strained over the fish, or with a tomato-sauce.

_The same in Papillotes._--Fry slices of salmon with a little b.u.t.ter, and until of a golden color; take them from the fire. While they are frying, mix well together parsley chopped fine, salt, pepper, melted b.u.t.ter, grated nutmeg, and a little lemon-juice; spread some of the mixture on both sides of the slices of fish, envelop them in b.u.t.tered or oiled paper; broil, and serve them hot.

Some mushrooms or truffles, or both, and chopped, may be added to the mixture.

_The same a la Genevoise._--Put in a saucepan a thick slice of salmon--from five to six pounds; just cover it with broth and claret wine--half of each; season with a bunch of seasonings composed of six or eight sprigs of parsley, two of thyme, two bay-leaves, two cloves, and two cloves of garlic, salt, a few slices of carrot, and a small green onion, or a shallot, if handy. Boil gently till nearly done, when add about a dozen mushrooms, and keep boiling till done; dish the fish, and put it in a warm but not hot place; mix cold, in a saucepan, four ounces of b.u.t.ter with about two ounces of flour; turn over it, through a strainer, the liquor in which the fish has been cooked, and set on a sharp fire; after about three minutes, during which you have stirred with a wooden spoon, add the mushrooms; stir again for about two minutes, turn over the fish, and serve warm.

_The same in Salad._--Boil, as directed for fish, some thin slices of salmon, drain, and serve cold, on a napkin and on a dish.

Serve with it, and in a boat, the following: half a teaspoonful of salt, a pinch of pepper, two tablespoonfuls of vinegar, four of sweet oil, a pickled cuc.u.mber chopped fine, two hard-boiled eggs, chopped fine also, two or three anchovies, and a tablespoonful of capers; the anchovies may be chopped fine or pounded. Beat the whole well and serve.

_The same in Scallops._--Cut it in round slices, about one-eighth of an inch in thickness; fry them with b.u.t.ter, and serve.

The pieces should be tastefully arranged on a dish, imitating a flight of stairs.

_Broiled._--Cut it in rather thin slices, b.u.t.ter both sides with a brush; broil, and serve with a _maitre d'hotel_.

_Shad_ and _sheep's-head_, after being baked or boiled, are served with an anchovy, caper, or tomato sauce. They are also served cold, _a la vinaigrette_.

_Broiled._--When cleaned and prepared, salt, pepper, and b.u.t.ter it; broil and serve it with a _maitre d'hotel_.

It may be _stuffed_ as directed for fish.

_In Provencale._--Clean, prepare, and cut the fish in pieces about two inches long; put about three pounds of it in a saucepan, with a pint of claret; six stalks of parsley, a small onion, a clove of garlic, and six mushrooms, all chopped fine; boil till done, when add four ounces of b.u.t.ter, and two of flour, well kneaded together; boil three minutes longer, and serve warm.

_Another way, or a la Chambord._--Stuff the fish with sausage-meat, envelop it in a towel, boil, and serve it with a tomato-sauce.

_The same with Sorrel._--Broil the fish, and serve it on a puree of sorrel or of spinach.

It may also be prepared _au court bouillon_, _a la Bretonne_, and _aux fines herbes_, like ba.s.s, etc.

_Sheep's-head_ may also be prepared like turbot.

_Au Gratin._--The shad, after being cleaned, but not split on the back (as is too often the case, to the shame of the fishmongers who begin by spoiling the fish under the pretence of cleaning it), is placed in a bake-pan, having b.u.t.ter, chopped parsley, mushroom, salt, and pepper, both under and above the fish. For a fish weighing three pounds, add one gill of broth and half as much of white wine; dust the fish with bread-crumbs, and set in a pretty quick oven.

Fifteen minutes afterward, examine it. When done, the fish is dished, a little broth is put in the pan, which is placed on a sharp fire; stir with a spoon or fork so as to detach the bread, etc., that may stick to the pan, then pour this over the fish, and serve warm.

The gravy must be reduced to two or three tablespoonfuls only, for a fish weighing about two pounds.

The fish must be dished carefully in order not to break it.

_Sterlet._--This is a fish of the sturgeon family, very plentiful in the Caspian Sea and in many Russian rivers, princ.i.p.ally in the Neva and in Lake Ladoga.

_Tunny_ and _bonito_, after being boiled, are served cold in _vinaigrette_.

_Turbot and Whiff._--Turbot is among fishes what pheasant is among birds. Rub it with lemon before cooking it.

After being boiled or baked, as directed, it is served with the following sauces: _Bechamel_, _cream_, _caper_, _Hollandaise_, _Mayonnaise_, _tomato_, and in _vinaigrette_.

It is also served _au court-bouillon_ and _aux fines herbes_ like ba.s.s.

_Au Gratin._--It is prepared and served like shad au gratin.

It is also broiled and served with a _maitre d'hotel_.

_Bordelaise._--Bone and skin the fish as directed; dip each piece in melted b.u.t.ter, then in beaten egg, roll in bread-crumbs and broil. While it is broiling on a rather slow fire, turn it over several times and keep basting with melted b.u.t.ter; the more b.u.t.ter it absorbs the better the fish.

When broiled, serve the slices on a dish and place some boiled craw-fish all around and in the middle. A dish of steamed potatoes is served with it.

The following sauce is also served at the same time: Chop fine and fry till half done, with a little b.u.t.ter, two small green onions or four shallots. Put half a pint of good meat-gravy in a small saucepan; set on the fire, and as soon as it commences to boil, pour into it, little by little, stirring the while with a wooden spoon, about a gill of Bordeaux wine, then the onions or shallots, and also a piece of beef marrow chopped fine; give one boil, and serve in a saucer.

_In Salad._--Proceed as for salmon in salad.

When _boiled_, serve the turbot with anchovy-b.u.t.ter, lobster-b.u.t.ter, lobster-sauce, or muscle-sauce.

_Cold._--Any cold piece of turbot is served with a _Mayonnaise_ sauce, or in _vinaigrette_.

_Cold Fish._--If the fish is with sauce, that is, if the sauce is in the same dish with the fish, warm it in the _bain-marie_, and serve warm.

Any other piece of cold fish, baked, boiled, broiled, or roasted, is served with a _Mayonnaise_ sauce, or with a _vinaigrette_.

Any kind of cold fish may be prepared in salad. Slice the fish or cut it in pieces and put it in the salad-dish with hard-boiled egg sliced, onion and parsley chopped fine, salt, pepper, vinegar, and oil. Mix the whole gently and well, and serve.

_Anchovy._--It is imported preserved. It is used as a _hors-d'oeuvre_, to decorate or season.

The essence of anchovy is used for sauce.

The smallest are considered the best.

To serve as a _hors d'oeuvre_, wash, wipe dry, and remove the backbone, serve with tarragon or parsley, chopped fine, vinegar, and oil.

They may also be served with hard-boiled eggs, chopped or quartered.

_Sprats._--There are none in or near American waters; they are imported under their French name, sardines. Fresh sprats are very good boiled without any grease, and without being cleaned and prepared like other fish; but when on the plate, skin them, which is easily done, as then the flesh is so easily detached from the bones that the inside need not be touched at all; they are eaten with salt and pepper only.