[260]CHAPTER XIVFISHInmatters culinary, fish comprise not only the vertebrates of the sea and river, but also the esculent crustacea, mollusca, and chelonia, and one batrachian. Of course, the animals representing these various classes differ enormously in respect of their importance as articles of diet. Fresh-water fish, for instance, with the exception of salmon and some kinds of trout, are scarcely ever eaten in England; and the same applies to the frog. As regards salt-water fish, although certain species, such as the sole and the turbot, are in great demand, many other and excellent ones which are looked upon as inferior are seldom put into requisition by first-class cookery. Thus,Brill,Red Mullet, andBassare not nearly so popular as they deserve to be, and never appear on a menu of any importance. No doubt, Fashion—ever illogical and wayward—exercises her tyrannical sway here, as in other matters of opinion; for it will be found, even when the distinctions among fish are once established, that there exist a host of incongruities in the unwritten law. Fresh cod is a case in point; should this fish appear on the menu of a grand dinner given by Royalty, the guests would not think it at all out of place; but if the chef of a large modern hotel ventured to include it among the items of a plain table-d’hôte dinner he would most probably incur the scorn and indignation of his clientèle.This example, than which none could be better suited to our case, successfully shows that the culinary value of the fish has far less to do with the vogue the latter enjoys than the very often freakish whims of the public.One can but deplore the arbitrary proscription which so materially reduces the resources at the disposal of a cook, more particularly at a time when the universally imperious cry is for novelty and variety in dishes and menus respectively; and one can only hope that reason and good sense may, at no remote period, intervene to check the purposeless demands of both entertainers and their guests in this respect.[261]Having regard to these considerations, I have omitted from this work, which is really a thesaurus of selected recipes and not a complete formulary, all those fish enumerated below, which are very rarely eaten in England, and the recipes for which could therefore serve nopurpose:—753—SHAD,chiefly served grilled.754—FRESH ANCHOVIES,extremely rare, and may be grilled or fried.755—EELS,considered as common, and principally used in the preparation of a pie held in high esteem by the frequenters of coffee-shops along the banks of the Thames. Small eels are also fried. But the many ways of dressing them which are common on the Continent are seldom practised in England.756—PIKE,plentiful and of excellent quality; only used in the preparation of forcemeat and quenelles; the directions for the latter will be given later. Albeit they are sometimes served crimped, or cooked whole in acourt-bouillon au bleu, accompanied by parsley or caper sauce, &c. Small pike are generally prepared “à la Meunière,” or fried.757—CARP,in still less demand than the pike, and only prized for its milt. It must, however, be admitted that in England, more than anywhere else, I believe, this fish is too often spoilt by the taint of mud.758—DORADO,served boiled with any of the English fish sauces; but, in my opinion, it is best grilled, after the manner generally adopted in the South of France.759—STURGEON,very rare; it is braised, like veal.760—FÉRA,very scarce on the market; comes from the Swiss or Savoy lakes, and is only served à la Meunière.761—GUDGEON,very abundant in all rivers, but never eaten.762—FROGS,the pet abomination of all classes of the population, with but few exceptions; nevertheless “Nymphes à l’Aurore,” the recipe of which I gave among the hors-d’œuvres, are generally appreciated.763—FRESH HERRINGS,abundant and of excellent quality; seldom used in first-class cookery, except, perhaps, for their milt. Bloaters and kippered herrings are, with reason, preferred; of these I shall speak later.764—LAMPREYS,chiefly used in preparing pies similar to those referred to in No.755.765—FRESH-WATER HERRINGS,like the Féra, come from Switzerland or Savoy, and are very scarce on the English market.Prepared especially à la Meunière.[262]766—LOTTE,very scarce on the English market; only prized for its liver.767—MOSTELE,only caught in the region of Monaco; cannot bear transport; especially served à la Meunière or à l’Anglaise.768—MUSSELS,only used as garnish.769—NONAT,replaced in England by whitebait, which it greatly resembles.770—PERCH,very moderately appreciated; chiefly served fried, when small, and boiled with some fish sauce when large.771—SKATE,generally served boiled, with caper sauce; occasionally with brown butter. The smaller specimens are better fried. Often offered for sale, crimped.772—SARDINES,generally of inferior quality; used in the preparation of sprats.773—STERLET,almost unknown in England.774—TURTLE,with the exception of those firms which make this their speciality, is almost exclusively used in preparing Turtle Soup. The flippers are sometimes served braised au Madère.I do not think it at all necessary to lay any further stress upon the series of preparations bearing the names ofCroquettes,Cromesquis,Côtelettes(côteletteshere only mean those prepared from cooked fish, and which are really but a form of croquettes),Coquilles,Bouchées,Palets, &c., which may be made from any kind of cooked fish. These preparations are so well known that it would be almost superfluous to repeat their recipes.775—DIVERS WAYS OF COOKING FISHThe divers ways of cooking fish are all derived from one or another of the followingmethods:—(1) Boiling in salted water, which may be applied equally well to large pieces and slices of fish.(2) Frying, particularly suited to small specimens and thin slices of larger ones.(3) Cooking in butter, otherwise “à la Meunière,” best suited to the same pieces asNo. 2.(4) Poaching, with short moistening, especially suited to fillets or small specimens.(5) Braising, used particularly for large pieces.(6) Grilling, for small specimens and collops.(7) Cooking auGratin, same as grilling.776—THE BOILING OF FISH IN SALTED WATERThe procedure changes according as to whether the fish is to be cooked whole or in slices. If whole, after having[263]properly cleaned, washed, and trimmed it, lay it on the drainer of the utensil best suited to its shape;i.e., a fish-kettle. Cover it with water, salt it in the proportion of one-quarter oz. of salt per quart of water, cover the utensil, and bring the liquid to the boil. As soon as this is done skim and move the kettle to the side of the fire, where the cooking of the fish may be completed without boiling.If the fish is cut into slices, plunge these, which should never be cut too thin, into boiling salted water, and move the fish-kettle containing them to the side of the fire; complete their cooking slowly without allowing the water to boil.The object of this process is to concentrate, inside the fish, all the juices contained in its flesh, whereof a large portion escapes when the cut fish is plunged in cold water gradually brought to the boil. If this method is not applied to large fish, cooked whole, the reason is that the sudden immersion of these in boiling water would cause such a shrinking of their flesh that they would burst and thereby be spoiled.In the case of certain kinds of fish, such as Turbot and Brill, milk is added to the water in the proportion of one-eighth of the latter, the object being to increase the whiteness of the fish.For the various kinds of Salmon and Trout, thecourt-bouillon(No.163) is used in the place of salted water, but the general working process remains the same.The boiled fish is dished on a napkin and drainer; it is garnished with fresh parsley; and the sauce announced on the menu, together with some plain-boiled and floury potatoes, is sent to the table separately.777—THE FRYING OF FISHIn Part I. of this work I explained the general theory of frying (Chapter X., No.262); I shall now, therefore, only concern myself with the details of the operation in its relation to fish.As a rule, frying should never be resorted to for very large fish or very thick slices of the latter, for, owing to the very high temperature that the operation enjoins, the outside of the fish would be dried up before the inside had even become affected.If the fish to be fried is somewhat thick, it is best to cut several gashes in it, lengthwise and across, these being deeper and closer together the thicker the fish may be. The object of this measure is to facilitate the cooking, but the measure itself is quite unnecessary when dealing with small fish. In[264]the case of flat-fish, partly detach the two underlying fillets on either side of the back-bone instead of gashing them.All fish intended for frying (exceptBlanchaillesand Whitebait) should first be steeped in salted milk, then rolled in flour before being plunged into the hot fat. If they be“panés à l’anglaise,” however, as they generally are in England, the milk may be dispensed with, in which case, after they have been lightly coated with flour, they are completely dipped in ananglaise(No.174) and afterwards rolled in white bread-crumbs. They should then be patted with the blade of a knife so as to ensure the cohesion of the whole coating, and, finally, the latter should be criss-crossed with the back of a knife with the view of improving the appearance when fried.Fried fish are served either on a napkin, on a drainer, or on special dish-papers. They are garnished with fried parsley and properly trimmed half-lemons.778—THE COOKING OF FISHA LA MEUNIÈREThis excellent mode of procedure is only suited to small fish or the slices of larger ones. Nevertheless, it may be resorted to for chicken-turbots, provided their weight do not exceed four lbs.The operation consists in cooking the fish (or slices or fillets of fish) in the frying-pan with very hot butter, after having seasoned them and sprinkled them with flour. If the fish are very small, ordinary butter is used; if, on the other hand, they are large, the procedure demands clarified butter. When the fish is sufficiently coloured on one side, it is turned over for the completion of the operation. This done, it is transferred, by means of a spatula, to a hot dish, whereon, after having been salted, it is sent to the table.It may be served as it is with a garnish of trimmed half-lemons.Fish prepared in this way are termed “dorés” (gilded), “Soles dorés,” “Turbotins dorés,” &c., in order to distinguish them from those prepared à la Meunière.If the fish is announced “à la Meunière,” a few drops of lemon should be sprinkled upon it; it should be seasoned with salt and pepper, and garnished withconcassed, scalded parsley. At the last moment a piece of butter, in proportion to the size of the fish, is put in the frying-pan, and is heated until it begins to brown slightly. This is poured over the fish immediately, and the latter is sent to the table at once while still[265]covered by the froth resulting from the contact of the butter with the parsley.779—THE POACHING OF FISHThis method is best suited to sole, chicken-turbots, and brill, as well as to the fillets of various fish.Having laid the fish to be poached in a baking-tray or a sautépan, either of which should have been previously buttered, season it moderately with salt and moisten with a little very white fish or mushroomfumet; very often the two latter are mixed. Cover the utensil, push it into a moderate oven, and baste from time to time, especially when a large fish is cooking. When the fish is done, drain it carefully, place it on a dish, and, as a rule, reduce the poaching-liquor and add it to the sauce. Poached fish are always served sauced;i.e., covered with the sauce which properly forms their accompaniment. More often than not they are garnished after the manner which will be described later.I most emphatically urge: (1) the use of very little fishfumetfor the poaching, but thisfumetshould be perfect and should, above all, not be cooked for longer than the required time; (2) that the fish be not covered with buttered paper as is often done, for nowadays a suitable paper is very rarely found. All papers found on the market are, owing to the chemical products used in their manufacture, liable to impart a more or less pungent smell to the objects they enclose, which in either degree would prove seriously prejudicial to the preparation.These remarks not only apply to fish, but to all those objects with which paper was formerly used at some stage in their cooking process.780—THE BRAISING OF FISHThis method is generally applied to whole or sliced salmon, to trout, and to chicken-turbot. Sometimes the fish treated in this way is larded on one side with strips of bacon-fat, truffles, gherkins, or carrots. The mode of procedure is exactly the same as that described under the “Braising of White Meats” (No.248). Moisten these braisings in the proportion of one-half with white wine or red wine (according as to how the fish is to be served), and for the other half use a light fishfumet. Place the fish on the drainer of a fish-kettle just large enough to hold the former, and moisten in such wise that the cooking-liquor at the beginning of the operation does not cover more than three-quarters of the depth of the fish. Unless it be for[266]a Lenten dish, the fish may be covered with slices of bacon while cooking. In any case, baste it often. Take care not to close the lid down too tightly, in order that the liquor may be reduced simultaneously with the cooking of the fish.When the operation is almost completed, take the lid off the fish-kettle with the view of glazing the fish; then take the former off the fire. Now withdraw the drainer with the fish upon it, and lay it athwart the top of the fish-kettle, and let it drain; tilt the fish on to a dish, and cover the latter pending its despatch to the table. Strain the stock remaining in the fish-kettle through a strainer; let it stand for ten minutes, remove all the grease that has formed on its surface, and use it to complete the sauce as I directed above.Braised fish are generally accompanied by a garnish, the constituents of which I shall give in the particular recipes relating to braising.781—THE GRILLING OF FISHThis method is best suited to small fish, to medium-sized chicken-turbots, and to large-sectioned fish.Unless they are very small, it is best to gash both sides of fish intended for grilling; the reasons given above for this measure likewise apply here.All white and naturally dry fish should be rolled in flour and besprinkled with butter or very good oil before being placed on the grill to be exposed to the heat of the fire. The flour forms a crust around the fish, which keeps it from drying and gives it that golden colour quite peculiar to objects thus treated.Salmon, trout, red mullet, mackerel, and herrings, the flesh whereof is fatty, need not be floured, but only besprinkled with melted butter.Owing to the somewhat fragile texture of most fish, a special double gridiron is used, by means of which they may be turned without fear of damage. This gridiron is placed upon the ordinary grill. I have already given in Part I. of this work the radical principles of grilling (Nos.257and260); to this, therefore, the reader is begged to refer.Grilled fish are served on a very hot dish, without paper or a napkin; they are garnished with fresh parsley and grooved slices of lemon.Butter à la Maître d’Hôtel, anchovy butter, devilled sauce, Roberts’ sauce Escoffier, and butter à la Ravigote constitute the best adjuncts to grilled fish.[267]782—THE COOKING OF FISH AU GRATINI described all the details of this method under Complete Gratin (No.269), to which I must ask the reader to refer. This process is best suited to small fish, such as sole, whiting, red mullet, chicken-turbot, &c.783—THE CRIMPING OF FISHCrimped fish is quite an English speciality. This method of preparation is applied more particularly to salmon, fresh cod, haddock, and skate. The first three of these fish may be prepared whole or in slices, while skate is always cut into more or less large pieces after it has been skinned on both sides.In order to crimp a whole fish, it should be taken as it leaves the water. Lay it on something flat, and make deep lateral gashes on both its sides from head to tail. Allow a space of about one and one-half inches to two inches between each gash. This done, put the fish to soak in very cold water for an hour or so. When the fish is to be cooked sliced, divide it up as soon as it is caught, and put the slices to soak in very cold water, as in the case of the whole fish.But does this barbarous method, which stiffens and contracts the flesh of the fish, affect its quality so materially as connoisseurs would have us believe?It is very difficult to say, and opinions on the matter are divided. This, however, is certain, that fish prepared in the way above described is greatly relished by many.Whether whole or sliced, crimped fish is always boiled in salted water. Its cooking presents a real difficulty, in that it must be stopped at the precise moment when it is completed, any delay in this respect proving prejudicial to the quality of the dish.Crimped fish is served like the boiled kind, and all the sauces suited to the latter likewise obtain with the former. Besides the selected sauce, send a sauceboat to the table containing some of the cooking-liquor of the fish.SALMON (SAUMON)Salmon caught on the Rhine, or Dutch salmon, is generally considered the most delicate that may be had, though, in my opinion, that obtained from certain English rivers, such, for instance, as the Severn, is by no means inferior to the foregoing. Here in England this excellent fish is held in the high esteem it deserves, and the quantity consumed in this country is considerable. It is served as plainly as possible, either[268]boiled, cold or hot, grilled, or à la Meunière; but whatever be the method of preparation, it is always accompanied by cucumber salad.The slices of salmon, however, thick or thin, large or small, take the name of “Darnes.”784—BOILED SALMONBoiled salmon, whether whole or sliced, should be cooked incourt-bouillonin accordance with directions given at the beginning of the chapter (No.776). All fish sauces are suited to it, but more especially the following,viz.:—Hollandaise sauce, Mousseline sauce, Melted butter, Shrimp sauce, Nantua sauce, Cardinal sauce, &c.Crimpedsalmon admits of precisely the same sauces.785—BROILED SALMONCut the salmon to be grilled in slices from one inch to one and one-half inches thick. Season with table-salt, sprinkle with melted butter or oil, and grill it for the first part on a rather brisk fire, taking care to moderate the latter towards the close of the operation. Allow about twenty-five minutes for the grilling of a slice of salmon one and one-half inches thick. Butter à la Maître d’Hôtel, anchovy butter, and devilled sauce Escoffier are the most usual adjuncts to grilled salmon.786—SAUMONA LA MEUNIÈREHaving cut the salmon into moderately thick slices, season these, dredge them slightly, and cook them in the frying-pan with very hot clarified butter.It is important that the salmon be set and that the cooking be rapid.Serve it in either of the two ways indicated above (No.778).Various Ways of Preparing SalmonIn addition to the three methods of serving salmon described above, and those cold preparations with which I shall deal later, the fish in question lends itself to a whole host of dressings which are of the greatest utility in the varying of menus. The principles of these dressings I shall now give.787—CADGERÉE OF SALMONPrepare one lb. of cooked salmon, cleared of bones and skin, and cut into small pieces; four hard-boiled eggs cut into[269]dice; one lb. of well-cooked pilaff rice; and three-quarters pint of Béchamel flavoured with curry.Dish in a hot timbale, alternating the various products, and finish with a coating of sauce.788—CÔTELETTESDE SAUMONPrepare somemousselineforcemeat for salmon, the quantity whereof will be in accordance with the number of cutlets to be made, and rub it through a coarse sieve. Line the bottom and sides of some buttered tin moulds, shaped like cutlets, with a coating one-half inch thick of the prepared forcemeat.Fill the moulds to within one-third inch of their brims with a coldsalpiconof mushrooms and truffles, thickened by means of reduced Allemande sauce, and cover this with the forcemeat.Set the cutlets to poach, turn out the moulds; treat the cutletsà l’anglaise, and cook them with clarified butter.Arrange in a circle round a dish, put a frill on a piece of fried bread counterfeiting the bone of the cutlet, garnish with fried parsley, and send to the table, separately, a “Dieppoise” sauce, Shrimp sauce, or a purée of fresh vegetables, such as peas, carrots, &c. In the latter case, serve at the same time a sauce in keeping with the garnish.789—COULIBIAC DE SAUMONPreparation.—Have ready two lbs. of ordinary brioche paste without sugar (No.2368). Stiffen in butter one and one-half lbs. of small salmon collops, and prepare one-sixth lb. of mushrooms and one chopped onion (both of which should be fried in butter), one-half lb. of semolina kache (No.2292) or the same weight of rice cooked in consommé; two hard-boiled eggs, chopped; and one lb. ofvesiga, roughly chopped and cooked in consommé.For this weight of cookedvesigaabout two and one-half oz. of driedvesigawill be needed, which should be soaked for at least four hours in cold water, and then cooked for three and one-half hours in white consommé. It may also be cooked in water.Roll the brioche paste into rectangles twelve inches long by eight inches wide, and spread thereon in successive layers the kache or the rice, the collops of salmon, the choppedvesiga, the eggs, the mushrooms, and the onion, and finish with a layer of kache or rice. Moisten the edges of the paste and draw the longest ends of it towards each other over the[270]enumerated layers of garnish, and join them so as to properly enclose the latter.Now fold the two remaining ends over to the centre in a similar way. Place the coulibiac thus formed on a baking-tray, and take care to turn it over in order that the joining parts of the paste lie underneath.Set the paste to rise for twenty-five minutes, sprinkle some melted butter over the coulibiac, sprinkle with some very fine raspings, make a slit in the top for the escape of vapour, and bake in a moderate oven for forty-five or fifty minutes. Fill the coulibiac with freshly-melted butter when withdrawing it from the oven.Darnes de SaumonThe few recipes dealing with “Darnesde Saumon,” which I give below, may also be adapted to whole salmon after the size of the fish has been taken into account in measuring the time allowed for cooking.790—DARNE DE SAUMON CHAMBORDAs already explained, the term “darne” stands for a piece of salmon cut from the middle of that fish, and the size of adarneis in proportion to the number of people it is intended for.Proceed after the manner directed under “The Braising of Fish” (No.780); moisten in the proportion of two-thirds with excellent red wine and one-third with fish stock, calculating the quantity in such wise that it may cover no more than two-thirds of the depth of thedarne. Bring to the boil, then set to braise gently, and glaze thedarneat the last moment.Garnish and Sauce.—Garnish with quenelles of truffledmousselineforcemeat for fish, moulded by means of a spoon; two large ornamented quenelles; truffles fashioned like olives; pieces of milt dipped in Villeroy sauce, treatedà l’anglaiseand fried when about to dish up; small gudgeon or smelts treated similarly to the milt, and trussed crayfish cooked incourt-bouillon.The sauce is a Genevoise, made from the reduced cooking-liquor of thedarne.Dishing Up.—Surround thedarneby the garnishes enumerated, arranging them tastefully, and pierce it with twohatelets, each garnished with a small truffle, an ornamented quenelle, and a crayfish.Send the sauce to the table separately.[271]791—DARNE DE SAUMON DAUMONTPoach thedarnein acourt-bouillonprepared beforehand.Dishing Up and Garnish.—Surround thedarneby medium-sized mushrooms stewed in butter and garnished with small crayfish tails cohered by means of a few tablespoonfuls of Nantua sauce; small round quenelles ofmousselineforcemeat for fish, decorated with truffles, and some slices of milt treatedà l’anglaise, and fried when about to dish up.Serve the Nantua sauce separately.792—DARNE DE SAUMON LUCULLUSSkin one side of thedarne, lard it with truffles, and braise it in champagne.The Garnish Round theDarne.—Very small garnished patties of crayfish tails; smallcassolettesof milt; smallmousselinesof oysters, poached indariole-moulds.Sauce.—The braising-liquor of thedarnefinished by means of ordinary and crayfish butter in equal quantities. Send it to the table separately.793—DARNE DE SAUMON NESSELRODERemove the spine and all other internal bones. Stuff thedarnewith raw lobstermoussestiffened by means of a little pike forcemeat.Line a well-buttered, round and even raised-pie mould with a thin layer of hot-water, raised-pie paste (this is made from one lb. of flour, four oz. of lard, one egg, and a little lukewarm water), which should be prepared in advance and made somewhat stiff. Now garnish the inside of the pie with thin slices of bacon and place thedarneupright in it. (To simplify the operation thedarnemay be stuffed at this stage.) Cover the pie with a layer of the same paste, pinch its edges with those of the original lining, make a slit in the top for the steam to escape, and cook in a good oven.When the pie is almost baked, prod it repeatedly with a larding-needle; when the latter is withdrawn clear of all stuffing the pie should be taken from the oven. This done, turn it upside down in order to drain away the melted bacon and other liquids inside it, but do not let it drop from the mould. Then tilt it on to a dish and take off the mould. Do not break the crust except at the dining-table.Sauce.—Serve an American sauce with the pie, the former being prepared from the remains of the lobsters used in making themousse, finished with cream, and garnished with very fine oysters (cleared of their beards), poached when about to dish up.[272]794—DARNE DE SAUMON RÉGENCEBraise thedarnein white wine in accordance with the directions given in No.780.Garnish.—Surround thedarneby spoon-moulded quenelles of whiting forcemeat prepared with crayfish butter, oysters cleared of their beards and poached, small, very white mushrooms, and poached slices of milt.Normande sauce finished with truffle essence.795—DARNE DE SAUMON ROYALEBraise thedarnein Sauterne wine.Garnish.—Bunches of crayfishes’ tails, small quenelles ofmousselineforcemeat for fish, small mushrooms, slices of truffle, and little balls of potato raised by means of the large, round spoon-cutter, and cookedà l’anglaise.Send a Normande sauce separately.796—DARNE DE SAUMON VALOISPoach thedarnein a white winecourt-bouillon.Garnish.—Potato balls raised with the spoon-cutter or turned to the shape of olives, and cooked in salted water, poached slices of milt, and trussed crayfish cooked incourt-bouillon.Send a Valois sauce separately.797—MOUSSELINE DE SAUMONIn Part I. I dealt with the preparation ofmousselineforcemeat (No.195), and also the method of poaching spoon-moulded quenelles (No.205). Nowmousselinesare only large quenelles which derive their name from the very light forcemeat of which they are composed. Thesemousselinequenelles are always moulded with the ordinary tablespoon, they are garnished on top with a fine, raw slice of the fish under treatment, and poached after the manner already described.798—MOUSSELINE ALEXANDRAHaving made the salmonmousselineforcemeat, mould the quenelles and place them, one by one, in a buttered sautépan. Place a small, round and very thin slice of salmon on each, and poach them in a very moderate oven with lid on the utensil containing them.Drain on a piece of linen, arrange them in a circle on a dish, place a slice of truffle upon each slice of salmon, coat with Mornay sauce, and glaze.Garnish the centre of the dish with very small peas or asparagus-heads cohered with butter just before dishing up.[273]799—MOUSSELINE DE SAUMONA LA TOSCACombine one and one-half oz. of crayfish cream-cullis with each pound of the salmonmousselineforcemeat. Mould and poach as above, drain, and arrange in a circle on a dish.Garnish eachmousselinewith a thin slice of milt cooked in lightly-browned butter, four crayfish tails cut lengthwise into two, and a slice of truffle at each end. Coat with a light Mornay sauce, finished with crayfish butter, and glaze quickly.N.B.—In addition to these two recipes, all the garnishes suitable for fillets of sole may be applied tomousselines. Garnishes of early-season vegetable purées also suit them admirably, and therein lies an almost inexhaustible source of variety.800—COLD SALMONWhen salmon is to be served cold it should, as far as possible, be cooked, either whole or in large pieces, in thecourt-bouillongiven under No.163and cooled in the latter. Pieces cooked separately may seem better or may be more easily made to look sightly, but their meat is drier than that of the salmon cooked whole. And what is lost in appearance with the very large pieces is more than compensated for by their extra quality.In dishing cold salmon the skin may be removed and the fillets bared, so that the fish may be more easily decorated, but the real gourmet will always prefer the salmon served in its natural silver vestment.In decorating cold salmon use pieces of cucumber, anchovy fillets, capers, slices of tomato, curled-leaf parsley, &c.I am not partial to the decorating of salmon with softened butter, coloured or not, laid on by means of the piping-bag. Apart from the fact that this method of decoration is rarely artistic, the butter used combines badly with the cold sauces and the meat of the salmon on the diner’s plate. Very green tarragon leaves, chervil, lobster coral, &c., afford a more natural and more delicate means of ornamentation. The only butter fit to be served with cold salmon is Montpellier butter (No.153), though this, in fact, is but a cold sauce often resorted to for the coating of the cold fish in question.Among the garnishes which suit cold salmon, I might mention small peeled, and emptied tomatoes garnished with some kind of salad; hard-boiled eggs, either wholly stuffed, or stuffed in halves or in quarters,barquettes, tartlets andcassolettesmade from cucumber or beetroot, parboiled until almost completely cooked and garnished with a purée of tunny, of[274]sardines, of anchovies, &c.; small aspics of shrimps or of crayfishes’ tails; small slices of lobster, &c.Almost all the cold sauces may accompany cold salmon.801—SAUMON FROID, OU DARNE DE SAUMON FROIDA LA ROYALEHaving drained and dried the salmon or thedarne, remove the skin from one of its sides, and coat the bared fillets with a layer of a preparation ofmoussede saumon, letting it lie rather more thickly over the middle than the sides. Coat the layer ofmoussewith mayonnaise sauce thickened by means of fish jelly, and leave to set.Now let some clear fish jelly set on the bottom of the dish to be sent to the table; place the salmon or thedarneon this jelly, and surround the piece with a border consisting of Montpellier butter, using for the purpose a piping-bag fitted with a grooved pipe.Decorate the centre of the piece by means of a fine fleur-de-lys made from truffles, and encircle it with two royale crowns made from anchovy fillets.802—SAUMON FROID OU DARNE DE SAUMONA LA PARISIENNERemove the skin in suchwise as to leave the bared portion in the shape of a regular rectangle, equidistant from the tail and the head; or, in the case of adarne, occupying two-thirds of its surface.Cover the bared portion with mayonnaise sauce thickened with fish jelly and leave it to set.Now stand the piece on a small cushion of rice or semolina, shaping the latter like the piece itself; trim the sauced rectangle with a border of Montpellier butter, laid on by means of a piping-bag fitted with a small grooved pipe. Garnish the centre of the rectangle with pieces of lobster coral, the chopped, hard-boiled white and yolk of an egg, chervil leaves, &c.Encircle the piece with a border of small artichoke-bottoms, garnished, in the form of a dome, with a smallmacédoineof vegetables cohered with cleared mayonnaise.Send a mayonnaise sauce to the table separately.803—SAUMON FROID OU DARNE DE SAUMON FROIDA LA RIGAPrepare a salmon or adarneas in the preceding recipe, and dish it on a cushion in order that it may be slightly raised.[275]Surround it with grooved sections of cucumber hollowed to represent small timbales, well parboiled,marinadedwith a few drops of oil and lemon-juice and filled with a vegetable salad thickened with mayonnaise; indented, halved eggs filled with caviare; and tartlets of vegetable salad cohered with mayonnaise, and garnished, each with a crayfish-shell stuffed with crayfishmousse; alternate these various garnishes, and encircle with a border of jelly dice.804—SAUMON FROID, OU DARNE DE SAUMON FROIDEN BELLE-VUESkin the salmon or thedarne, set the piece upright upon the belly side, and decorate the fillets with pieces of truffles, poached white of egg, chervil leaves, and tarragon, &c.Coat the garnish with a little melted fish aspic so as to fix it.This done, sprinkle the piece, again and again, with the same melted aspic jelly in order to cover it with a kind of transparent veil.Place the piece thus prepared in a crystal receptacle similarly shaped to the fish, and fill the former to the brim with very clear, melted jelly.When dishing up, incrust the receptaclecontaining the fish in a block of clean ice which, in its turn, is laid on the dish to be sent to the table. Another way is to place the crystal utensil direct upon the dish and to surround the former with broken ice.805—SAUMON FROID, OU DARNE DE SAUMON FROIDAU CHAMBERTINPoach the salmon or thedarnein acourt-bouillonconsisting of very clear fishfumetand Chambertin wine, in equal quantities, and leave to cool. Prepare an aspic jelly from thecourt-bouillon.Skin and decorate the salmon or thedarneand glaze it with white aspic jelly, exactly as directed above, in the case of the Belle-vue.Dish in the same way, in a crystal receptacle, and fill the latter with the prepared aspic jelly. Serve on a block of ice, or with broken ice around the utensil.806—SAUMON FROID, OU DARNE DE SAUMON FROIDA LA NORVEGIENNESkin and decorate the salmon or thedarne, and glaze it with white aspic jelly precisely as in No.804.Let a coating of very clear jelly set on the bottom of the[276]dish to be sent to the table. Upon this aspic jelly lay a cushion the same shape as the fish, of semolina, or of carved rice.Set the piece (salmon ordarne), decorated and glazed, upon this cushion, and lay thereon a row of fine prawns, cleared of their abdominal shell.Surround with a garnish of small cucumber timbales, well parboiled,marinaded, and garnished dome-fashion, with a purée of smoked salmon; halved, hard-boiled eggs, glazed with aspic; very small tomatoes, or halved medium-sized ones, peeled, pressed in the corner of a towel to return them to their original shape, stuck with a bit of parsley-stalk, and decorated with leaves of green butter moulded by means of the piping-bag; and smallbarquettesof cooked andmarinadedbeetroot, garnished with shrimps’ tails cohered with mayonnaise.Send a Russe sauce separately.807—CÔTELETTESFROIDES DE SAUMONLiberally butter some tin cutlet-shaped moulds. Line their bottoms and sides with a very red slice of salmon, as thin as a piece of cardboard. This slice should be long enough to project outside the brim of the mould to the extent of one-half inch.Garnish the insides of the moulds with well-seasoned salmon meat, and draw the projecting lengths of salmon across this meat so as to enclose the latter and finish off the cutlets.Arrange the moulds on a baking-tray; poach the cutlets, dry, in a moderate oven; turn them out of their moulds on to another tray as soon as they are poached, and let them cool. Then coat them with a half-melted aspic, and decorate them according to fancy, either with very green peas or a leaf of chervil with a bit of lobster coral in its centre—in a word, something simple and neat.These cutlets, which are generally served at ball-suppers, may be dished on a tazza, on a cushion of rice, semolina, corn-flour, or stearine, and laid almost vertically against a pyramid of vegetable salad cohered by means of mayonnaise with aspic. In this case the dish is finished off with ahateletstuck into the middle of the pyramid.The cutlets may also be arranged in a circle on a flat, shallow, silver or crystal dish, and covered with a delicate cold melted jelly.Whatever be the selected method of dishing, always send to the table with the cutlet a sauceboat of cold sauce.808—MÉDAILLONS DE SAUMONThese médaillons have the same purpose as the cutlets already described, and are preparedthus:—[277]Cut some small slices, one-third inch thick, from a fillet of salmon.Arrange them on a buttered tray; poach them, dry, in a moderate oven, and cool them under a light weight.Now trim them neatly, with an even cutter, oval or round, in accordance with the shape they are intended to have.Coat them, according to their purpose, either with mayonnaise sauce or one of its derivatives, thickened with jelly, or a white, pink, or green chaud-froid sauce. Decorate it in any way that may be fancied, and glaze them with cold melted aspic jelly.Dish after the manner described under “Côtelettes” (see above).809—MAYONNAISE DE SAUMONGarnish the bottom of a salad-bowl with moderately seasoned,ciseledlettuce. Cover with cold, cooked and flaked salmon, thoroughly cleared of all skin and bones.Coat with mayonnaise sauce, and decorate with anchovy fillets, capers, stoned olives, small slices or roundels or quarters of hard-boiled eggs, small hearts of lettuce, a border of little roundels of radish, &c.810—SALADE DE SAUMONThis preparation comprises the same ingredients as the above, with the exception of the mayonnaise sauce. The decorating garnish is placed directly upon the salmon, and the whole is seasoned in precisely the same way as an ordinary salad.TROUT.From the culinary standpoint, trout are divided into two quite distinct classes, viz., large trout, whereof the typical specimen is Salmon-trout, and small or fresh-water trout.811—TRUITE SAUMONÉE(Salmon Trout)In its many preparations, salmon-trout may be replaced by salmon, and all the recipes relating to the former may be adapted to the latter.In any case, however, as its size is less than that of salmon, it is very rarely cut intodarnes, being more generally served whole.The few recipes that follow are proper to salmon-trout.812—TRUITEA LA CAMBACÉRÈSSelect a male trout in preference; clean it, and remove its gills without opening it in the region of the belly.[278]Skin it on one side, starting at a distance of one inch from the head and finishing within two and one-half inches of the root of the tail.Lard the bared portions with truffles and the red part only of carrots cut into rods.This done, spread out a napkin, lay the trout thereon, belly under, and, with a sharp knife, separate the two fillets from the bones, beginning in the region of the head and proceeding straight down to where the body converges towards the tail.The spine being thus liberated, sever it at both ends;i.e., from the tail and the head, and withdraw it, together with all the adhering ventral bones. The intestines are then removed, the inside of the fish is well cleaned, the fillets are seasoned on their insides, and the trout is stuffed with amousselineforcemeat of raw crayfish. The two fillets are drawn together, and the trout, thus reconstructed, is covered with thin slices of bacon and laid on the drainer of the fish-kettle and braised in Sauterne wine.When the fish is done, remove the slices of bacon, glaze it, and dish it up. Surround it with alternate heaps of morels tossed in butter and milt à la Meunière.Send to the table, separately, a fine Béchamel sauce, combined with the braising-liquor of the trout, strained and reduced, and finished with crayfish butter.813—TRUITES SAUMONÉES FROIDESWe are now concerned with a whole series of unpublished “Trout” preparations, which are at once of superfine delicacy and agreeable aspect, and which admit of clean and easy dishing.Cook a trout weighing from two to three lbs. incourt-bouillon, and let it cool in the latter. Then drain it; sever the head and tail from the body, and put them aside. Completely skin the whole fish, and carefully separate the two fillets from the bones.Deck each fillet with tarragon and chervil leaves, lobster coral, poached white of eggs, &c., and set them, back to back, upon amousseof tomatoes lying in a special, long white or coloured porcelain dish about one and one-half to two inches deep.Replace the head and tail, and cover the whole with a coating of half-melted, succulent fish aspic, somewhat clear. Let the aspic set, and incrust the dish containing the trout in a block of ice, or surround it with the latter broken.[279]814—PREPARATION DE LA MOUSSE DE TOMATESThismousse, like those which I shall give later, is really abavaroiswithout sugar. Its recipe is exactly the same as that of the “bavaroisof fruit,” except with regard to the question of sugar.Cook one-half lb. of tomato pulp (cleared of skin and seeds, and roughly chopped) in one oz. of butter. When the pulp has thoroughly mingled with the butter, add thereto two tablespoonfuls of velouté thickened by means of eight leaves of gelatine per quart of the sauce.Rub through tammy, and add to the preparation, when almost cold, half of its volume of barely-whipped cream. Taste themousse; season with a few drops of lemon juice, and if it still seems flat, add the necessary salt and a very little cayenne.N.B.—It will be seen that I prescribe cream only half-whipped. This precaution, however, does not apply to “Mousse de Tomates” alone, but to allmousses. Well-whipped cream imparts a dry and woolly taste to them, whereas, when it is only half-whipped, it renders them unctuous and fresh to the palate.From the point of view of delicacy, the respective results of the two methods do not bear comparison.
Inmatters culinary, fish comprise not only the vertebrates of the sea and river, but also the esculent crustacea, mollusca, and chelonia, and one batrachian. Of course, the animals representing these various classes differ enormously in respect of their importance as articles of diet. Fresh-water fish, for instance, with the exception of salmon and some kinds of trout, are scarcely ever eaten in England; and the same applies to the frog. As regards salt-water fish, although certain species, such as the sole and the turbot, are in great demand, many other and excellent ones which are looked upon as inferior are seldom put into requisition by first-class cookery. Thus,Brill,Red Mullet, andBassare not nearly so popular as they deserve to be, and never appear on a menu of any importance. No doubt, Fashion—ever illogical and wayward—exercises her tyrannical sway here, as in other matters of opinion; for it will be found, even when the distinctions among fish are once established, that there exist a host of incongruities in the unwritten law. Fresh cod is a case in point; should this fish appear on the menu of a grand dinner given by Royalty, the guests would not think it at all out of place; but if the chef of a large modern hotel ventured to include it among the items of a plain table-d’hôte dinner he would most probably incur the scorn and indignation of his clientèle.
This example, than which none could be better suited to our case, successfully shows that the culinary value of the fish has far less to do with the vogue the latter enjoys than the very often freakish whims of the public.
One can but deplore the arbitrary proscription which so materially reduces the resources at the disposal of a cook, more particularly at a time when the universally imperious cry is for novelty and variety in dishes and menus respectively; and one can only hope that reason and good sense may, at no remote period, intervene to check the purposeless demands of both entertainers and their guests in this respect.
[261]Having regard to these considerations, I have omitted from this work, which is really a thesaurus of selected recipes and not a complete formulary, all those fish enumerated below, which are very rarely eaten in England, and the recipes for which could therefore serve nopurpose:—
753—SHAD,chiefly served grilled.
754—FRESH ANCHOVIES,extremely rare, and may be grilled or fried.
755—EELS,considered as common, and principally used in the preparation of a pie held in high esteem by the frequenters of coffee-shops along the banks of the Thames. Small eels are also fried. But the many ways of dressing them which are common on the Continent are seldom practised in England.
756—PIKE,plentiful and of excellent quality; only used in the preparation of forcemeat and quenelles; the directions for the latter will be given later. Albeit they are sometimes served crimped, or cooked whole in acourt-bouillon au bleu, accompanied by parsley or caper sauce, &c. Small pike are generally prepared “à la Meunière,” or fried.
757—CARP,in still less demand than the pike, and only prized for its milt. It must, however, be admitted that in England, more than anywhere else, I believe, this fish is too often spoilt by the taint of mud.
758—DORADO,served boiled with any of the English fish sauces; but, in my opinion, it is best grilled, after the manner generally adopted in the South of France.
759—STURGEON,very rare; it is braised, like veal.
760—FÉRA,very scarce on the market; comes from the Swiss or Savoy lakes, and is only served à la Meunière.
761—GUDGEON,very abundant in all rivers, but never eaten.
762—FROGS,the pet abomination of all classes of the population, with but few exceptions; nevertheless “Nymphes à l’Aurore,” the recipe of which I gave among the hors-d’œuvres, are generally appreciated.
763—FRESH HERRINGS,abundant and of excellent quality; seldom used in first-class cookery, except, perhaps, for their milt. Bloaters and kippered herrings are, with reason, preferred; of these I shall speak later.
764—LAMPREYS,chiefly used in preparing pies similar to those referred to in No.755.
765—FRESH-WATER HERRINGS,like the Féra, come from Switzerland or Savoy, and are very scarce on the English market.Prepared especially à la Meunière.
[262]766—LOTTE,very scarce on the English market; only prized for its liver.
767—MOSTELE,only caught in the region of Monaco; cannot bear transport; especially served à la Meunière or à l’Anglaise.
768—MUSSELS,only used as garnish.
769—NONAT,replaced in England by whitebait, which it greatly resembles.
770—PERCH,very moderately appreciated; chiefly served fried, when small, and boiled with some fish sauce when large.
771—SKATE,generally served boiled, with caper sauce; occasionally with brown butter. The smaller specimens are better fried. Often offered for sale, crimped.
772—SARDINES,generally of inferior quality; used in the preparation of sprats.
773—STERLET,almost unknown in England.
774—TURTLE,with the exception of those firms which make this their speciality, is almost exclusively used in preparing Turtle Soup. The flippers are sometimes served braised au Madère.
I do not think it at all necessary to lay any further stress upon the series of preparations bearing the names ofCroquettes,Cromesquis,Côtelettes(côteletteshere only mean those prepared from cooked fish, and which are really but a form of croquettes),Coquilles,Bouchées,Palets, &c., which may be made from any kind of cooked fish. These preparations are so well known that it would be almost superfluous to repeat their recipes.
The divers ways of cooking fish are all derived from one or another of the followingmethods:—
(1) Boiling in salted water, which may be applied equally well to large pieces and slices of fish.
(2) Frying, particularly suited to small specimens and thin slices of larger ones.
(3) Cooking in butter, otherwise “à la Meunière,” best suited to the same pieces asNo. 2.
(4) Poaching, with short moistening, especially suited to fillets or small specimens.
(5) Braising, used particularly for large pieces.
(6) Grilling, for small specimens and collops.
(7) Cooking auGratin, same as grilling.
The procedure changes according as to whether the fish is to be cooked whole or in slices. If whole, after having[263]properly cleaned, washed, and trimmed it, lay it on the drainer of the utensil best suited to its shape;i.e., a fish-kettle. Cover it with water, salt it in the proportion of one-quarter oz. of salt per quart of water, cover the utensil, and bring the liquid to the boil. As soon as this is done skim and move the kettle to the side of the fire, where the cooking of the fish may be completed without boiling.
If the fish is cut into slices, plunge these, which should never be cut too thin, into boiling salted water, and move the fish-kettle containing them to the side of the fire; complete their cooking slowly without allowing the water to boil.
The object of this process is to concentrate, inside the fish, all the juices contained in its flesh, whereof a large portion escapes when the cut fish is plunged in cold water gradually brought to the boil. If this method is not applied to large fish, cooked whole, the reason is that the sudden immersion of these in boiling water would cause such a shrinking of their flesh that they would burst and thereby be spoiled.
In the case of certain kinds of fish, such as Turbot and Brill, milk is added to the water in the proportion of one-eighth of the latter, the object being to increase the whiteness of the fish.
For the various kinds of Salmon and Trout, thecourt-bouillon(No.163) is used in the place of salted water, but the general working process remains the same.
The boiled fish is dished on a napkin and drainer; it is garnished with fresh parsley; and the sauce announced on the menu, together with some plain-boiled and floury potatoes, is sent to the table separately.
In Part I. of this work I explained the general theory of frying (Chapter X., No.262); I shall now, therefore, only concern myself with the details of the operation in its relation to fish.
As a rule, frying should never be resorted to for very large fish or very thick slices of the latter, for, owing to the very high temperature that the operation enjoins, the outside of the fish would be dried up before the inside had even become affected.
If the fish to be fried is somewhat thick, it is best to cut several gashes in it, lengthwise and across, these being deeper and closer together the thicker the fish may be. The object of this measure is to facilitate the cooking, but the measure itself is quite unnecessary when dealing with small fish. In[264]the case of flat-fish, partly detach the two underlying fillets on either side of the back-bone instead of gashing them.
All fish intended for frying (exceptBlanchaillesand Whitebait) should first be steeped in salted milk, then rolled in flour before being plunged into the hot fat. If they be“panés à l’anglaise,” however, as they generally are in England, the milk may be dispensed with, in which case, after they have been lightly coated with flour, they are completely dipped in ananglaise(No.174) and afterwards rolled in white bread-crumbs. They should then be patted with the blade of a knife so as to ensure the cohesion of the whole coating, and, finally, the latter should be criss-crossed with the back of a knife with the view of improving the appearance when fried.
Fried fish are served either on a napkin, on a drainer, or on special dish-papers. They are garnished with fried parsley and properly trimmed half-lemons.
This excellent mode of procedure is only suited to small fish or the slices of larger ones. Nevertheless, it may be resorted to for chicken-turbots, provided their weight do not exceed four lbs.
The operation consists in cooking the fish (or slices or fillets of fish) in the frying-pan with very hot butter, after having seasoned them and sprinkled them with flour. If the fish are very small, ordinary butter is used; if, on the other hand, they are large, the procedure demands clarified butter. When the fish is sufficiently coloured on one side, it is turned over for the completion of the operation. This done, it is transferred, by means of a spatula, to a hot dish, whereon, after having been salted, it is sent to the table.
It may be served as it is with a garnish of trimmed half-lemons.
Fish prepared in this way are termed “dorés” (gilded), “Soles dorés,” “Turbotins dorés,” &c., in order to distinguish them from those prepared à la Meunière.
If the fish is announced “à la Meunière,” a few drops of lemon should be sprinkled upon it; it should be seasoned with salt and pepper, and garnished withconcassed, scalded parsley. At the last moment a piece of butter, in proportion to the size of the fish, is put in the frying-pan, and is heated until it begins to brown slightly. This is poured over the fish immediately, and the latter is sent to the table at once while still[265]covered by the froth resulting from the contact of the butter with the parsley.
This method is best suited to sole, chicken-turbots, and brill, as well as to the fillets of various fish.
Having laid the fish to be poached in a baking-tray or a sautépan, either of which should have been previously buttered, season it moderately with salt and moisten with a little very white fish or mushroomfumet; very often the two latter are mixed. Cover the utensil, push it into a moderate oven, and baste from time to time, especially when a large fish is cooking. When the fish is done, drain it carefully, place it on a dish, and, as a rule, reduce the poaching-liquor and add it to the sauce. Poached fish are always served sauced;i.e., covered with the sauce which properly forms their accompaniment. More often than not they are garnished after the manner which will be described later.
I most emphatically urge: (1) the use of very little fishfumetfor the poaching, but thisfumetshould be perfect and should, above all, not be cooked for longer than the required time; (2) that the fish be not covered with buttered paper as is often done, for nowadays a suitable paper is very rarely found. All papers found on the market are, owing to the chemical products used in their manufacture, liable to impart a more or less pungent smell to the objects they enclose, which in either degree would prove seriously prejudicial to the preparation.
These remarks not only apply to fish, but to all those objects with which paper was formerly used at some stage in their cooking process.
This method is generally applied to whole or sliced salmon, to trout, and to chicken-turbot. Sometimes the fish treated in this way is larded on one side with strips of bacon-fat, truffles, gherkins, or carrots. The mode of procedure is exactly the same as that described under the “Braising of White Meats” (No.248). Moisten these braisings in the proportion of one-half with white wine or red wine (according as to how the fish is to be served), and for the other half use a light fishfumet. Place the fish on the drainer of a fish-kettle just large enough to hold the former, and moisten in such wise that the cooking-liquor at the beginning of the operation does not cover more than three-quarters of the depth of the fish. Unless it be for[266]a Lenten dish, the fish may be covered with slices of bacon while cooking. In any case, baste it often. Take care not to close the lid down too tightly, in order that the liquor may be reduced simultaneously with the cooking of the fish.
When the operation is almost completed, take the lid off the fish-kettle with the view of glazing the fish; then take the former off the fire. Now withdraw the drainer with the fish upon it, and lay it athwart the top of the fish-kettle, and let it drain; tilt the fish on to a dish, and cover the latter pending its despatch to the table. Strain the stock remaining in the fish-kettle through a strainer; let it stand for ten minutes, remove all the grease that has formed on its surface, and use it to complete the sauce as I directed above.
Braised fish are generally accompanied by a garnish, the constituents of which I shall give in the particular recipes relating to braising.
This method is best suited to small fish, to medium-sized chicken-turbots, and to large-sectioned fish.
Unless they are very small, it is best to gash both sides of fish intended for grilling; the reasons given above for this measure likewise apply here.
All white and naturally dry fish should be rolled in flour and besprinkled with butter or very good oil before being placed on the grill to be exposed to the heat of the fire. The flour forms a crust around the fish, which keeps it from drying and gives it that golden colour quite peculiar to objects thus treated.
Salmon, trout, red mullet, mackerel, and herrings, the flesh whereof is fatty, need not be floured, but only besprinkled with melted butter.
Owing to the somewhat fragile texture of most fish, a special double gridiron is used, by means of which they may be turned without fear of damage. This gridiron is placed upon the ordinary grill. I have already given in Part I. of this work the radical principles of grilling (Nos.257and260); to this, therefore, the reader is begged to refer.
Grilled fish are served on a very hot dish, without paper or a napkin; they are garnished with fresh parsley and grooved slices of lemon.
Butter à la Maître d’Hôtel, anchovy butter, devilled sauce, Roberts’ sauce Escoffier, and butter à la Ravigote constitute the best adjuncts to grilled fish.
I described all the details of this method under Complete Gratin (No.269), to which I must ask the reader to refer. This process is best suited to small fish, such as sole, whiting, red mullet, chicken-turbot, &c.
Crimped fish is quite an English speciality. This method of preparation is applied more particularly to salmon, fresh cod, haddock, and skate. The first three of these fish may be prepared whole or in slices, while skate is always cut into more or less large pieces after it has been skinned on both sides.
In order to crimp a whole fish, it should be taken as it leaves the water. Lay it on something flat, and make deep lateral gashes on both its sides from head to tail. Allow a space of about one and one-half inches to two inches between each gash. This done, put the fish to soak in very cold water for an hour or so. When the fish is to be cooked sliced, divide it up as soon as it is caught, and put the slices to soak in very cold water, as in the case of the whole fish.
But does this barbarous method, which stiffens and contracts the flesh of the fish, affect its quality so materially as connoisseurs would have us believe?
It is very difficult to say, and opinions on the matter are divided. This, however, is certain, that fish prepared in the way above described is greatly relished by many.
Whether whole or sliced, crimped fish is always boiled in salted water. Its cooking presents a real difficulty, in that it must be stopped at the precise moment when it is completed, any delay in this respect proving prejudicial to the quality of the dish.
Crimped fish is served like the boiled kind, and all the sauces suited to the latter likewise obtain with the former. Besides the selected sauce, send a sauceboat to the table containing some of the cooking-liquor of the fish.
Salmon caught on the Rhine, or Dutch salmon, is generally considered the most delicate that may be had, though, in my opinion, that obtained from certain English rivers, such, for instance, as the Severn, is by no means inferior to the foregoing. Here in England this excellent fish is held in the high esteem it deserves, and the quantity consumed in this country is considerable. It is served as plainly as possible, either[268]boiled, cold or hot, grilled, or à la Meunière; but whatever be the method of preparation, it is always accompanied by cucumber salad.
The slices of salmon, however, thick or thin, large or small, take the name of “Darnes.”
Boiled salmon, whether whole or sliced, should be cooked incourt-bouillonin accordance with directions given at the beginning of the chapter (No.776). All fish sauces are suited to it, but more especially the following,viz.:—Hollandaise sauce, Mousseline sauce, Melted butter, Shrimp sauce, Nantua sauce, Cardinal sauce, &c.
Crimpedsalmon admits of precisely the same sauces.
Cut the salmon to be grilled in slices from one inch to one and one-half inches thick. Season with table-salt, sprinkle with melted butter or oil, and grill it for the first part on a rather brisk fire, taking care to moderate the latter towards the close of the operation. Allow about twenty-five minutes for the grilling of a slice of salmon one and one-half inches thick. Butter à la Maître d’Hôtel, anchovy butter, and devilled sauce Escoffier are the most usual adjuncts to grilled salmon.
Having cut the salmon into moderately thick slices, season these, dredge them slightly, and cook them in the frying-pan with very hot clarified butter.
It is important that the salmon be set and that the cooking be rapid.
Serve it in either of the two ways indicated above (No.778).
In addition to the three methods of serving salmon described above, and those cold preparations with which I shall deal later, the fish in question lends itself to a whole host of dressings which are of the greatest utility in the varying of menus. The principles of these dressings I shall now give.
Prepare one lb. of cooked salmon, cleared of bones and skin, and cut into small pieces; four hard-boiled eggs cut into[269]dice; one lb. of well-cooked pilaff rice; and three-quarters pint of Béchamel flavoured with curry.
Dish in a hot timbale, alternating the various products, and finish with a coating of sauce.
Prepare somemousselineforcemeat for salmon, the quantity whereof will be in accordance with the number of cutlets to be made, and rub it through a coarse sieve. Line the bottom and sides of some buttered tin moulds, shaped like cutlets, with a coating one-half inch thick of the prepared forcemeat.
Fill the moulds to within one-third inch of their brims with a coldsalpiconof mushrooms and truffles, thickened by means of reduced Allemande sauce, and cover this with the forcemeat.
Set the cutlets to poach, turn out the moulds; treat the cutletsà l’anglaise, and cook them with clarified butter.
Arrange in a circle round a dish, put a frill on a piece of fried bread counterfeiting the bone of the cutlet, garnish with fried parsley, and send to the table, separately, a “Dieppoise” sauce, Shrimp sauce, or a purée of fresh vegetables, such as peas, carrots, &c. In the latter case, serve at the same time a sauce in keeping with the garnish.
Preparation.—Have ready two lbs. of ordinary brioche paste without sugar (No.2368). Stiffen in butter one and one-half lbs. of small salmon collops, and prepare one-sixth lb. of mushrooms and one chopped onion (both of which should be fried in butter), one-half lb. of semolina kache (No.2292) or the same weight of rice cooked in consommé; two hard-boiled eggs, chopped; and one lb. ofvesiga, roughly chopped and cooked in consommé.
For this weight of cookedvesigaabout two and one-half oz. of driedvesigawill be needed, which should be soaked for at least four hours in cold water, and then cooked for three and one-half hours in white consommé. It may also be cooked in water.
Roll the brioche paste into rectangles twelve inches long by eight inches wide, and spread thereon in successive layers the kache or the rice, the collops of salmon, the choppedvesiga, the eggs, the mushrooms, and the onion, and finish with a layer of kache or rice. Moisten the edges of the paste and draw the longest ends of it towards each other over the[270]enumerated layers of garnish, and join them so as to properly enclose the latter.
Now fold the two remaining ends over to the centre in a similar way. Place the coulibiac thus formed on a baking-tray, and take care to turn it over in order that the joining parts of the paste lie underneath.
Set the paste to rise for twenty-five minutes, sprinkle some melted butter over the coulibiac, sprinkle with some very fine raspings, make a slit in the top for the escape of vapour, and bake in a moderate oven for forty-five or fifty minutes. Fill the coulibiac with freshly-melted butter when withdrawing it from the oven.
The few recipes dealing with “Darnesde Saumon,” which I give below, may also be adapted to whole salmon after the size of the fish has been taken into account in measuring the time allowed for cooking.
As already explained, the term “darne” stands for a piece of salmon cut from the middle of that fish, and the size of adarneis in proportion to the number of people it is intended for.
Proceed after the manner directed under “The Braising of Fish” (No.780); moisten in the proportion of two-thirds with excellent red wine and one-third with fish stock, calculating the quantity in such wise that it may cover no more than two-thirds of the depth of thedarne. Bring to the boil, then set to braise gently, and glaze thedarneat the last moment.
Garnish and Sauce.—Garnish with quenelles of truffledmousselineforcemeat for fish, moulded by means of a spoon; two large ornamented quenelles; truffles fashioned like olives; pieces of milt dipped in Villeroy sauce, treatedà l’anglaiseand fried when about to dish up; small gudgeon or smelts treated similarly to the milt, and trussed crayfish cooked incourt-bouillon.
The sauce is a Genevoise, made from the reduced cooking-liquor of thedarne.
Dishing Up.—Surround thedarneby the garnishes enumerated, arranging them tastefully, and pierce it with twohatelets, each garnished with a small truffle, an ornamented quenelle, and a crayfish.
Send the sauce to the table separately.
Poach thedarnein acourt-bouillonprepared beforehand.
Dishing Up and Garnish.—Surround thedarneby medium-sized mushrooms stewed in butter and garnished with small crayfish tails cohered by means of a few tablespoonfuls of Nantua sauce; small round quenelles ofmousselineforcemeat for fish, decorated with truffles, and some slices of milt treatedà l’anglaise, and fried when about to dish up.
Serve the Nantua sauce separately.
Skin one side of thedarne, lard it with truffles, and braise it in champagne.
The Garnish Round theDarne.—Very small garnished patties of crayfish tails; smallcassolettesof milt; smallmousselinesof oysters, poached indariole-moulds.
Sauce.—The braising-liquor of thedarnefinished by means of ordinary and crayfish butter in equal quantities. Send it to the table separately.
Remove the spine and all other internal bones. Stuff thedarnewith raw lobstermoussestiffened by means of a little pike forcemeat.
Line a well-buttered, round and even raised-pie mould with a thin layer of hot-water, raised-pie paste (this is made from one lb. of flour, four oz. of lard, one egg, and a little lukewarm water), which should be prepared in advance and made somewhat stiff. Now garnish the inside of the pie with thin slices of bacon and place thedarneupright in it. (To simplify the operation thedarnemay be stuffed at this stage.) Cover the pie with a layer of the same paste, pinch its edges with those of the original lining, make a slit in the top for the steam to escape, and cook in a good oven.
When the pie is almost baked, prod it repeatedly with a larding-needle; when the latter is withdrawn clear of all stuffing the pie should be taken from the oven. This done, turn it upside down in order to drain away the melted bacon and other liquids inside it, but do not let it drop from the mould. Then tilt it on to a dish and take off the mould. Do not break the crust except at the dining-table.
Sauce.—Serve an American sauce with the pie, the former being prepared from the remains of the lobsters used in making themousse, finished with cream, and garnished with very fine oysters (cleared of their beards), poached when about to dish up.
Braise thedarnein white wine in accordance with the directions given in No.780.
Garnish.—Surround thedarneby spoon-moulded quenelles of whiting forcemeat prepared with crayfish butter, oysters cleared of their beards and poached, small, very white mushrooms, and poached slices of milt.
Normande sauce finished with truffle essence.
Braise thedarnein Sauterne wine.
Garnish.—Bunches of crayfishes’ tails, small quenelles ofmousselineforcemeat for fish, small mushrooms, slices of truffle, and little balls of potato raised by means of the large, round spoon-cutter, and cookedà l’anglaise.
Send a Normande sauce separately.
Poach thedarnein a white winecourt-bouillon.
Garnish.—Potato balls raised with the spoon-cutter or turned to the shape of olives, and cooked in salted water, poached slices of milt, and trussed crayfish cooked incourt-bouillon.
Send a Valois sauce separately.
In Part I. I dealt with the preparation ofmousselineforcemeat (No.195), and also the method of poaching spoon-moulded quenelles (No.205). Nowmousselinesare only large quenelles which derive their name from the very light forcemeat of which they are composed. Thesemousselinequenelles are always moulded with the ordinary tablespoon, they are garnished on top with a fine, raw slice of the fish under treatment, and poached after the manner already described.
Having made the salmonmousselineforcemeat, mould the quenelles and place them, one by one, in a buttered sautépan. Place a small, round and very thin slice of salmon on each, and poach them in a very moderate oven with lid on the utensil containing them.
Drain on a piece of linen, arrange them in a circle on a dish, place a slice of truffle upon each slice of salmon, coat with Mornay sauce, and glaze.
Garnish the centre of the dish with very small peas or asparagus-heads cohered with butter just before dishing up.
Combine one and one-half oz. of crayfish cream-cullis with each pound of the salmonmousselineforcemeat. Mould and poach as above, drain, and arrange in a circle on a dish.
Garnish eachmousselinewith a thin slice of milt cooked in lightly-browned butter, four crayfish tails cut lengthwise into two, and a slice of truffle at each end. Coat with a light Mornay sauce, finished with crayfish butter, and glaze quickly.
N.B.—In addition to these two recipes, all the garnishes suitable for fillets of sole may be applied tomousselines. Garnishes of early-season vegetable purées also suit them admirably, and therein lies an almost inexhaustible source of variety.
When salmon is to be served cold it should, as far as possible, be cooked, either whole or in large pieces, in thecourt-bouillongiven under No.163and cooled in the latter. Pieces cooked separately may seem better or may be more easily made to look sightly, but their meat is drier than that of the salmon cooked whole. And what is lost in appearance with the very large pieces is more than compensated for by their extra quality.
In dishing cold salmon the skin may be removed and the fillets bared, so that the fish may be more easily decorated, but the real gourmet will always prefer the salmon served in its natural silver vestment.
In decorating cold salmon use pieces of cucumber, anchovy fillets, capers, slices of tomato, curled-leaf parsley, &c.
I am not partial to the decorating of salmon with softened butter, coloured or not, laid on by means of the piping-bag. Apart from the fact that this method of decoration is rarely artistic, the butter used combines badly with the cold sauces and the meat of the salmon on the diner’s plate. Very green tarragon leaves, chervil, lobster coral, &c., afford a more natural and more delicate means of ornamentation. The only butter fit to be served with cold salmon is Montpellier butter (No.153), though this, in fact, is but a cold sauce often resorted to for the coating of the cold fish in question.
Among the garnishes which suit cold salmon, I might mention small peeled, and emptied tomatoes garnished with some kind of salad; hard-boiled eggs, either wholly stuffed, or stuffed in halves or in quarters,barquettes, tartlets andcassolettesmade from cucumber or beetroot, parboiled until almost completely cooked and garnished with a purée of tunny, of[274]sardines, of anchovies, &c.; small aspics of shrimps or of crayfishes’ tails; small slices of lobster, &c.
Almost all the cold sauces may accompany cold salmon.
Having drained and dried the salmon or thedarne, remove the skin from one of its sides, and coat the bared fillets with a layer of a preparation ofmoussede saumon, letting it lie rather more thickly over the middle than the sides. Coat the layer ofmoussewith mayonnaise sauce thickened by means of fish jelly, and leave to set.
Now let some clear fish jelly set on the bottom of the dish to be sent to the table; place the salmon or thedarneon this jelly, and surround the piece with a border consisting of Montpellier butter, using for the purpose a piping-bag fitted with a grooved pipe.
Decorate the centre of the piece by means of a fine fleur-de-lys made from truffles, and encircle it with two royale crowns made from anchovy fillets.
Remove the skin in suchwise as to leave the bared portion in the shape of a regular rectangle, equidistant from the tail and the head; or, in the case of adarne, occupying two-thirds of its surface.
Cover the bared portion with mayonnaise sauce thickened with fish jelly and leave it to set.
Now stand the piece on a small cushion of rice or semolina, shaping the latter like the piece itself; trim the sauced rectangle with a border of Montpellier butter, laid on by means of a piping-bag fitted with a small grooved pipe. Garnish the centre of the rectangle with pieces of lobster coral, the chopped, hard-boiled white and yolk of an egg, chervil leaves, &c.
Encircle the piece with a border of small artichoke-bottoms, garnished, in the form of a dome, with a smallmacédoineof vegetables cohered with cleared mayonnaise.
Send a mayonnaise sauce to the table separately.
Prepare a salmon or adarneas in the preceding recipe, and dish it on a cushion in order that it may be slightly raised.
[275]Surround it with grooved sections of cucumber hollowed to represent small timbales, well parboiled,marinadedwith a few drops of oil and lemon-juice and filled with a vegetable salad thickened with mayonnaise; indented, halved eggs filled with caviare; and tartlets of vegetable salad cohered with mayonnaise, and garnished, each with a crayfish-shell stuffed with crayfishmousse; alternate these various garnishes, and encircle with a border of jelly dice.
Skin the salmon or thedarne, set the piece upright upon the belly side, and decorate the fillets with pieces of truffles, poached white of egg, chervil leaves, and tarragon, &c.
Coat the garnish with a little melted fish aspic so as to fix it.
This done, sprinkle the piece, again and again, with the same melted aspic jelly in order to cover it with a kind of transparent veil.
Place the piece thus prepared in a crystal receptacle similarly shaped to the fish, and fill the former to the brim with very clear, melted jelly.
When dishing up, incrust the receptaclecontaining the fish in a block of clean ice which, in its turn, is laid on the dish to be sent to the table. Another way is to place the crystal utensil direct upon the dish and to surround the former with broken ice.
Poach the salmon or thedarnein acourt-bouillonconsisting of very clear fishfumetand Chambertin wine, in equal quantities, and leave to cool. Prepare an aspic jelly from thecourt-bouillon.
Skin and decorate the salmon or thedarneand glaze it with white aspic jelly, exactly as directed above, in the case of the Belle-vue.
Dish in the same way, in a crystal receptacle, and fill the latter with the prepared aspic jelly. Serve on a block of ice, or with broken ice around the utensil.
Skin and decorate the salmon or thedarne, and glaze it with white aspic jelly precisely as in No.804.
Let a coating of very clear jelly set on the bottom of the[276]dish to be sent to the table. Upon this aspic jelly lay a cushion the same shape as the fish, of semolina, or of carved rice.
Set the piece (salmon ordarne), decorated and glazed, upon this cushion, and lay thereon a row of fine prawns, cleared of their abdominal shell.
Surround with a garnish of small cucumber timbales, well parboiled,marinaded, and garnished dome-fashion, with a purée of smoked salmon; halved, hard-boiled eggs, glazed with aspic; very small tomatoes, or halved medium-sized ones, peeled, pressed in the corner of a towel to return them to their original shape, stuck with a bit of parsley-stalk, and decorated with leaves of green butter moulded by means of the piping-bag; and smallbarquettesof cooked andmarinadedbeetroot, garnished with shrimps’ tails cohered with mayonnaise.
Send a Russe sauce separately.
Liberally butter some tin cutlet-shaped moulds. Line their bottoms and sides with a very red slice of salmon, as thin as a piece of cardboard. This slice should be long enough to project outside the brim of the mould to the extent of one-half inch.
Garnish the insides of the moulds with well-seasoned salmon meat, and draw the projecting lengths of salmon across this meat so as to enclose the latter and finish off the cutlets.
Arrange the moulds on a baking-tray; poach the cutlets, dry, in a moderate oven; turn them out of their moulds on to another tray as soon as they are poached, and let them cool. Then coat them with a half-melted aspic, and decorate them according to fancy, either with very green peas or a leaf of chervil with a bit of lobster coral in its centre—in a word, something simple and neat.
These cutlets, which are generally served at ball-suppers, may be dished on a tazza, on a cushion of rice, semolina, corn-flour, or stearine, and laid almost vertically against a pyramid of vegetable salad cohered by means of mayonnaise with aspic. In this case the dish is finished off with ahateletstuck into the middle of the pyramid.
The cutlets may also be arranged in a circle on a flat, shallow, silver or crystal dish, and covered with a delicate cold melted jelly.
Whatever be the selected method of dishing, always send to the table with the cutlet a sauceboat of cold sauce.
These médaillons have the same purpose as the cutlets already described, and are preparedthus:—
[277]Cut some small slices, one-third inch thick, from a fillet of salmon.
Arrange them on a buttered tray; poach them, dry, in a moderate oven, and cool them under a light weight.
Now trim them neatly, with an even cutter, oval or round, in accordance with the shape they are intended to have.
Coat them, according to their purpose, either with mayonnaise sauce or one of its derivatives, thickened with jelly, or a white, pink, or green chaud-froid sauce. Decorate it in any way that may be fancied, and glaze them with cold melted aspic jelly.
Dish after the manner described under “Côtelettes” (see above).
Garnish the bottom of a salad-bowl with moderately seasoned,ciseledlettuce. Cover with cold, cooked and flaked salmon, thoroughly cleared of all skin and bones.
Coat with mayonnaise sauce, and decorate with anchovy fillets, capers, stoned olives, small slices or roundels or quarters of hard-boiled eggs, small hearts of lettuce, a border of little roundels of radish, &c.
This preparation comprises the same ingredients as the above, with the exception of the mayonnaise sauce. The decorating garnish is placed directly upon the salmon, and the whole is seasoned in precisely the same way as an ordinary salad.
From the culinary standpoint, trout are divided into two quite distinct classes, viz., large trout, whereof the typical specimen is Salmon-trout, and small or fresh-water trout.
In its many preparations, salmon-trout may be replaced by salmon, and all the recipes relating to the former may be adapted to the latter.
In any case, however, as its size is less than that of salmon, it is very rarely cut intodarnes, being more generally served whole.
The few recipes that follow are proper to salmon-trout.
Select a male trout in preference; clean it, and remove its gills without opening it in the region of the belly.
[278]Skin it on one side, starting at a distance of one inch from the head and finishing within two and one-half inches of the root of the tail.
Lard the bared portions with truffles and the red part only of carrots cut into rods.
This done, spread out a napkin, lay the trout thereon, belly under, and, with a sharp knife, separate the two fillets from the bones, beginning in the region of the head and proceeding straight down to where the body converges towards the tail.
The spine being thus liberated, sever it at both ends;i.e., from the tail and the head, and withdraw it, together with all the adhering ventral bones. The intestines are then removed, the inside of the fish is well cleaned, the fillets are seasoned on their insides, and the trout is stuffed with amousselineforcemeat of raw crayfish. The two fillets are drawn together, and the trout, thus reconstructed, is covered with thin slices of bacon and laid on the drainer of the fish-kettle and braised in Sauterne wine.
When the fish is done, remove the slices of bacon, glaze it, and dish it up. Surround it with alternate heaps of morels tossed in butter and milt à la Meunière.
Send to the table, separately, a fine Béchamel sauce, combined with the braising-liquor of the trout, strained and reduced, and finished with crayfish butter.
We are now concerned with a whole series of unpublished “Trout” preparations, which are at once of superfine delicacy and agreeable aspect, and which admit of clean and easy dishing.
Cook a trout weighing from two to three lbs. incourt-bouillon, and let it cool in the latter. Then drain it; sever the head and tail from the body, and put them aside. Completely skin the whole fish, and carefully separate the two fillets from the bones.
Deck each fillet with tarragon and chervil leaves, lobster coral, poached white of eggs, &c., and set them, back to back, upon amousseof tomatoes lying in a special, long white or coloured porcelain dish about one and one-half to two inches deep.
Replace the head and tail, and cover the whole with a coating of half-melted, succulent fish aspic, somewhat clear. Let the aspic set, and incrust the dish containing the trout in a block of ice, or surround it with the latter broken.
Thismousse, like those which I shall give later, is really abavaroiswithout sugar. Its recipe is exactly the same as that of the “bavaroisof fruit,” except with regard to the question of sugar.
Cook one-half lb. of tomato pulp (cleared of skin and seeds, and roughly chopped) in one oz. of butter. When the pulp has thoroughly mingled with the butter, add thereto two tablespoonfuls of velouté thickened by means of eight leaves of gelatine per quart of the sauce.
Rub through tammy, and add to the preparation, when almost cold, half of its volume of barely-whipped cream. Taste themousse; season with a few drops of lemon juice, and if it still seems flat, add the necessary salt and a very little cayenne.
N.B.—It will be seen that I prescribe cream only half-whipped. This precaution, however, does not apply to “Mousse de Tomates” alone, but to allmousses. Well-whipped cream imparts a dry and woolly taste to them, whereas, when it is only half-whipped, it renders them unctuous and fresh to the palate.
From the point of view of delicacy, the respective results of the two methods do not bear comparison.