Fish
Directions for Preparing.—Clean fish carefully, slit it low enough so as not to have any blood on the backbone, but do not make too large a cut so as to spoil look of fish; wash thoroughly in cold water.Great caremust be taken not to break gall, for it would make fish bitter. Use good dripping or lard for frying.
To Broil Fish.—Clean, wash, and wipe dry. Split so that when laid flat the backbone will be in the middle, or take the backbone out. Sprinkle with salt and lay, inside down, upon a buttered gridiron over a clear fire until it is nicely colored, then turn. When done, put upon a hot dish, butter plentifully, and pepper. Put a hot cover over it and send to table.
Boiled Bass, or other Fish.—Put sufficient water in pot to enable fish, if alive, to swim easily. Add ½ cup vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 onion, 1 dozen whole black peppers, 1 blade mace. Sew up fish in piece of clean net or muslin, fitted to shape. Heat slowly for first ½ hour; then boil 8 minutes, at least, to pound, quite fast. Unwrap, and pour over it cup of drawn butter, based upon the liquor in which fish was boiled, with juice of ½ lemon stirred into it.
Creamed Fish.—Steam 2 pounds codfish, break in flakes, removing bones and skin. Make 1 pint white sauce (seeMeat and Fish Sauces). Grease a baking-dish, fill with alternate layers of fish and sauce, seasoning with salt, pepper, chopped parsley, and lemon juice or a few drops of vinegar. Mix together 1 cup dry bread crumbs and 3 tablespoons melted butter; spread over top and brown in quick oven.
This may be varied by using tomato, bechamel, curry, or any other sauce, or by adding grated cheese or sliced hard-boiled eggs to the white sauce; by baking in shells or patty-pans in place of the deep dish, or by covering with mashed potato or biscuit crust instead of crumbs.
Broiled Salt Mackerel.—Freshen by soaking it overnight in water, taking care that the skin lies uppermost. In the morning dry it without breaking, cut off the head and tip of the tail, place it between the bars of a buttered fish-gridiron, and broil to a light brown; lay it on a hot dish, and dress with a little butter, pepper, and lemon juice, vinegar, or chopped pickle.
Broiled Halibut.—Slices of halibut, salt, pepper, butter. Cut the slices of fish about an inch thick, season with pepper and salt, and lay them in melted butter ½ hour, allowing 3 tablespoons of butter to a pound of fish, then roll them in flour, and broil about 20 minutes. Serve very hot.
Codfish Balls.—Put fish in cold water, set on back of stove; when water gets hot, pour off and put on cold again until fish is fresh enough; then pick it up. Boil potatoes and mash them; mix fish and potatoes together while potatoes are hot, taking ⅔ potatoes and ⅓ fish. Put in plenty of butter; make into balls and fry in plenty of lard. Have lard hot before putting in balls.
Variation may be had by rolling each ball in beaten egg, then in dry bread crumbs before frying.
Fried Blue Fish, and other Kinds.—Clean, wipe dry, inside and out. Sprinkle with flour, and season with salt. Fry in hot butter or sweet lard. ½ lard and ½ butter make a good mixture for frying fish. The moment fish aredone to good brown, take them from fat and drain in hot strainer; garnish with parsley.
Fish Chowder.—Cut 2 or 3 slices of salt pork into dice pieces; fry to crisp, and turn the whole into chowder-kettle. Pare 6 medium-sized potatoes and cut them in two. Peel small onion and chop fine. Put potatoes into kettle with part of onion. Cut fish (which should be fresh cod or haddock) into convenient pieces, and lay over potatoes; sprinkle over it rest of the onion. Season well with salt and pepper, add just enough water to come to top of fish. Pour over the whole quart can tomatoes; cover closely and allow to cook about as long as takes to boil potatoes; then add 2 quarts milk, and let it scald up again. Season with tomato catsup, and more salt and pepper if required.
To Fry Brook Trout or any other Small Fish.—Clean fish, and let them lie few minutes wrapped singly in clean dry towel; season with pepper and salt; roll in corn meal, fry in ⅓ butter and ⅔ lard; drain on sieve, and serve hot.
(Decorative Design)