PART IV.

_FISH SAUCES_.

A few plain directions as to the making of sauces suitable for serving with fish, will, we think, not be unwelcome. First as to that sauce commonly known as--

=Melted Butter.=--In France this sauce is what its name declares it to be, viz., a tureen half full of pure butter dissolved, in strong contrast to that generally found on English tables, where a mixture of milk and water thickened with flour, is usually dignified with this title. True "butter sauce" belongs to neither of these extremes. As one ladleful will generally suffice for each individual partaking of fish, it is as well to measure into the saucepan the number of ladlefuls that will be required, so that there shall be no waste of good material.

Having ascertained how much liquid will be in the saucepan when the sauce is finished, pour away the water and proceed to divide the materials you will use. A small lump of butter should be allowed for each ladleful of sauce. Take one lump and let it dissolve, then stir in a heaped tablespoonful of dry flour, mix these quite smoothly together, with the addition of cold water, until like a cream; add boiling water to make half the quantity of sauce, then stir in by degrees the remaining lumps of butter. If the sauce shows signs of looking oily, a little cold water will correct it. A pinch of salt should be added, or salt butter may be used.

=Maître d'Hôtel Butter.=--For this prepare a little melted butter, by mixing an ounce of butter with the same weight of flour, and cold water to make it smooth. Dilute with a quarter of a pint of white stock. Let this mixture boil, then stir in a tablespoonful of chopped parsley, one of sweet herbs, half one of minced chives, a teaspoonful of mixed salt and pepper, the juice of a lemon, or a spoonful of tarragon vinegar, and a spoonful of pure oil; when these have been well mixed together, draw aside the saucepan and stir in the beaten yolk of an egg, then pour into a hot tureen.

=Herb Sauce: for Broiled Fish.=--Chop some dry parsley until quite fine, also an equal quantity of mixed herbs--thyme, marjoram, sage, chervil, celery, fennel, &c. Put first a small lump of butter to dissolve in the saucepan, and chop finely a shallot and let it frizzle in this, then stir in the parsley and herbs, and add sufficient vinegar to cover them. Draw the saucepan aside and let it simmer ten minutes to abstract the flavour. Just before it is wanted, add pepper and a pinch of salt, also a good tablespoonful of oil. A yolk of egg, added lastly, will slightly thicken and improve it, but it is very good without, especially for broiled herrings and mackerel.

=Anchovy Sauce.=--Anchovy sauce is quickly and easily made according to the recipe given in the previous chapter (see letter A), but if a richer sauce is desired, the anchovies should be boiled gently until they dissolve. Then the liquor be strained, added to a little plain melted butter with a glass of port wine.

=Shrimp Sauce.=--For this the foundation is again "melted butter," and to half a pint of that allow half a pint of shrimps. Pick off heads, tails, and shells, and let the bodies stew gently in the sauce, but not boil, or they will harden. Add a pinch of cayenne pepper, a little lemon-juice, a drop of anchovy essence, and salt to taste.

=Lobster Sauce= can be made in the same way, using a little of the white meat of the lobster torn into flakes, in place of the shrimps, and stirring in a spoonful of lobster butter. It must not boil or the colour will be spoilt. To give this sauce a stronger flavour of lobster, the shell may be boiled in water, and the liquor used instead of water.

=Fennel Sauce.=--Pick some fennel from the stalk and boil it for a minute, then chop it fine and add to some "melted butter." Stir in the yolk of an egg the last thing. A teaspoonful of spiced vinegar will give piquancy to it.

=Parsley Sauce.=--Parsley sauce is merely "melted butter" with chopped parsley stirred in. It is an improvement to let the sauce boil a moment or two after to take off the raw flavour.

=Horseradish Sauce.=--To two tablespoonsful of finely-scraped horseradish and one of stale white breadcrumbs allow half a pint of cream--or new milk and cream--and a pinch of salt. Let this stew for fifteen minutes, then stir in a spoonful of vinegar just before serving.

=Gooseberry Sauce, for Mackerel.=--Stew half a pint of gooseberries in a little water until very soft, press them through a sieve into the same quantity of "melted butter," add an ounce of white sugar, and a spoonful of spinach-juice to give a nice green colour.

=Egg Sauce.=--_First Way_: Make some good "melted butter," stir into it two or three hard-boiled eggs which have been cut up small, and season it well. Just before serving stir in the beaten yolk of a fresh egg.

_Second Way_ (for cold fish): Beat the yolks of two fresh eggs, stir in a teaspoonful of made mustard, half a teaspoonful of mixed salt and pepper, and by degrees two tablespoonsful of salad oil and one of tarragon vinegar. It should be of the consistency of cream. This sauce is almost identical with "Mayonnaise" sauce, and to make a green mayonnaise add finely-minced chives, parsley, chervil, and cress.

=Tomato Sauce.=--Melt an ounce of butter, and slice one or two tomatoes thinly into it, add one or two shallots. Let these stew till quite soft, then press through a wire sieve. Add a little more butter to this purée, plenty of salt and pepper, and a spoonful of vinegar. Make thoroughly hot before serving.

Regard should always be had to contrast of colour in garnishing all dishes. Where the fish is masked in white sauce, the introduction of something red amongst the green garnishing is a relief to the eye. Flowers may be used to supply this needful touch of colour, slices of beetroot, or a few strips of boiled carrot, or a few bright prawns, one or two chilies, &c.

If a portion of salmon, showing the bright colour of the meat, is the dish which has to be trimmed, a few mounds of scraped horseradish alternating with tufts of curly parsley looks well.

For fried fish--soles, fillets, lobster cutlets, &c., it is better to fry the parsley which is used for their garnishing. Double-curled parsley, well dried, thrown into a wire basket and plunged into the boiling fat, for one minute only, is the way to obtain this.

Crisp, fried croutons of bread, tiny potato balls, rice balls, sliced lemons, small bright tomatoes, and slices of hard-boiled egg, are all excellent for garnishing purposes.

Fish that has been baked in the oven--excepting always that which has been done _au gratin_, and which requires no garnish--will often be made to look very pretty if a few fancy shapes be stamped out of cooked vegetables, say the red of a carrot, the white of a turnip, tiny sprigs of cauliflower, &c., always using green parsley to finish off the outer edge. Where there is the will to do it, means will not be lacking whereby the simplest dish may be made to look elegant.

The Gresham Press,

UNWIN BROTHERS

WOKING AND LONDON.

Transcriber Note

Hyphenation was standardized to the most commonly used version. Some accents were corrected and one added for consistent usage. The measurement "nob" (small amount) was retained rather than the current "knob".

End of Project Gutenberg's A Handbook of Fish Cookery, by Lucy H. Yates