Chapter 10

[Page 228] FILLETS OF MACKEREL À LA HORLY

Clean and fillet the fish, remove the skin and bones and soak for an hour in oil and lemon-juice, seasoned with chopped onion, parsley, salt, pepper, and sweet herbs. Drain, dredge with flour, dip in beaten eggs, roll in crumbs, fry in deep fat, and serve with Tomato Sauce.

FILLETS OF MACKEREL À L'INDIENNE

Fillet two large fresh mackerel, cut in two and remove the skin. Simmer for fifteen minutes with two tablespoonfuls each of melted butter and curry powder mixed with two wineglassfuls of white wine. Season with salt and pepper. Prepare a Cream Sauce and add to it two tablespoonfuls of butter and the juice of a lemon. Pour over the fish and serve with a border of plain boiled rice.

MACKEREL À LA BRETONNE

Wash and split a large mackerel, wipe dry, dredge with flour, and fry brown in butter. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and lemon-juice.

SALT MACKEREL À LA BRETONNE

Soak the fish for twelve hours and prepare according to directions given above. Serve with melted butter.

[Page 229] SCOTCH MACKEREL PIE

Make a forcemeat of the roe and some parsley, onion, butter, bread crumbs, thyme, sweet marjoram, and the yolk of an egg. Cut the fish into strips, spread with the filling, and roll. Arrange in a deep dish, pour in half a cupful of stock, and cover with a layer of mashed potatoes. Bake for three quarters of an hour and serve.

TOASTED SALT MACKEREL

Soak over night in cold water, and hang up for a day or two until perfectly dry. Put in a dry tin and set into the oven for ten minutes.

MACKEREL EN PAPILLOTES

Oil a sheet of paper a little larger than the fish. Lay a slice of cooked ham on each piece of paper, and spread with chopped onion, carrot, parsley, and green pepper fried together in butter. Lay a mackerel on the ham, spread with the fried vegetables, cover with another slice of ham, and fold the paper over, twisting the ends. Bake for fifteen minutes in a moderate oven. Serve in the paper.

POTTED MACKEREL

Pound together an ounce of black pepper [Page 230] and six blades of mace. Mix with two ounces of salt and half an ounce of grated nutmeg. Rub thoroughly into pieces of fresh mackerel, and fry in oil. Drain, and put the fish in a stone jar. Fill with vinegar, and put two tablespoonfuls of oil on top. Cover closely and let stand for two days before using.

FILLETS OF MACKEREL WITH RAVIGOTE SAUCE

Cook the fillets of four fish in a buttered dish with salt, pepper, grated nutmeg, and half a cupful of white wine. For the sauce chop fine four shallots and put into a saucepan with two tablespoonfuls of butter and four tablespoonfuls of tarragon vinegar. Reduce half by boiling and add a pint of white stock thickened with a tablespoonful each of butter and flour cooked together. Add two tablespoonfuls of butter, pour over the fish, and serve.

MACKEREL WITH WHITE WINE SAUCE

Cook three fresh mackerel in a cupful of white wine, with butter, salt, pepper, grated nutmeg, minced onion, and parsley to season. [Page 231] Take out the fish, and add two cupfuls of white stock to the gravy. Thicken with two tablespoonfuls each of butter and flour cooked together, take from the fire, and add the yolks of three eggs well beaten. Pour the sauce over the fish, sprinkle with crumbs, dot with butter, and bake brown. Sprinkle with lemon-juice and serve in a baking-dish.

SPANISH MACKEREL SALAD

Drain the oil from a can of pickled Spanish mackerel, and cut the fish in slices. Boil a bunch of red beets for half an hour in water to cover, then drain and bake for half an hour in a hot oven. Peel, slice thin, and cool thoroughly. Mix with the mackerel, add a small bunch of radishes sliced thin, and half a dozen sliced pickles. Surround with lettuce leaves and pour over a French dressing.

STUFFED MACKEREL WITH ANCHOVY SAUCE

Stuff the prepared fish with seasoned crumbs mixed with chopped shallots, parsley, and mushrooms. Sew up and bake, basting with oil. Serve with Cream Sauce, seasoned with anchovy essence.

[Page 232] GERMAN PICKLED MACKEREL

Skin, bone, and cut into pieces four pounds of fresh mackerel, and put it in layers into a stone jar, sprinkling each layer with pepper, salt, bay-leaves, and sweet herbs. Cover with vinegar, seal firmly, and bake for six hours in a moderate oven.

[Page 233] FIVE WAYS TO COOK MULLET

BROILED MULLET

Soak the cleaned fish for an hour in salted and acidulated water. Drain, wipe dry, split, rub with seasoned butter, and broil.

BROILED MULLETS WITH MELTED BUTTER

Rub prepared mullets with seasoned flour and broil, basting with olive-oil as required. Serve with melted butter and minced parsley.

MULLET À LA MAÎTRE D'HÔTEL

Clean four mullets and soak in olive-oil to cover for thirty minutes, with a bunch of parsley, a sliced onion, and salt and pepper to season. Drain, broil, and serve with Maître d'Hôtel Sauce.

BAKED MULLET

Clean the fish and soak for an hour in salted and acidulated water. Drain, wipe dry, stuff with seasoned crumbs, sew up, rub with butter [Page 234] and put into a baking-pan, adding enough hot water to keep from burning. Baste as required and serve with any preferred sauce.

FRIED MULLET

Cut the cleaned fish in convenient pieces for serving and sauté in pork fat, or dip in egg and seasoned crumbs and fry in deep fat.

[Page 235] FIFTEEN WAYS TO COOK PERCH

FRIED PERCH--I

Clean the fish, dip in flour, then in beaten egg, then in crumbs, and fry in plenty of fat. Drain and garnish with lemon and parsley.

FRIED PERCH--II

Dip the cleaned perch in flour and fry brown in salt pork fat.

FRIED PERCH--III

Prepare and clean the fish, season with salt and pepper, dip in egg and corn-meal, and fry in deep fat.

BROILED PERCH

Rub the prepared fish with butter, season with salt and pepper, and broil. Garnish with fried parsley and lemon.

BOILED PERCH

Boil the cleaned fish with parsley, a tablespoonful [Page 236] of butter, and salt and pepper to season. Drain, strain the liquid, thicken with butter and flour, season to taste, pour over the fish, and serve.

BOILED PERCH WITH OYSTER SAUCE

Prepare and clean the fish and simmer until done in salted and acidulated water. Drain and serve with Oyster Sauce.

PERCH À L'ALLEMANDE

Put two large cleaned perch into a saucepan with two chopped carrots, a sprig of parsley, a celery root, a sliced onion and a pinch of salt. Cover with white wine and simmer for twenty minutes. Drain and keep warm. Take out the onion, parsley and celery root, add half a cupful of chopped mushrooms, and cook for five minutes. Cook with a tablespoonful each of butter and flour thickened together, take from the fire, add a tablespoonful of butter and the juice of two lemons. Pour over the fish and serve.

STEWED PERCH À LA BATELIÈRE

Put four pounds of cleaned perch into a saucepan with salt and pepper to season, two sliced onions, a bunch of parsley, and Claret [Page 237] and water in equal parts to cover. Simmer for half an hour, drain, remove the parsley and thicken the sauce with two tablespoonfuls each of butter and flour cooked together. Add a tablespoonful of anchovy essence, the juice of half a lemon, and two tablespoonfuls of butter. Pour over the fish and serve.

PERCH À LA FRANÇAISE

Boil the perch in white wine, and when cooked, skin and arrange on a serving-dish. Pour over a Cream Sauce to which has been added chopped cooked carrots and mushrooms and a tablespoonful of minced parsley. Add also to the sauce a tablespoonful of butter and grated nutmeg and lemon-juice to season.

PERCH À LA MAÎTRE D'HÔTEL

Prepare according to directions given for Mullet à la Maître d'Hôtel.

PERCH À LA NORMANDY

Prepare and clean the fish and put into a stewpan with a chopped onion, a bunch of parsley, a pinch of salt, and enough white wine to cover. Simmer for fifteen minutes, take up the fish, and strain the liquid. Add one cupful of oyster liquor and boil the liquid [Page 238] until reduced half. Take from the fire, add one tablespoonful of butter and two of flour, cooked together, stir until smooth, return to the fire, and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Take from the fire and add slowly the yolks of three eggs well beaten. Bring to the boil, pour over the fish, and serve.

PERCH À LA SICILY

Cook three or four large perch for twenty minutes with a bunch of parsley in salted and acidulated water. Put into a saucepan one tablespoonful of malt vinegar, one tablespoonful of tarragon vinegar, a teaspoonful of minced parsley, a small chopped onion, a bay-leaf, and four pepper-corns. Boil for ten minutes, strain, and cool. Cook together four tablespoonfuls of butter and two of flour. When brown, add a pint of beef stock and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Take from the fire, add the strained vinegar, the beaten yolks of six eggs, and two tablespoonfuls of grated horseradish. Bring to the boil, pour over the fish, and serve.

PERCH À LA STANLEY

Clean four large perch, put into a saucepan with a tablespoonful of butter, a small bunch of parsley, a pint of Rhine wine, a pint [Page 239] of white stock, and salt and pepper to season. Simmer slowly until done, drain, and keep warm. Thicken the sauce with two tablespoonfuls each of butter and flour cooked together, take from the fire, add the yolks of four eggs beaten with the juice of a lemon and three tablespoonfuls of butter. Bring to the boil, add a dozen parboiled oysters, pour over the fish, and serve.

BAKED PERCH

Prepare and clean the fish, stuff with seasoned crumbs, and sew up. Bake with a little white wine and melted butter.

PERCH SALAD

Clean and boil the fish, drain, and cool. Serve very cold on lettuce with Mayonnaise.

[Page 241] TEN WAYS TO COOK PICKEREL

BROILED PICKEREL À LA MAÎTRE D'HÔTEL

Prepare and clean the fish and cut into pieces suitable for serving. Dip in seasoned oil, broil, and serve with Maître d'Hôtel Sauce.

FRIED PICKEREL--I

Prepare and clean the fish and cut into pieces suitable for serving. Dip in beaten egg and cracker dust and fry in deep fat.

FRIED PICKEREL--II

Prepare and clean the fish and cut into steaks. Dip in corn-meal and fry in hot fat. Add one cupful of cream to the fat remaining in the pan and thicken with one tablespoonful each of butter and flour cooked together. Season with salt and pepper, add a tablespoonful of minced parsley, pour over the fish and serve.

[Page 242] FRIED PICKEREL WITH TOMATO SAUCE

Prepare and clean the fish and cut into pieces of a suitable size for serving. Dip in milk, roll in flour, and fry brown in plenty of hot lard. Drain and serve with Tomato Sauce.

FRIED PICKEREL À LA CRÈME

Clean the fish and cut into pieces suitable for serving. Roll in flour, and fry diced salt pork crisp. Strain the fat, fry the fish in it, take up and keep warm. Add a tablespoonful of butter and a tablespoonful of flour to the fat remaining in the pan. When cooked, add enough cream to make the required quantity of sauce, and a pinch of soda. Cook until thick, stirring constantly, add the salt pork fat and pour over the fish.

BAKED PICKEREL--I

Lay the cleaned fish in a baking-pan, spread with butter, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with flour. Bake as usual, basting with a cupful of hot water to which has been added a tablespoonful of butter and the juice of half a lemon. Serve with any preferred sauce.

[Page 243] BAKED PICKEREL--II

Clean the fish, remove the backbone, and soak for an hour in a marinade of oil and lemon-juice. Cover the bottom of a baking-dish with thin slices of salt pork, lay the fish upon the pork, rub the fish with butter, cover and bake for forty minutes. Serve with Hollandaise or Tartar Sauce.

BAKED PICKEREL WITH OYSTER SAUCE

Lay the fish in a buttered baking-pan, spread with butter, season with salt and pepper and dredge with flour. Bake in a hot oven, basting with a cupful of hot water to which a tablespoonful of butter and the juice of a lemon have been added. Serve with Oyster Sauce.

BAKED PICKEREL WITH EGG SAUCE

Put the prepared fish in a buttered baking-pan, and bake slowly, basting with melted butter and hot water. Serve with Egg Sauce.

STUFFED PICKEREL

Prepare, clean, and split the fish. Remove the backbone and stuff with crumbs, seasoned with salt, pepper, sweet herbs, and melted [Page 244] butter. Mix with a beaten egg, stuff the fish, sew up, and bake, basting with melted butter as required.

PICKEREL À LA BABETTE

Butter a kettle and cover the bottom with sliced celery and onion. Lay the prepared and cleaned fish upon it, add a bunch of parsley and a tablespoonful of butter. Season with salt and white pepper, add a dozen peppercorns, a sliced lemon, a dozen pounded almonds, and cold water to cover. Simmer slowly until done. Take up the fish, beat the yolks of three eggs with a tablespoonful of cold water, take out the parsley, thicken the sauce, pour over the fish, sprinkle with parsley and serve.

[Page 245] TWENTY WAYS TO COOK PIKE.

FRIED PIKE--I

Prepare and clean the fish, and cut into pieces suitable for serving. Fry brown in butter, add to the butter a teaspoonful of anchovy essence, a bit of ginger root, a grating of nutmeg, salt and pepper to season, and enough Claret to cover. Simmer until tender, add the juice of an orange and a teaspoonful of butter. Serve with sauce poured over the fish.

FRIED PIKE--II

Clean the fish and cut it into pieces suitable for serving. Dip in egg and crumbs and fry in oil.

FRIED PIKE À LA HOLLANDAISE

Clean the fish and cut it into steaks. Soak for two hours in a marinade of oil and lemon-juice, seasoning with pepper, salt, minced [Page 246] parsley, and grated nutmeg. Drain, dip in flour, fry in lard, and serve with Hollandaise Sauce.

BOILED PIKE WITH MELTED BUTTER

Boil the fish with a bunch of parsley in salted and acidulated water to cover. Serve with melted butter, seasoned with salt, pepper, grated nutmeg, and lemon-juice.

BOILED PIKE WITH CAPER SAUCE

Prepare and clean a fish, put into a fish-kettle, and simmer for forty minutes in court-bouillon to cover. Serve with Caper Sauce.

BOILED PIKE WITH HORSERADISH SAUCE

Boil a large fish in salted and acidulated water with a bunch of parsley. Cook together two tablespoonfuls each of butter and flour, add three cupfuls of cream, and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper, add two tablespoonfuls of butter and three tablespoonfuls of freshly grated horseradish. Pour over the fish, and serve.

BOILED PIKE WITH EGG SAUCE

Put the cleaned fish into a fish-kettle and [Page 247] cover with cold water. Add half a cupful of vinegar, a teaspoonful each of cloves and pepper-corns, a bay-leaf, half a lemon sliced, and a tablespoonful of salt. Boil until the fins pull off easily, take up and skin the fish carefully. Pour over an Egg Sauce made with a portion of the liquid in which the fish was cooked.

BOILED PIKE À LA DUBOIS

Prepare and clean the fish and cook it in equal parts of white wine and water, adding minced carrots and celery, sweet herbs and parsley, half a dozen pepper-corns, and salt to season. Cook together one tablespoonful each of butter and flour, add two cupfuls of the liquid and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Add a teaspoonful of Worcestershire Sauce and two tablespoonfuls of butter. Pour over the fish and serve.

BAKED PIKE--I

Clean a four-pound pike and put into a buttered baking-pan with enough hot water to keep from burning. Score the upper side deeply, cover with chopped salt pork, sprinkle with salt and pepper and dredge with flour. Bake for half an hour, basting as required. Serve with any preferred sauce.

[Page 248] BAKED PIKE--II

Put the cleaned fish into a buttered baking-dish with two onions sliced, two bay-leaves, pepper and salt to season, and one cupful of sour cream. Rub the fish with butter, sprinkle thickly with bread crumbs and grated Parmesan cheese, and bake until brown. Pour the liquid remaining in the pan around the fish and serve.

BAKED PIKE À LA FRANÇAISE

Marinate the prepared fish for two hours in oil and lemon-juice, seasoning with salt, pepper, chopped onion, and minced parsley. Put into the oven in the marinade, adding one cupful of stock and a wineglassful of white wine. Bake slowly, basting as required. Take up the fish, strain the sauce, thicken with a tablespoonful each of butter and flour cooked together, season with anchovy essence, add two tablespoonfuls of butter and two tablespoonfuls of capers. Pour over the fish and serve.

STUFFED AND BAKED PIKE

Clean and draw the fish, stuff with seasoned crumbs, sew up and put into a buttered baking-dish in the form of a circle. Score the [Page 249] fish deeply, sprinkle with pepper and salt, minced parsley, chopped onion, and chopped mushrooms. Add a cupful of Sherry and a cupful of beef stock, cover, and bake, basting frequently with the liquid. Take up the fish carefully, and add to the liquid enough stock to make the required quantity of sauce. Thicken with two tablespoonfuls of flour cooked brown in butter, add two tablespoonfuls of butter, lemon-juice, red pepper, and anchovy essence to season. Pour over the fish, and serve.

PIKE BAKED IN SOUR CREAM.

Clean a four-pound pike, cut into steaks, and free from skin and bone. Put into a buttered baking-dish with two small onions chopped and two bay-leaves. Season with salt and cayenne, add one cupful of sour cream and bake. Put on a serving-dish, cover with crumbs and dots of butter and brown in the oven. Add enough stock to the liquid to make the required quantity of sauce, thicken with butter and flour, season, add a dash of lemon-juice, pour around the fish, sprinkle with minced parsley and serve.

PIKE SALAD

Flake cold cooked pike with a silver fork, [Page 250] mix with Mayonnaise and chopped capers, and serve very cold on lettuce leaves.

ROASTED PIKE

Prepare a large fish, stuff with seasoned crumbs, and sew up. Spread with butter, sprinkle with chopped onion, minced parsley, minced pickle, and pounded anchovies. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, put in a buttered baking-dish, and bake slowly for an hour, basting with melted butter as required. Add half a cupful of white wine and one cupful of white stock to the drippings. Thicken with a tablespoonful each of butter and flour cooked together, take from the fire, add two tablespoonfuls of butter and the yolks of three eggs beaten with the juice of a lemon. Bring to the boil, pour over the fish and serve.

PIKE À L'ALLEMANDE

Prepare according to directions given for Carp à l'Allemande.

CRIMPED PIKE À LA HOLLANDAISE

Prepare and clean the fish and cut into steaks. Soak in ice-water for two hours. Boil until tender in salted and acidulated water to cover and serve with Hollandaise Sauce.

[Page 251] PIKE À LA FRANÇAISE

Cut a cleaned and prepared pike into thick steaks, and marinate for two hours in oil and lemon-juice, seasoned with salt, pepper, minced onion and parsley, and a pinch of sweet herbs. Drain, dip in crumbs, and broil. Serve with any preferred sauce.

PIKE À LA NORMANDY

Clean and draw a large fish and tie in a circle. Put into a fish-kettle with sliced onion, a bay-leaf, a pinch of thyme, a sprig of parsley, and salt and pepper to season. Add two cupfuls each of white wine and white stock and enough water to cover. Add a tablespoonful of butter, cover and simmer for forty minutes. Take up the fish, strain the sauce and thicken with two tablespoonfuls each of butter and flour cooked together. Take from the fire, add the yolks of four eggs beaten with the juice of a lemon, and two tablespoonfuls of butter. Strain over the fish and serve.

PICKLED PIKE

Draw and clean a pike, put into a fish-kettle, cover with Claret, add three bay-leaves, and simmer until tender. Let cool in the liquor. Serve with French dressing, Mayonnaise, or Tartar Sauce.

[Page 253] TEN WAYS TO COOK POMPANO

BROILED POMPANO--I

Clean and split the fish, sprinkle with salt and pepper, rub with butter, and broil. Squeeze lemon-juice over it and serve.

BROILED POMPANO--II

Split the fish, remove the backbone, season with salt and pepper, and put on a tin sheet. Rub with butter and broil under the gas flame.

BROILED POMPANO--III

Clean and split the fish, rub with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, roll in crumbs, and broil.

BROILED POMPANO À LA MAÎTRE D'HÔTEL

Clean and split the fish, rub with salt, pepper, and olive-oil, and broil. Serve with Maître d'Hôtel Sauce.

[Page 254] FRIED POMPANO--I

Cut the cleaned fish into slices, dredge with flour, and fry brown in butter. Serve with any preferred sauce.

FRIED POMPANO--II

Cut the cleaned fish into strips, season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, dip in egg and crumbs and fry in fat to cover.

FILLETS OF POMPANO

Cut a prepared and cleaned pompano into strips. Marinate for an hour in oil and vinegar, seasoned with salt and pepper. Drain, dip in crumbs, then in egg, then in crumbs, and put in a buttered paper and bake until done. Serve with Tomato Sauce.

FILLETS OF POMPANO À LA DUCHESSE

Cut a cleaned pompano into strips, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and onion-juice, and put into a small baking-pan. Steam until done, take up carefully and spread each one with seasoned mashed potato mixed with well-beaten egg. Bake in the oven until puffed and brown and serve immediately.

[Page 255] FILLETS OF POMPANO AU GRATIN

Split the fish in two lengthwise, and remove the bone and skin. Cut into strips, season with salt, pepper, and butter, roll up, and tie or fasten with toothpicks or skewers. Simmer slowly until done in equal parts of white wine and water, adding a little Maître d'Hôtel Sauce.

POMPANO À LA CARDINAL

Butter a baking-dish and lay upon it a large cleaned and split pompano. Open a can of sweet Spanish peppers, drain, and cover the fish with them. Sprinkle with chopped onion, minced parsley, chopped mushrooms, crumbs, and dots of butter. Add one cupful of stock, and a wineglassful of Port wine. Bake for twenty minutes, basting as required, take up carefully, and serve with fried sweet potatoes.

[Page 257] THIRTEEN WAYS TO COOK RED SNAPPER

FRIED RED SNAPPER

Clean the fish, skin, and remove the backbone. Slice lengthwise in long thin strips, roll up and fasten with a toothpick or skewer. Dip in egg, then in cracker dust, and fry in deep fat. Serve with Tartar Sauce.

BOILED RED SNAPPER--I

Clean and draw the fish and boil slowly in salted and acidulated water to cover. Drain and serve with any preferred sauce.

BOILED RED SNAPPER--II

Clean a red snapper, sew it up in mosquito netting, and boil it in salted and acidulated water. Drain carefully, unwrap, and serve with Tomato Sauce.

BAKED RED SNAPPER--I

Prepare and clean the fish, stuff with [Page 258] seasoned crumbs and chopped oysters. Put on a buttered tin sheet and lay into a baking-pan. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and flour and bake for an hour, basting with melted butter and hot water as required. Serve with any preferred sauce.

BAKED RED SNAPPER--II

Clean and season the fish, rub with vinegar, and put into a baking-pan. Dot with butter, sprinkle with parsley, and bake, basting with melted butter and hot water as required. Serve with Tomato Sauce.

BAKED RED SNAPPER--III

Clean the fish, leaving the head on, and stuff with seasoned crumbs, cover with sliced tomatoes and sliced lemon, and bake, basting occasionally with melted butter and hot water.

BAKED RED SNAPPER WITH TOMATO SAUCE

Season four pounds of prepared and cleaned red snapper with salt and pepper. Cover with thin slices of bacon, dredge with flour, and put into a buttered baking-pan with two cupfuls of boiling water. Bake slowly. While it is baking fry brown two slices of chopped [Page 259] bacon, add a chopped onion, a pepper pod, a can of tomatoes, and salt and black pepper to taste. Cook until it thickens, pour over the fish, and finish baking. Take up carefully.

BAKED RED SNAPPER À LA CRÉOLE