Chapter 15

Cook a large sheepshead in a fish-boiler with two cupfuls each of water and white wine, two tablespoonfuls of butter, two chopped onions, a chopped green pepper, a bunch of parsley, and salt, pepper, and sweet herbs to season. Cover with buttered paper, boil until done and drain. Cook three tablespoonfuls of butter with two tablespoonfuls each of flour and curry powder, add the liquid drained from the fish, and enough stock to make the required quantity of sauce. Cook until thick, stirring constantly, and skim off the fat. Add two tablespoonfuls each of butter and chutney sauce, take from the fire, add the juice of a lemon, pour over the fish, and serve with plain boiled rice.

SHEEPSHEAD À LA LOUISIANNE

Prepare and clean a large sheepshead and put into a buttered baking-dish with two sliced onions, a chopped green pepper, a cupful of stewed and [Page 360] strained tomatoes, two cupfuls of white wine, a bunch of parsley, a tablespoonful of butter, and salt and white pepper to season. Cover with buttered paper and bake for forty minutes, basting as necessary. When done, drain the fish and keep it warm. Strain the liquid and add enough brown stock to make the required quantity of sauce. Thicken with flour browned in butter, add the juice of a lemon and a little minced parsley. Pour over the fish and serve with a border of plain boiled rice.

SHEEPSHEAD À LA MAJESTIC

Butter a baking-pan and line it with sliced onions and tomatoes, sprinkled with salt, pepper, and minced parsley. Lay upon it a cleaned sheepshead weighing three pounds. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and flour, and add enough stock and white wine to keep from burning. Baste as required and serve with the onions and tomatoes around the platter.

SHEEPSHEAD À LA MOBILE

Prepare and clean a large fish and cut it into thin slices. Put into a buttered saucepan with half a dozen sliced tomatoes, two sliced onions, a bunch of parsley, two bruised beans of garlic, and [Page 361] salt, paprika, and sweet herbs to season. Add equal parts of Claret and white stock to cover. Cover with buttered paper, bring to the boil, and simmer for forty minutes. Drain, strain the sauce, thicken with flour browned in butter, take from the fire, add a tablespoonful of butter and the juice of a lemon, pour over the fish and serve.

[Page 363] NINE WAYS TO COOK SKATE

FRIED SKATE

Prepare and clean the fish and cut into suitable pieces for serving. Dip in flour, then in egg, then in crumbs, and fry in deep fat. Serve with any preferred sauce.

BOILED SKATE

Prepare and clean a small skate and cut into convenient pieces for serving. Put into a kettle an onion and a carrot sliced, a bunch of parsley, a sprig of thyme, two bay-leaves, a tablespoonful each of salt and pepper-corns, and half a cupful of vinegar. Put the fish on this, add cold water to cover, and boil slowly for forty-five minutes. Drain and serve with any preferred sauce.

BOILED SKATE WITH BLACK BUTTER

Boil the skate until tender in salted and acidulated water to cover, with onion, thyme, parsley, bay-leaves, and pepper to season. Drain the fish and pour over half a cupful of browned butter to which a [Page 364] tablespoonful of vinegar has been added.

BOILED SKATE WITH CAPER SAUCE

Cook the fish in salted and acidulated water to cover, adding a sliced onion, two bay-leaves, and a bunch of parsley to the water, with salt and pepper to season. Drain, place on a hot dish, and serve with Caper Sauce.

BOILED SKATE WITH OYSTER SAUCE

Boil the fish in salted and acidulated water to cover, drain, and serve with Oyster Sauce.

BAKED SKATE

Skin the fish and cut into suitable pieces for serving. Put into a buttered saucepan with the juice of half a lemon and a bunch of sweet herbs. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, dredge with flour, and pour in two cupfuls of milk. When nearly tender, drain, brown in the oven, thicken the sauce with butter and flour cooked together, pour around the fish and serve.

SKATE WITH FINE HERBS

Butter a baking-dish and put into it pieces of prepared skate. Sprinkle with chopped mushrooms, onion, and parsley, season with [Page 365] salt and pepper, add two wineglassfuls of Sherry and half a cupful of stock. Sprinkle with crumbs and bake. Take up the fish carefully and add to the liquid enough brown stock to make the required quantity of sauce. Thicken with butter and flour cooked together, add a tablespoonful of butter, a teaspoonful of anchovy essence, and the juice of half a lemon. Pour around the fish and serve.

SKATE À L'ITALIENNE

Put the prepared fish into a buttered saucepan with a bean of garlic, one bay-leaf, two sprigs of thyme, a tablespoonful of butter, three cloves, and salt and pepper to season. Sprinkle with flour, cover the fish with milk, and simmer gently until done, then drain. Put into a serving-dish, sprinkle with grated cheese, and garnish with boiled button onions and triangles of fried bread. Strain the sauce over and serve.

SKATE À LA ROYALE

Parboil small pieces of skate, drain, cool, and marinate in oil and vinegar, seasoning with salt and pepper. Drain, dip in batter, and fry. Serve with any preferred sauce.

[Page 367] THIRTY-FIVE WAYS TO COOK SMELTS

BROILED SMELTS--I

Dip prepared smelts in lemon-juice and seasoned melted butter, then in flour; broil in a double-broiler, and serve with Remoulade Sauce.

BROILED SMELTS--II

Draw and clean large smelts, dip in oil, season with salt and pepper, and broil on a double-broiler. Serve with Maître d'Hôtel Sauce.

BROILED SMELTS--III

Split and bone large smelts, rub with seasoned oil, and broil. Serve with Bearnaise Sauce.

BROILED SMELTS--IV

Soak the prepared fish for an hour in seasoned olive-oil, drain, broil carefully, and serve with Maître d'Hôtel Sauce.

[Page 368] BROILED SMELTS--V

Take off the heads, split the fish, remove the back-bone, and broil for five minutes on a buttered broiler. Garnish with lemon and parsley and serve with melted butter, made very hot with red pepper.

BROILED BONED SMELTS À LA BEARNAISE

Split a dozen good-sized smelts, take out the back-bone, rub with seasoned oil, and broil on a double-broiler. Pour Bearnaise Sauce into the platter, lay the smelts upon it, and serve.

BROILED SMELTS WITH ONION SAUCE

Clean six or seven large smelts, dip in beaten egg, then into seasoned crumbs, and string on skewers by the heads. Broil, basting with melted butter as required. Fry two teaspoonfuls of chopped onion in butter, but do not brown. Take from the fire, add a teaspoonful of vinegar, and an equal quantity of minced parsley. Pour into a bowl and put on ice until cool. When ready to serve, mix a tablespoonful and a half of fresh butter with the sauce and make it into small balls. Serve one ball of the butter with each fish.

[Page 369] BAKED SMELTS--I

Remove the heads, split, dip in melted butter, then in flour. Put into a buttered baking-pan, bake for ten minutes, sprinkle with cayenne and lemon-juice, and serve.

BAKED SMELTS--II

Put prepared smelts into a buttered baking-dish, sprinkle with chopped parsley and mushrooms, and salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg to season. Pour over half a cupful of white wine, cover with a Cream Sauce, sprinkle with crumbs, dot with butter, and bake in the oven. Squeeze lemon-juice over and serve in the baking-dish.

BAKED SMELTS--III

Clean eighteen or twenty smelts and put into a baking-dish with one tablespoonful each of chopped onion and celery, a wineglassful of white wine, and salt and pepper to season. Cover with large fresh mushrooms and a cupful of Spanish Sauce. Sprinkle with crumbs, dot with butter, and bake in a hot oven. Sprinkle with parsley, squeeze lemon-juice over, and serve.

[Page 370] BAKED SMELTS À LA DUXELLES

Put a dozen cleaned and prepared smelts into a buttered baking-dish and sprinkle with chopped onion, parsley, mushrooms, salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg, cover with Drawn-Butter Sauce to which a wineglassful of white wine has been added. Sprinkle with crumbs, dot with butter, and bake for thirty minutes. Squeeze lemon-juice over and serve.

BAKED SMELTS À LA MANTON

Prepare according to directions given for Baked Smelts a la Duxelles, omitting the chopped onion and the wine from the sauce. Sprinkle with crumbs and grated Parmesan cheese, dot with butter, and brown in the oven. Squeeze the juice of a lemon over and serve.

FRIED SMELTS--I

Dip the prepared fish into seasoned, melted butter, then into corn-meal, and fry in deep fat. Or, dip in beaten egg and corn-meal.

FRIED SMELTS--II

Clean the fish, season with salt and pepper, and sauté in hot fat. Or, dip in egg and crumbs and fry in deep fat.

[Page 371] FRIED SMELTS--III

Dredge the cleaned fish with flour, dip in egg and crumbs, and sauté in a frying-pan with butter, or fry in deep fat.

FRIED SMELTS--IV

Dip the cleaned smelts in cream, then in seasoned flour, and fry in fat to cover. Serve with Tartar Sauce.

FRIED SMELTS--V

Clean small smelts, season with salt and pepper, dip in egg and crumbs, and string on skewers, piercing the head with a skewer. Fry in deep fat and serve with Mayonnaise or Tartar Sauce.

FRIED SMELTS--VI

Clean the smelts, trim off the tails, and remove the back-bone. Sprinkle with salt and pepper inside and out and skewer into circles with tooth-picks. Dip in egg and crumbs, fry in deep fat, and serve with Tartar Sauce.

FRIED SMELTS À L'ANGLAISE

Dip the cleaned fish into cracker crumbs, then in beaten eggs, then in cracker crumbs, and fry brown in deep fat. Serve with Tartar [Page 372] Sauce.

FRIED SMELTS AU BEURRE NOIR

Clean the smelts, season with salt and pepper, dip in corn-meal, then in beaten egg and crumbs, and fry in deep fat. Drain and serve with Brown Butter Sauce. If desired, the fish may be skewered in circles before frying.

FRIED SMELTS À LA PARISIENNE

Wash the smelts, remove the bone, wipe dry, dredge with flour, put their tails in their mouths, fasten with a tooth-pick, and fry in very hot fat. Garnish with hard-boiled eggs and serve with Tartar Sauce.

FRIED SMELTS WITH SALT PORK

Clean the smelts, leaving them whole. Dip into fine crumbs or corn-meal. Cut half a pound of fat salt pork into dice, and fry until crisp. Take up the pork, fry the fish in the fat, and drain on brown paper. Make a Cream Sauce, using the pork fat instead of butter, add to it the diced pork, pour around the fish and serve.

[Page 373] STUFFED SMELTS--I

Stuff the cleaned fish with bread-crumbs mixed with tomato and melted butter, seasoning with salt and pepper. Bake in a buttered pan and serve with any preferred sauce.

STUFFED SMELTS--II

Stuff cleaned smelts with chopped oysters and seasoned crumbs. Roll in melted butter, then in crumbs, and bake for fifteen minutes, basting with melted butter; the breading may be omitted if a more simple dish is desired. Serve with Bearnaise Sauce.

STUFFED SMELTS--III

Cook to a paste one cupful of crumbs and one cupful of milk. Beat smooth, add one egg well-beaten, a teaspoonful each of minced parsley, lemon-juice, and chopped olives, and one cupful of chopped oysters. Stuff large smelts, lay them in a pan lined with buttered paper, skewer the head and tail together, and fill the circles with stuffing. Steam for fifteen minutes or sprinkle with crumbs and butter and bake.

STUFFED SMELTS À L'ITALIENNE

Prepare, clean, and split the smelts, stuff [Page 374] with seasoned crumbs, and arrange in a buttered baking-dish, cover with Italian Sauce, and bake. Squeeze lemon-juice over and serve. Chopped oysters or cooked fish may be used with, or instead of, the crumbs.

STUFFED SMELTS AU GRATIN

Chop half a pound of raw fish, either sea-bass or salmon, and pound in a mortar to make very fine. Add two tablespoonfuls of bread-crumbs which have been soaked in hot milk and squeezed dry. Add the yolks of two eggs and the white of one, two tablespoonfuls of cream, and salt and pepper to season. Rub until very smooth and fold in lastly two tablespoonfuls of whipped cream. Let cool thoroughly.

Fry two tablespoonfuls of chopped onion in butter with two tablespoonfuls of minced parsley and a quarter of a pound of chopped fresh mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. Stuff the smelts with the fish paste. Butter a silver platter and spread it thinly with the fried onions and mushrooms. Add two tablespoonfuls of white wine and lay the fish upon it. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, spread with the rest of the onion and mushrooms, cover with crumbs, dot with butter, and brown in the oven. Serve in the Same dish.

[Page 375] SMELTS AU GRATIN

Clean and dry eighteen smelts. Fry together in butter a chopped onion, two shallots, twice the quantity of mushrooms, a minced bean of garlic, and a tablespoonful of minced parsley. Butter a baking-dish, spread the cooked vegetables upon it, and lay upon it the prepared fish. Season with salt and pepper, moisten with half a glassful of white wine, cover with large fresh mushrooms, pour over a cupful of Spanish Sauce, sprinkle with crumbs, dot with butter, and bake in the oven. Sprinkle with lemon-juice and minced parsley and serve. The smelts may be boned if desired.

SMELTS AU BEURRE NOIR

Roll the cleaned smelts in flour, sauté in butter, and arrange on fingers of buttered toast. Brown half a cupful of butter, add a tablespoonful of vinegar, pour over the fish, and serve.

SMELTS À LA BOULANGER

Clean and dry the fish, dip into cream, then into flour, and fry in deep fat.

SMELTS À LA DAVIS

Prepare and clean the fish, remove the bone, [Page 376] dip in milk, season with salt and pepper, dip in flour, and brown in butter. Melt two tablespoonfuls of peanut butter, add to it the juice of a lemon, pour over the fish and serve, garnishing with lemon and parsley.

SMELTS À LA TOULOUSE

Clean and bone a dozen large smelts. Cook in a saucepan with white wine and mushroom liquor or stock, seasoning with salt and pepper. Drain, and add the remaining liquid to a cupful of Allemande Sauce. Add a few button mushrooms and a tablespoonful of butter to the sauce. Pour over the smelts and serve.

SMELTS À LA DRESDEN

Clean and remove the bone from large smelts and stuff them with seasoned crumbs, chopped oysters, and mushrooms rubbed to a paste with melted butter. Butter a serving-dish, lay the prepared fish upon it, cover with chopped onion, and squeeze over the juice of a lemon. Add a tablespoonful of butter and a cupful of white stock and bake half an hour. Serve with any preferred sauce.

BOILED SMELTS

Cook smelts in salted and acidulated water, or in court bouillon, [Page 377] drain and serve with Tartar Sauce.

SMELTS WITH MAYONNAISE

Dip the cleaned fish into beaten egg, then into crumbs, and fry in deep fat. Serve cold with Mayonnaise.

STEWED SMELTS

Clean the fish and remove the heads. Put into a buttered china baking-dish. Add enough fish or veal stock to cover, and chopped onions, capers, parsley, thyme, pepper and salt, and white wine to season. Bring to the boil, pour over the fish and bake for ten or fifteen minutes. Serve in the same dish.

SMELTS WITH FINE HERBS

Chop together chives and parsley, and sprinkle a buttered baking-dish. Season with salt and pepper, lay prepared smelts upon it, sprinkle with chopped onions and seasoning, add half a cupful of white wine, cover with buttered paper and bake for ten minutes. Take up carefully, thicken the liquid with butter and flour cooked together, and serve with the fish.

[Page 378] SMELT CROQUETTES

Clean and split smelts and remove the backbone. Pound fine a pound of cooked halibut, seasoning with salt, white pepper, and Sherry. Add enough very thick Cream Sauce to make a stiff paste, and cool. Shape into croquettes and roll a smelt around each one, fastening it by sticking the tail through the head. Dip in egg and crumbs and fry in hot lard to cover. Serve with Tartar Sauce.

SMELTS IN MATELOTE

Chop together an onion, a sprig of parsley, three mushrooms, and a bean of garlic. Fry in oil and season with salt and pepper. Put the cleaned smelts into the pan, add enough white wine to cover, and simmer until done. Strain the liquid, thicken it with butter and flour cooked together, pour over the fish, and serve with a garnish of lemon and parsley.

[Page 379] FIFTY-FIVE WAYS TO COOK SOLES

NOTE:--If the imported sole is not readily obtainable, flounder or pompano makes a very acceptable substitute.

BOILED SOLES

Trim the soles, rub with lemon-juice and boil in salted water. Drain, and serve with any preferred sauce.

BROILED SOLE--I

Marinate for an hour in oil and lemon-juice seasoned with salt and pepper. Broil on a double-broiler and serve with Maître d'Hôtel Sauce.

BROILED SOLE--II

Clean and skin a sole, dip in melted butter and lemon-juice, then in seasoned crumbs, and broil. Remove the bone from an anchovy and rub it to a paste with a small lump of butter. Add a wineglassful of white wine and the juice of half a lemon and keep the sauce warm. [Page 380] Place the sole on a hot dish, pour the sauce over and serve.

BAKED FILLETS OF SOLE--I

Butter a baking-pan, sprinkle with chopped onions and parsley, lay fillets of sole upon it, spread with butter, season with salt and pepper, add a wineglassful of white wine, and bake in the oven, basting frequently. Take up the fish carefully, add to the liquid a dozen chopped mushrooms, a tablespoonful of fresh bread-crumbs and minced parsley to season. Lay the fillets on a baking-dish, spread with the paste, cover with large fresh mushrooms, sprinkle with crumbs, dot with butter, and brown in the oven. Serve very hot in the same dish.

BAKED FILLETS OF SOLE--II

Put the prepared fillets in a buttered baking-dish, sprinkling with chopped onion, parsley, and mushrooms, and seasoning with salt and pepper. Add a tablespoonful of butter and enough white wine and white stock in equal parts to keep from burning. Bake, basting frequently. Cook together one tablespoonful each of butter and flour, add a cupful of brown stock and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Take up the fish, drain the liquor from the pan into the [Page 381] sauce, and reheat. Spread the sauce over the fish, sprinkle with crumbs, dot with butter, and brown in the oven.

FILLETS OF SOLE BAKED IN WHITE WINE

Butter a baking-dish and put into it six fillets of sole. Add half a cupful of hot water and a tablespoonful of lemon-juice. Cook together one tablespoonful each of butter and flour, seasoning with minced parsley, grated onion, salt, cayenne, and powdered mace. Add one cupful of white wine and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Drain the fish, pour the sauce over, and serve.

BAKED SOLE WITH WINE SAUCE

Clean a large sole, trimming off the gills and dark skin and scraping the white side. Make a deep cut on each side of the back-bone and take off the fins. Put into a buttered baking-pan with salt and pepper to season and two cupfuls of white wine. Bake for twenty minutes. Cook together one tablespoonful of butter and two of flour, add a cupful of cold water and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Strain the liquor from the fish into the sauce, bring to the boil, [Page 382] add one tablespoonful each of butter and minced parsley, pour over the fish and serve.

FRIED SOLE--I

Remove the skin, dip in beaten egg, then in crumbs, and fry in deep fat. Serve with any preferred sauce.

FRIED SOLE--II

Skin and clean a pair of soles and marinate for an hour in oil and lemon-juice. Dip in egg and crumbs and fry in deep fat. Cool, trim, dip into melted butter, then into the beaten yolks of eggs, then into seasoned crumbs. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and broil slowly, basting with melted butter if needed. Serve with Maître d'Hôtel Sauce.

FRIED FILLETS OF SOLE--I

Marinate a sole for an hour in white wine, seasoned with salt, pepper, and sweet herbs. Drain, cut into fillets, dip in milk, dredge with flour, and fry in hot lard.

FRIED FILLETS OF SOLE--II

Sprinkle the prepared fillets with salt, pepper, and lemon-juice, dip in egg and crumbs, repeat, fry in fat to cover, and serve with Tartar Sauce.

[Page 383] FRIED FILLETS OF SOLE À L'ORLY

Soak the prepared fillets for an hour in lemon-juice seasoned with grated onion, minced parsley, salt and pepper. Drain, dry, dredge with flour or dip in batter. Fry in deep fat and serve with Tomato Sauce.

FRIED SOLE À L'ANGLAISE

Dredge the prepared fish with flour, brush with the beaten yolk of an egg, cover with crumbs, and fry in deep fat.

FRIED SOLE À LA COLBERT--I

Cut the fish into fillets, dip in milk, then in flour, and fry brown. Serve with melted butter and garnish with lemon and parsley.

FRIED SOLE À LA COLBERT--II

Select six small soles, cut off their heads, and make an incision down the back-bone. Season with salt, pepper, and lemon-juice, dip in egg and crumbs, fry in hot fat, drain, and serve with Colbert Sauce.

FRIED SOLES WITH SHRIMP SAUCE

Fillet the fish, dip in flour, then into egg and crumbs, fry in deep fat, and serve with Shrimp Sauce.

[Page 384] SOLE À L'AURORE

Butter a shallow platter, lay a sole upon it, cover with buttered paper and put into the oven for ten minutes. Take it out and remove the back-bone, filling its place with chopped onions and parsley. Replace the upper side of the fish, cover with a cupful of Cream Sauce and put in the oven for ten or fifteen minutes. Rub the yolks of hard-boiled eggs through a sieve over the fish, and garnish with the whites in rings, sliced lemon, and parsley.

FILLETS OF SOLE À LA BERCY

Cook some fillets of sole in butter, seasoning with salt, pepper, and minced onion. Take up the fish, add two tablespoonfuls of butter, a teaspoonful of minced parsley, and the juice of a lemon. Pour over the fish and serve.

FILLETS OF SOLE À LA BORDEAUX

Season the prepared fillets with salt and pepper, dip in melted butter, then into flour, then into beaten eggs, then into bread-crumbs. Fry brown in deep fat, garnish with lemon and parsley, and serve with Tomato Sauce.

[Page 385] SOLES À LA COLBERT

Skin and trim the soles and boil in salted water until done. Chop fine a head of endive and fry it in butter. Add two cupfuls of stock, bring to the boil, take from the fire, and add the yolk of an egg beaten smooth with a little cream. Place the soles on a hot dish, pour over the sauce, and serve.

FILLETS OF SOLE À LA CRÈME

Simmer the prepared fillets in salted and acidulated water to cover, seasoning with salt and pepper, sliced onion, cloves, and parsley. Cook together a tablespoonful each of butter and flour and add one cupful of cream and half a cupful of stock. Cook until thick, stirring constantly. Take from the fire, season with salt and pepper, and add the yolks of two eggs beaten smooth with a teaspoonful of lemon-juice and a tablespoonful of melted butter. Pour the sauce over the fillets and serve.

SOLE À LA DIEPPOISE

Butter a baking-dish, sprinkle with chopped shallot, and lay upon it the fillets of three soles. Add half a wineglassful of white wine and three tablespoonfuls of mushroom liquor. Cook for six [Page 386] minutes, take up, and reduce the liquid half by rapid boiling. Add to it one cupful of Allemande Sauce, a dozen cooked mussels or oysters, and half a dozen small cooked mushrooms. Take from the fire, add a tablespoonful of butter and the juice of half a lemon. Pour over the fish and serve.

FILLETS OF SOLE À LA FRANÇAISE

Fry the fillets with a chopped onion and a tablespoonful of chopped parsley in seasoned butter. Serve with Italian Sauce.

FILLETS OF SOLE À L'ITALIENNE

Arrange the prepared fillets in a buttered saucepan, with salt, pepper, chopped onion, and half a cupful of white wine. Cook for ten minutes and drain carefully, reserving the liquid. Add four tablespoonfuls of chopped mushrooms, and two cupfuls of Spanish Sauce. Add a tablespoonful of butter, a teaspoonful of minced parsley, and the juice of half a lemon. Pour over the fish and serve.

FILLETS OF SOLE À LA JOINVILLE