Chapter 3

Boil the fish according to directions previously given. Melt one tablespoonful of butter, add two tablespoonfuls of flour, and cook thoroughly. Add two cupfuls of the water in which the fish was boiled, and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Season with salt, pepper, minced parsley, and lemon-juice; add three hard-boiled eggs [Page 52] coarsely chopped, pour over the fish, and serve.

BOILED BASS WITH MUSHROOMS

Boil a bass in water to cover, adding to the water four tablespoonfuls of vinegar, six pepper-corns, and a little salt. Melt one tablespoonful of butter, add one tablespoonful of flour and cook thoroughly. Add one cupful or more of boiling water and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Add the juice of half a lemon, half a can of mushrooms chopped fine, and pepper and salt and minced parsley to season. Bring to the boil, pour over the fish, and serve.

BOILED BLACK BASS WITH CREAM SAUCE

Clean the bass and sew it up in coarse cheese-cloth. Boil in enough water to cover, adding half a cupful of vinegar, a sliced onion, six or eight whole peppers, a blade of mace, and salt to season. Take up the fish and reduce the liquid by rapid boiling. Strain and set aside. Melt one tablespoonful of butter, add one tablespoonful of flour and cook thoroughly. Add a cupful of the strained liquid and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Season to taste, add half a cupful of cream, bring to the boil, pour over the fish, and [Page 53] garnish with sliced lemons.

BLACK SEA-BASS À LA POULETTE

Prepare a Poulette Sauce and pour over a black sea bass boiled according to directions previously given.

COLD BASS WITH TARTAR SAUCE

Boil the fish in court bouillon and drain. Chop fine parsley, pickles, olives, and capers. Mix with a stiff Mayonnaise and spread over the fish. Serve with a border of sliced cucumbers.

BROILED BASS

Clean the fish, split it, and cut each half into two or three pieces. Dip in oil or melted butter, sprinkle with flour, and broil carefully.

BROILED BLACK BASS

Clean and split the fish, remove the bone, rub with melted butter or oil, and broil carefully. Pour over a little melted butter, and garnish with lemon and parsley.

BASS STEWED WITH TOMATOES

Clean the fish, remove the bones and cut [Page 54] into square pieces. Fry two sliced onions in olive-oil. Lay the fish upon it, season with salt and pepper and pour over a can of tomatoes which have been rubbed through a sieve. Season with salt and pepper, cover closely, and cook for an hour. Serve in the same dish.

FRIED BASS WITH BACON

Clean and cut up the fish, season with pepper and salt, roll in flour, and fry in hot lard. Serve with rashers of bacon fried separately. Garnish with parsley and lemon.

FRIED BLACK BASS

Scale, clean, and cut up the fish, season with salt and pepper, dredge with flour, and fry in deep fat.

BREADED FILLET OF BASS

Clean the fish and cut into convenient pieces. Season with salt and pepper, dip in beaten egg, then in crumbs, and fry in deep fat. Serve very hot with Tartar Sauce.

BREADED BASS WITH BACON

Clean the fish and cut into pieces. Season with pepper and salt, roll in flour, then in beaten egg, then in bread-crumbs. Fry in deep fat and serve with a border of rashers of bacon fried [Page 55] separately. Garnish with parsley.

BOILED SEA-BASS WITH PARSLEY SAUCE

Put two medium-sized cleaned sea-bass into a fish-kettle with a bunch of parsley. Cover with salted and acidulated water, bring to the boil, simmer for half an hour, drain, garnish with lemon and parsley, and serve with a parsley sauce.

FRIED SEA-BASS WITH TARTAR SAUCE

Clean and wipe small sea-bass, score the sides deeply, dip in milk, roll in flour, fry in deep fat, drain, sprinkle with salt, and garnish with quartered lemons and fried parsley. Serve with Tartar Sauce.

MATELOTE OF SEA-BASS

Clean three pounds of sea-bass and cut in convenient pieces for serving. Put into a saucepan with a bunch of parsley, salt and pepper to season, and a teaspoonful of sweet herbs. Add two onions, sliced, and two small cloves of garlic. Cover with equal parts of stock and Claret and simmer slowly until the fish is done. Move the fish carefully to a serving-dish and strain the liquid into [Page 56] another saucepan. Brown two tablespoonfuls of flour in as much butter as is required to make a smooth paste, add the liquid, and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Add to the sauce three tablespoonfuls of essence of anchovy and some mushrooms and small button onions fried brown in butter. Pour over the fish and serve.

BROILED SEA-BASS

Select a large fish, clean, and split. Season with salt and pepper, rub with olive-oil, and broil carefully. Serve with Maître D'Hôtel Sauce and garnish with lemon and parsley.

SEA-BASS À LA BUENA VISTA

Prepare and clean a large sea-bass. Cut a long, deep incision lengthwise on each side. Place in a buttered baking-dish with a chopped onion, a bunch of parsley, a pinch of sweet herbs, half a can of tomatoes and a small green pepper, shredded. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, add two cupfuls of stock and one cupful of Port wine. Dot with butter and bake in a moderate oven for forty minutes, basting freely. Take up the fish, and strain the sauce. Melt a tablespoonful of butter, brown in it a tablespoonful of flour, add two cupfuls of well-seasoned beef stock and cook until [Page 57] thick, stirring constantly. Combine these two sauces, cover the fish with broiled tomatoes, pour the sauce over, sprinkle with parsley and lemon-juice, and serve.

BOILED SEA-BASS WITH MELTED BUTTER SAUCE

Boil the fish in acidulated water according to directions previously given. Drain, garnish with parsley, and serve with a sauce made by melting half a cupful of butter with the juice of a lemon, and seasoning with white pepper and a little grated nutmeg.

SEA-BASS À LA FRANCAISE

Clean and trim two large sea-bass. Put into a saucepan, with salt and pepper to season, three tablespoonfuls of butter, two large onions, sliced, a bunch of parsley, and enough Claret to cover the fish. Simmer for forty minutes, drain, and place on a serving-dish. Take out the parsley and keep the liquid warm. Brown two tablespoonfuls of flour in two tablespoonfuls of butter, add the onions and liquid and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Add stock or water if there is not enough liquid. Add a tablespoonful each of melted butter and minced parsley, pour over the fish, and serve.

[Page 58] SEA-BASS WITH BLACK BUTTER

Boil medium-sized sea-bass in salted and acidulated water, drain, and marinate with salt, pepper, and vinegar. Brown a cupful of butter in a saucepan, skim, pour the top part over the fish, leaving the sediment in the pan, garnish with fried parsley, and serve.

STRIPED BASS WITH SHAD ROE

Clean a four-pound striped bass and soak the soft roes of four shad in cold water. Put the bass into a fish-kettle with an onion, salt and pepper to season, a small bunch of parsley, a tablespoonful of butter, two wineglassfuls of white wine, and enough white stock to cover. Cover, cook for half an hour or more, basting as required, and drain. Strain the liquid and add it to a tablespoonful each of butter and flour cooked together. Cook until it thickens, stirring constantly. Add the juice of a lemon and two tablespoonfuls of butter. Cook the roes for five minutes in salted and acidulated water, drain, cut in two, and arrange around the fish. Pour the sauce over, sprinkle with minced parsley, and serve.

FILLETS OF STRIPED BASS À LA BORDELAISE

Clean two striped bass and cut into fillets. [Page 59] Cover the trimmings with water, add one cupful of white wine, two cupfuls of white stock, a sliced onion, a bay-leaf, a sprig of thyme, a tablespoonful of butter, and salt and pepper to season. Skin the fillets, season with salt, and marinate for half an hour in oil and lemon-juice. Drain, sprinkle with flour, dip in egg yolks beaten smooth with a little melted butter, then in crumbs. Broil carefully, basting with melted butter as required. Fry a tablespoonful of chopped onion in two tablespoonfuls of flour and cook to a smooth paste. Add the liquid strained from the fish trimmings and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Add half a cupful of stewed and strained tomato, a tablespoonful of minced parsley, and two tablespoonfuls of butter. Season with red pepper and lemon-juice, pour over the fish, and serve.

FILLETS OF STRIPED BASS À LA MANHATTAN

Clean and trim a four-pound bass, skin, remove the bones, and chop very fine. Add four tablespoonfuls of butter, season with salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg, and add enough cream to make a stiff paste. Shape into cutlets, dip in egg and crumbs and fry in deep fat, or sauté in clarified butter. Drain. and serve with Tomato Sauce.

[Page 60] STRIPED BASS WITH CAPER SAUCE

Clean and trim a large striped bass, cut two incisions across the back, tie in a circle, and boil slowly in salted and acidulated water for forty minutes. Drain, pour over a Caper Sauce, garnish with parsley, and serve.

STRIPED BASS À LA DAUPHINE

Clean and trim a striped bass. Put into a fish-kettle with salt, pepper, a bunch of parsley, a pinch of sweet herbs, a sliced onion, two cupfuls of white wine, two cupfuls of water, and four tablespoonfuls of butter. Cook for forty minutes in a moderate oven, basting frequently. Drain the fish, strain the liquor, and add enough white stock or oyster liquor to make the required quantity of sauce. Cook two tablespoonfuls of flour in one tablespoonful of butter, add the liquid, and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Add three egg yolks well beaten with four tablespoonfuls of butter, a tablespoonful of anchovy essence, the juice of half a lemon, and a pinch of paprika. Bring to the boiling point, pour over the fish, and serve. Garnish with fried mushrooms.

STRIPED BASS À LA CARDINAL

Clean and trim a striped bass. Cook in a [Page 61] fish-kettle with two cupfuls of water, one cupful of white wine, four tablespoonfuls of butter, a bunch of parsley, an onion, and a carrot, sliced, and salt and pepper to season. Simmer for forty minutes and drain. Add two cupfuls of white stock to the liquid, strain, and skim off the fat. Cook two tablespoonfuls of flour in a tablespoonful of butter, add the strained liquid and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Take from the fire and add the yolks of four eggs, beaten with the juice of a lemon, four tablespoonfuls of melted butter, and a pinch of paprika. Bring to the boil, then take from the fire, add sufficient dried and pounded lobster coral to color, pour over the fish, and serve.

STRIPED BASS À LA HOLLANDAISE

Clean and trim a striped bass and simmer half an hour in salted and acidulated water to cover. Drain, garnish with parsley, and serve with Hollandaise Sauce.

STRIPED BASS À LA COMMODORE

Clean and stuff a striped bass. Put into a fish-kettle with a bunch of parsley, a cupful of mixed vegetables cut fine, a cupful of white wine, a cupful of oyster liquor, and enough water or stock to cover. Simmer for forty [Page 62] minutes and drain. Strain the gravy, skim off the fat, and set aside. Brown two tablespoonfuls of flour in one tablespoonful of butter, add one cupful of stock and cook until very thick, stirring constantly. Add the strained sauce and reheat, stirring until smooth. Add a tablespoonful of anchovy essence, four tablespoonfuls of butter, and lemon-juice to taste. Pour over the fish and serve.

STRIPED BASS À L'AMERICAINE

Cook together one tablespoonful each of butter and flour, add a pint of oysters, with their liquor, and the yolks of two eggs, well beaten. Cook until thick, stirring constantly. Prepare and trim a striped bass, fill with the oyster mixture, season, and sew up. Put into a fish-kettle with enough white wine and water, in equal parts, to cover. Add a sliced onion, a bunch of parsley, a little salt and pepper and a tablespoonful of butter. Simmer for an hour and drain. Strain the gravy and skim off the fat. Cook together two tablespoonfuls of flour and one of butter, add the strained liquid and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Take from the fire, add the yolks of four eggs beaten with four tablespoonfuls of melted butter, the juice of a lemon, and a tablespoonful of minced parsley. Bring to the boil, pour [Page 63] over the fish, and serve. Garnish with fried oysters.

STRIPED BASS À LA MARSEILLES

Clean a large striped bass and divide into fillets. Put into a fish-boiler with three tablespoonfuls of butter, two large onions, sliced, a bunch of parsley, a bay-leaf, salt and pepper to season, and red wine and water, in equal parts, to cover. Simmer for an hour, drain the fish, take out the parsley, strain the liquid, and spread the cooked onions over the fish. Cook three tablespoonfuls of flour in two tablespoonfuls of butter, add the strained liquid and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Take from the fire, add the juice of a small lemon, a tablespoonful of anchovy essence, and two tablespoonfuls of butter. When the butter is melted, pour over the fish and serve.

STRIPED BASS À LA CONTI

Clean and trim a large striped bass. Put into a baking-pan with four tablespoonfuls of olive-oil, a small onion, chopped fine, salt and pepper to season, a bunch of parsley, and two cupfuls each of white wine and white stock. Cover and cook for an hour in a moderate oven, basting often. Drain the fish and remove the parsley. Strain the sauce. Brown [Page 64] two tablespoonfuls of flour in one of butter, add the strained liquid, and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Add the juice of half a lemon and a tablespoonful of minced parsley. Pour over the fish and serve.

[Page 65] EIGHT WAYS TO COOK BLACKFISH

BLACKFISH À L'AMERICAINE

Draw two large blackfish, trim, and clean thoroughly. Put into a baking-dish with two chopped onions fried in butter. Add two cupfuls of cold water and half a cupful of Port wine. Season with salt and pepper, a pinch of powdered cloves, mace, allspice, and thyme, two bay-leaves, a small bunch of parsley, and two leeks. Cover tightly and cook for an hour. Lift out the fish and strain the liquid. Thicken it with a tablespoonful of butter, blended with an equal quantity of flour. Bring to the boil, add two tablespoonfuls of butter, and minced parsley and lemon-juice to season. Pour over the fish and serve.

BLACKFISH WITH FINE HERBS

Put the cleaned fish into a baking-dish with chopped onions, parsley and mushrooms. Gash the fish and fill the incisions with butter and chopped onion. Moisten with equal parts [Page 66] of white wine and stock, cover with buttered paper, and cook in a moderate oven for half an hour, basting frequently. Take out the fish, strain the sauce, and add stock to make the necessary quantity. Thicken with a tablespoonful of butter rolled in flour, and pour over the fish. Cover with crumbs, dot with butter, and brown in the oven. Sprinkle with lemon-juice before serving.

BROILED BLACKFISH WITH CHILLI SAUCE

Clean the fish, season with salt and pepper, rub with oil, and broil slowly. Fry in butter a chopped shallot and two chilli peppers. Add two chopped tomatoes, a wineglassful of Catawba wine, and a cupful of stock. Boil to the consistency of a thick sauce, add two tablespoonfuls of butter and a little chopped parsley. Spread over the fish.

MATELOTE OF BLACKFISH

Cover four pounds of cleaned blackfish with equal parts of Claret and water. Add salt and pepper to season, two small cloves of garlic, two onions sliced, and a bunch of parsley. Boil for half an hour and strain the liquid. Thicken it with two tablespoonfuls of butter blended with a little flour. Add two tablespoonfuls [Page 67] of butter, a tablespoonful of anchovy paste, and lemon-juice to season. Strain over the fish and garnish with fresh fried mushrooms and small white onions sprinkled with sugar and fried brown in clarified butter.

STEWED BLACKFISH À LA NEWPORT

Cook four pounds of blackfish in Catawba wine and water to cover, seasoning with parsley and onion, three cloves, salt, and half a dozen pepper-corns. Boil for half an hour, strain the sauce, and thicken with two tablespoonfuls of flour browned in butter. Cook until thick, add two tablespoonfuls of butter and the juice of half a lemon. Strain over the fish and surround with a border of baked tomatoes.

BAKED BLACKFISH--I

Put two cleaned blackfish into a buttered baking-pan with one cupful of Port wine and two cupfuls of water. Add salt, white and red pepper, grated nutmeg, minced parsley, and sweet herbs to season. Dot the fish with butter, cover with buttered paper, and bake for forty-five minutes, basting as required. Take out the fish, strain the sauce, and put it into a saucepan with two cupfuls of stock. Thicken with two tablespoonfuls of butter [Page 68] blended with an equal quantity of flour, and boil for ten minutes. Skim, add two tablespoonfuls each of butter and anchovy paste, and lemon-juice to taste. Reheat, pour over the fish, and serve.

BAKED BLACKFISH--II

Remove the skin and fins from a six-pound fish and place in a baking-pan. Cover with two cupfuls of bread-crumbs moistened with hot water, and seasoned with butter, salt, pepper, sage, summer savory, and sweet marjoram. Bake for an hour and a half and serve with any preferred sauce.

BLACKFISH WITH PORT WINE SAUCE

Put two cleaned blackfish into a pan with one cupful of Port wine, one cupful of water, one cupful of white stock, and salt, pepper, minced parsley, and sweet herbs to season. Cover and simmer for forty minutes. Take out the fish, add two cupfuls of stock to the sauce, thicken with one tablespoonful of butter blended with two of flour, and cook until of the proper consistency. Strain through a cloth, add two tablespoonfuls of butter, and lemon-juice and red pepper to season. Pour over the fish and serve.

[Page 69] TWENTY-SIX WAYS TO COOK BLUEFISH

BAKED BLUEFISH À L'ITALIENNE

Score and scale the bluefish and put it into a buttered pan with three tablespoonfuls each of white wine and mushroom liquor, a tablespoonful of chopped onion, half a dozen chopped mushrooms and salt and pepper to season. Cover with buttered paper and bake for fifteen minutes. Take out the fish and add to the sauce half a teaspoonful of beef extract, dissolved in half a cupful of boiling water. Add a wineglassful of white wine and thicken with one tablespoonful each of butter and browned flour. Pour the sauce over the fish, sprinkle with chopped parsley, and serve.

BAKED BLUEFISH--I

Clean, scrape, and split the fish and take out the backbone. Gash the flesh and insert a thin slice of salt pork under the skin. Make a stuffing of one cupful of bread-crumbs, two tablespoonfuls of chopped salt pork, and salt, [Page 70] minced parsley, chopped onion, red pepper, kitchen bouquet, and tomato catsup to season. Add one egg well beaten. Fill the fish and sew up. Lay on thin slices of salt pork and bake, basting frequently with the fat. Garnish with cress and lemon.

BAKED BLUEFISH--II

Clean a large bluefish, put into a baking-pan, pour over it a cupful of boiling salted water, cover and bake for an hour, basting frequently. Put on a serving platter, and thicken the sauce with browned flour, seasoning with salt, pepper, Worcestershire and tomato catsup. Serve with a garnish of sliced lemon.

BAKED BLUEFISH--III

Make a stuffing of bread-crumbs, two tablespoonfuls of minced onion, a teaspoonful of minced parsley, three tablespoonfuls of butter, one egg well-beaten, and salt and pepper to season. Stuff the fish and tie securely. Bake in a pan with a cupful of hot water and a tablespoonful of butter, basting frequently. Take out the fish, boil up the sauce, add a tablespoonful of catsup, a tablespoonful of browned flour wet with four tablespoonfuls of cold water, and the juice of a lemon. Cook until thick, and strain.

[Page 71] BAKED BLUEFISH--IV

Prepare a stuffing of crumbs, grated onion, beaten egg and capers. Stuff a large bluefish and sew up. Season with salt and pepper, rub with butter, and add sufficient boiling water. Bake, baste frequently, and serve with any preferred sauce.

BAKED BLUEFISH--V

Make a stuffing of one cupful of bread-crumbs, a tablespoonful of melted butter, and salt and pepper to season. Fill the fish and sew firmly. Gash the fish and lay strips of pork in the gashes. Cover with crumbs, dot with butter and add sufficient boiling water to keep from burning. Bake for an hour, basting frequently. Garnish with parsley and lemon and serve with tomato sauce.

BAKED BLUEFISH--VI

Slit a large bluefish, take out the bone, put in a buttered baking-dish and season with salt and pepper. Fry a chopped onion in butter, add half a dozen chopped mushrooms, three tablespoonfuls of chopped cooked egg-plant, and a teaspoonful of minced parsley. Add two cupfuls of stock, and cook for fifteen minutes. Thicken with a tablespoonful or more of flour rubbed smooth in cold water, [Page 72] and pour over the fish. Sprinkle with crumbs, dot with butter, and bake for an hour in a moderate oven.

BAKED BLUEFISH WITH WHITE WINE SAUCE

Put a cleaned bluefish into a buttered pan with salt, pepper, minced parsley, sweet herbs, a sliced onion, two cupfuls of white wine, and one cupful of white stock. Cover with a buttered paper and cook for forty minutes, basting as required. Take out the fish, strain the sauce, and thicken with a tablespoonful of flour cooked in butter. Boil for ten minutes, add three tablespoonfuls of butter, the juice of half a lemon and three egg yolks well beaten. Bring to the boil, pour over the fish, and serve.

BAKED BLUEFISH À LA NAPLES

Prepare the fish according to directions given for Baked Bluefish--II. Fry in butter for five minutes two tablespoonfuls each of chopped onion, carrot, and lean raw ham. Add twelve pepper-corns, two cloves, and a sprig of marjoram. Add two and one half tablespoonfuls of flour and cook until brown. Add gradually one cupful of brown stock and one and one fourth cupfuls of white wine. Cook until [Page 73] thick, stirring constantly, strain, reheat, pour over the fish, sprinkle with minced parsley, and serve.

BOILED BLUEFISH

Prepare according to directions given for Boiled Bass.

BROILED BLUEFISH--I

Split the fish down the back and soak for half an hour in brine. Rinse in fresh water, dry on a towel and broil on a buttered broiler. Serve on a hot platter with melted butter poured over, and garnish with watercress and sliced lemon.

BROILED BLUEFISH--II

Clean and split down the back, season with salt and pepper, and broil according to directions previously given. Sprinkle with minced parsley and lemon-juice and pour over a little melted butter. Serve with a border of mashed potatoes.

PAN-BROILED BLUEFISH

Lay the fish flesh side down in a well greased, very hot pan. Turn with a pancake-turner.

[Page 74] BROILED BLUEFISH AU BEURRE-NOIR

Broil a bluefish according to directions previously given. Mix together one tablespoonful each of vinegar and minced parsley, one teaspoonful of lemon-juice, and salt and pepper to season. Put two tablespoonfuls of butter into a frying-pan and when it browns add the other ingredients. Bring to the boil and pour it over the broiled fish.

BROILED BLUEFISH WITH MUSTARD SAUCE

Broil a bluefish according to directions previously given, and sprinkle with lemon-juice. Pour over a Cream Sauce to which prepared mustard has been added.

MATELOTE OF BLUEFISH

Prepare according to directions given for Matelote of Blackfish, using white wine instead of Claret.

STUFFED BLUEFISH--I

Prepare according to directions given for Stuffed Sea-Bass.

STUFFED BLUEFISH--II