Part 49

Salad.--Boil 4 eggs hard; when quite cold carefully remove the yolks, beat with a fork, with 2 teaspoonfuls mustard, 1 of salt, 1 of pepper, and a little cayenne; mix well together, add 4 dessertspoonfuls vinegar and 1 of lemon pickle. When quite smooth, add the spawn of the fish and ½ pint cream. Cut up the boiled fish in small pieces, and with an onion nicely minced, stir them into the sauce. Place the lettuce, endive, cress, &c., upon the lobster, garnish with beetroot and slices of whites of egg.

Sandwiches.--Take the flesh of a boiled lobster, cut the thick part into thin slices, put on a plate, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, a little oil and cayenne. Put any trimming of lobster and anchovies, or sardines, into a mortar with 2 oz. fresh butter, salt, pepper, and a little anchovy sauce, pound well together and pass through a sieve. Cut slices of thin bread and butter, place the slices of lobster carefully on them, and spread over each the above butter; put on another piece of bread and butter, flatten each sandwich, and cut into any shape you please. Serve either on a napkin with parsley, or over small cress. Potted lobster can be used for this purpose with greater advantage, and likewise a little cress, chopped, may be put next the slices of lobster. (Jane Burtenshaw.)

Soufflé.--Take out the meat from a small lobster, break it into pieces, and then pound it in a mortar with some of the spawn of a hen lobster, and an equal quantity of butter; add pepper, salt, and spices to taste, with as much cayenne as can be taken up on the point of a trussing needle; slightly pound the rest of the lobster, and put it into some very good veal stock, simmer gently until well flavoured; then strain and add sufficient of this with a little double cream and a dash of lemon juice, to make the mixture of the consistency of thick lobster sauce, stir over the fire until well mixed; then leave to get nearly cold; now add quickly the yolks of 3 or 4 eggs, according to quantity, and lastly the whites whipped to a stiff froth; pour it at once into a soufflé tin, and bake in the oven. Serve immediately.

Stewed.--For stew or _ragoût_, lobsters should be only half boiled, and then transferred to the stewpan. To concoct a stew, proceed as follows: Half boil a fine lobster, and take out the meat in as large pieces as possible. Put it into a stewpan, with a little white stock, 2 glasses hock, sauterne, or very light sherry, a little beaten mace, cayenne pepper and salt, a spoonful of ketchup, a dash of anchovy sauce, and a little butter rolled in flour. Stew gently for 20 minutes, shaking now and then; squeeze in the juice of a lemon, and serve on a hot dish.

_Mackerel_ (Maquereau).--In March superb mackerel may be obtained, full of roe and in perfect condition, while throughout the year they may be got in London in fair case for eating. Mackerel cannot be cooked too soon after being caught. The flesh immediately begins to deteriorate, and within a couple of days loses flavour--going in hot weather rapidly “to the bad.” In buying this fish, therefore, great attention must be paid to its condition and freshness. A good mackerel should be of fair size (not the monster called horse mackerel), plump, very thick and round in shape, full and deep from the shoulder downwards. The eye should be full and bright, the skin glossy, and the body stiff. The bars on the back should also be observed, as these are straighter in the male than in the female fish, the former of which is justly preferred, on account of the richer quality of the flesh and the exquisite texture and flavour of the roe.

Baked.--Wash and clean 3 or 4 mackerel, divide them down the back and once across, making 4 pieces of each fish. Arrange these pieces compactly in a pie dish in layers, with 3 or 4 bay leaves, 6 shallots sliced, a dessertspoonful of peppercorns, half that quantity of pimento berries, 8 cloves, and a little white pepper. Make a sauce with ½ pint good stock, 1 wineglass each of claret and vinegar, 1 tablespoonful mushroom ketchup, and the same of anchovy and Harvey sauce, with a tablespoonful of Worcester sauce and soy. Bake in a moderate oven with a cover on the dish until the fish is quite done; take from the sauce, and place on the dish you intend serving it on; strain the sauce, and pour over the fish. Serve cold, garnished with sprigs of parsley or fennel. Fish cooked in this way will keep good for 2-3 days, if left in the sauce and covered over.

Boiled.--For boiling, mackerel should be carefully cleaned, from the gills, well washed in vinegar and water, and allowed to dry before being put into the fish kettle, when a handful of salt should be put into sufficient water to cover the fish which should be allowed to boil gently for 15-20 minutes. As the critical moment approaches the fish should be carefully watched, as when the eye starts and the tail splits it is done, and must be taken up immediately, or it will break. Serve on a napkin with fennel sauce (in boats) made as follows: Pick and wash a bunch of fennel, tie it up and “blanch” it, i.e. throw it into boiling water and let it remain for a few minutes, drain and chop it finely and add it to some melted butter, make it quite hot, and serve. When fennel is unattainable parsley may be used--albeit a feeble substitute--instead. Another good sauce for boiled mackerel is made thus: throw a large piece of butter rolled in flour into a stewpan, add chopped and blanched parsley and mushrooms, a little chopped shallot and a _soupçon_ of garlic, moisten with a cupful of stock or broth, add salt and a little grated nutmeg, and just before serving stir in a little mustard, amalgamate thoroughly, and serve in a boat.

Broiled.--When the fish are split open, wipe carefully with a dry cloth, sprinkle lightly with pepper and salt, and hang up in a cool place with plenty of air until next morning. Take care to keep the fish open when you hang them up. When ready to cook the mackerel, dissolve ½ oz. butter or bacon fat for each fish, and pass them through it on both sides. Lay them on a gridiron over a very slow fire, turn frequently, basting now and then with a little butter. When the fish is last turned, sprinkle finely-chopped parsley on the inner side, and then serve very hot. They must be very slowly cooked; they will take at least 20 minutes. If put over a fierce fire mackerel is rendered hard and indigestible, and the fish itself is unjustly blamed, but if the above recipe is followed a most delicious dish will be produced.

Devilled.--Split the mackerel down the back, and remove the bone. Divide the fish into 4 fillets, trim neatly, and season well with made mustard, black pepper, salt, and a little lemon juice; let remain for a short time, 1 hour if possible, then dip in oil or melted butter, and broil over a clear fire; serve with fried parsley and cut lemon, or with a grill sauce, viz. gravy flavoured with French mustard, mushroom ketchup (or any flavouring preferred), a few chopped capers, and with a thickening of butter, flour, and a dash of lemon juice.

Fillets.--Split 2 mackerel, remove the bone, cut off the heads and tails, and trim the 4 halves into 12 fillets; remove the skin from each; sprinkle with pepper and salt, and set to cook with plenty of butter in a sauté pan, or in a tin in the oven. Put all the bones and trimmings of the fish to boil for 1 hour in a saucepan, with 1 onion, 1 carrot, some parsley, sweet herbs, pepper, salt, and cloves to taste, and a little water; then strain it. Fry in oil 3-4 shallots finely minced, and as many mushrooms, until they are a light brown; then add 3 tablespoonfuls wine vinegar, mix well, and let it reduce by one-third. Add the above liquor and a little chopped parsley, and dish the fillets with this sauce.

Fricassée.--2 mackerel, 1 tablespoonful parsley, juice and rind of one lemon, yolks 2-3 eggs, ¼ pint cream, 2 oz. butter, 1 tablespoonful flour. Clean the mackerel and with a sharp knife just cut through the skin round the head, strip the skin off from the head to the tail, then run the knife down the back close to the bone, on the outside, turn the fish over, and proceed as before, keeping the knife close to the bone; strip the fillet off each side of the bone, cut across in an oblong shape, lay on a dish, sprinkle with a little sauce. Next put the bones of the fish into a stewpan, with the stalks of the parsley, the rind of the lemon pared very thin, and a little water, let them stew about ½ hour; when done strain the liquor from the bones into the basin, rinse the stewpan, and arrange in it the fillets in one layer; pour over them the liquor from the bones, and let them simmer 10-15 minutes very slowly. About 5 minutes before the fish is done add to it a tablespoonful finely-chopped parsley, a little salt, white pepper, the flour and butter previously mixed on a plate, and the cream; shake the stewpan round to mix the butter and flour, let the sauce just boil, add the beaten yolks of 2-3 fresh eggs, and the lemon juice; but be sure not to let it boil after the eggs are put in, or the sauce will curdle. The roes of the fish should be fried, and laid on top of the fricassée; and a wall of mashed potatoes or rice might be put round the dish if liked.

Grilled.--Split 2 mackerel down the back, and remove the bone. Mix some olive oil in a dish with pepper and salt, lay the mackerel in this, and turn them over so that they are well oiled on both sides. Place them in a double gridiron, and grill them for about 10 minutes in front of a clear, but not too fierce, fire, turning them frequently during the process. Serve back downwards, with a large piece of _maître d’hôtel_ butter on each fish.

Roes.--Blanch some soft roes of mackerel for about 5 minutes in salted water, with a dash of vinegar in it; drain them on a cloth; fry a minced shallot in butter, add some mushrooms finely chopped, a pinch of flour, a little stock, some minced parsley, pepper and salt, and the juice of half a lemon; stir the sauce well. Oil some paper cases; put a little of the sauce in each, then as many slices of roe as it will hold, and fill up with more sauce. Put the cases in a moderate oven, and serve as soon as the contents are hot.

_Mullet_ [_Grey_] (Mulet). Boiled.--Choose a good-sized fish, lay it in the fish kettle with plenty of well-salted cold water; when the water boils draw the kettle aside, lift up the fish, and let it drain, covered up over the water until the time of serving.

Broiled.--See Carp.

In Jelly.--Take a grey mullet, about 5 lb., scale and wash well; put it in a fish-kettle, with sufficient water to just cover it; add the juice of 12 lemons, 6 sweet and 3 bitter oranges, some allspice, and 2 onions, with a few cloves stuck in them. Let the fish boil gently in this liquor till done. Put in a deep dish when cooked; then put 1 oz. isinglass or Nelson’s gelatine, previously soaked in cold water, in the water the fish was cooked in, and let it simmer till dissolved; then strain over the fish till not quite covered, and let it remain till next day, when the jelly ought to be firm, but not so stiff as calves’-foot jelly. (E. G.)

Stewed.--Take a grey mullet (3-4 lb.), scale and wash well; sprinkle with salt and let it rest. Put a teacupful of olive oil in a frying pan with 4 or 5 onions; put it on the fire, and fry rather brown; lay the half on the bottom of a deep baking dish, place the fish over, then a good layer of chopped parsley, a layer of tomatoes in slices (or American tinned ones will do) and the remainder of the onions, and another layer of parsley; pour over the oil left in the frying pan ½ teacup French vinegar, 1 teacupful water, with some salt in it and 2 tablespoonfuls conserve de tomates. Bake in the oven for about 1 hour in a moderate heat; lay the fish in the centre of the dish and the vegetables round. This must have no gravy left. Best eaten cold. See Carp.

_Mullet_ [_Red_] (Rouget).--This “woodcock of the sea” must never be drawn or cleaned, as, like its land namesake, it is a very clean feeder. As its own flavour is its greatest attraction, it is better to cook it in a manner that does justice to that flavour, without overpowering it. Lay 3-4 red mullet in a deep dish in vinegar, and some whole pepper, and let them do themselves, and be served in the juices that they throw out; or plain boil them, and mix their insides with plain melted butter, without rejecting any part.

Baked.--Cut 1 carrot and 2 onions into thin slices; add thyme, parsley, and marjoram, with pepper and salt to taste, and 3 tablespoonfuls salad oil; mix these well together, cover each mullet with the mixture, and roll up in a piece of white paper, previously oiled; bake them in a moderate oven ½ hour, then carefully open the paper, place the fish neatly on a dish, ready to be served, and keep it warm. Melt a small piece of butter, add a large pinch of flour, half a tumblerful of good stock, and the vegetables, &c., the fish were cooked in. Let the sauce boil 5 minutes, add salt if wanted; strain, skim, pour it over the fish, and serve.

Broiled.--Wipe each fish quite dry, and lay it on a sheet of note paper well oiled with salad oil; sprinkle pepper, salt, and a little minced parsley on the fish, and a little lemon juice; fold up the paper neatly, and broil them on a gridiron; take them out of the paper, and lay carefully on a dish; pour the following sauce over and serve: Fry in a little salad oil a couple of shallots very finely minced, then add a wineglassful of sherry, 6 mushrooms finely minced, and as much Spanish sauce as may be required. Lastly, put in a little finely chopped parsley, and a little lemon juice. Let the sauce gently simmer for ¼ hour, and, having skimmed off the fat, pour it over the fish.

Stewed.--Make a paste in a basin with breadcrumbs soaked in milk and squeezed dry, butter, minced parsley, pepper, salt, and spices to taste; add a yolk of egg to it, and when it is worked quite smooth, stuff the mullets with it, and put them to cook in the oven in a tin, with plenty of olive oil, and pepper and salt to taste. Fry some shallots in oil till they are a good colour, stir in a little flour and as much well-flavoured stock as you want sauce; add spices, pepper and salt to taste; then strain it and add a quantity of Spanish olives previously stoned and parboiled. Let them simmer in the sauce for a short time; then serve with the mullets.

Stuffed.--Remove the gills of the mullets, make an incision from the throat half-way down the belly of the fish, and do not remove any of the inside but the small gut, which will come away in pulling out the gills. Take some fine breadcrumbs, add to them a fourth of their bulk of shallots, and the same quantity of mushrooms, both minced as finely as possible, and lightly fried in butter. Then add some parsley and sweet herbs finely chopped, season with pepper and salt, and make the mixture into a paste by working a pat of butter or more into it, and the yolk of one egg; stuff the mullets with this, pack them up securely in buttered paper, and grill them on a clear fire, or bake them in a buttered tin.

_Mussels_ (Moules).--Mussels have an evil reputation, and in this country are regarded with especial suspicion, while in France they are eaten by everybody, when in season--that is, during the six winter months. They maybe eaten raw if great care is taken in bearding them. This operation, which is optional in the case of the oyster, is indispensable to the wholesomeness of the mussel. It is, however, more general and perhaps safer to eat mussels stewed.

Stewed.--Take 3-6 doz. mussels, put them in a pail of water, and wash well with a birch broom; then put into a pail of spring water and salt for 2 hours; wash out, put into a saucepan without water, and cover close; stew gently till they open, and strain the liquor from them through a sieve; pick them out of the shells, beard carefully and put into a stewpan. Put in about half the liquor carefully drained from the settlings, with a gill of sherry or sauterne, a little grated nutmeg, and a large piece of butter rolled in flour. Stew gently, and keep stirring till the mixture is thick and smooth, and serve on a hot dish with toasted sippets.

_Oysters_ (Huîtres). Raw.--Put 4-6 oysters before each guest on a plate, with a lemon quartered, and with the upper shell replaced over each oyster. Serve thin slices of brown bread and butter and cayenne with them.

Angels on Horseback.--Take 12 or more large-sized oysters from their shells, removing the beards; cover each with a very thin slice of fat of bacon, dipping each slice into hot water and well drying it with a cloth before rolling it round the oyster; then place them on a fine skewer and suspend them before the fire until the bacon is nicely cooked. A slice of soft buttered toast should be under them while cooking, and on it they should be sent up very hot to table.

Broiled.--Many invalids who object to native oysters in the shell can eat them with relish when cooked in this way. Drain the oysters from their liquor and dry them in a napkin. Heat and well butter a gridiron, season well, lay them on, and brown both sides. Serve on a very hot dish, with melted butter.

Cream.--Open 1 doz. oysters carefully and save the liquor; take ½ pint milk, add to it a piece of butter the size of a walnut, thicken with flour, and simmer 10 minutes. Add the oysters with their liquor, and seasoning to taste. Have some nicely browned slices of toast, take up the oysters carefully, lay them on the toast, pour the mixture over, and serve.

Croustades.--Parboil a quantity of oysters in their own liquor, remove the beards, cut each oyster into 4-6 pieces. Melt a piece of butter in a saucepan, add to it a pinch of flour, the liquid of the oysters, a little cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg, the least bit of cayenne, and some finely minced parsley. Put in the oysters and toss them in this sauce just long enough to make them quite hot. Stir into them, off the fire, the yolk of an egg beaten up with the juice of half a lemon, and strained. Fill some bread croustades, warm them in the oven, and serve.

Cutlets.--For these the large stewing oysters are the best. Take about ½ lb. veal, and an equal quantity of oysters. First chop them finely, and then pound them together in a mortar, adding a little finely chopped veal suet, and 3 tablespoonfuls breadcrumbs which have been soaked in the liquor from the oysters when opened. Season with a little salt, white pepper, and a very little piece of mace well pounded; to this add the beaten yolks of 2 eggs. Mix this thoroughly; then pound it a little more, and make it up in the form of small cutlets. Fry them in butter, after having dipped them in the usual way in egg and breadcrumbs. Drain well and send to table very hot. Serve on a napkin, and garnish with little sprigs of parsley.

Devilled (à la diable).--Parboil some oysters in their own liquor, take off the beards and hard parts, cut up the remainder into small pieces, season well with cayenne and salt, and add a little lemon juice. Take the liquor in which the oysters were boiled and add to it a thickening of butter and flour, put in the minced oysters, and stir over the fire until quite cooked, then add, off the fire, the yolks of 1 or 2 eggs, beaten up with a little cream. Spread out the mixture to get cold, then divide it into small portions, roll up each portion into the thinnest possible wafer of parboiled bacon. Just before frying dip each roll into some frying batter, put them into the frying basket, and fry in hot lard or butter. Serve garnished with fried parsley.

Fricassée.--Take a tablespoonful of cream and the beaten yolk of an egg. Mix them well together, then drain the liquor from 12 oysters, thicken it with butter and flour, add the egg and cream, season to taste, and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring all the time. Lay in the oysters, let them warm through, then pour up over slices of buttered toast.

Fried.--The oysters must be first boiled in their own liquor, and drain. Then put them into a frying pan, with butter in the proportion of 2 oz. to 3 doz. oysters, about a tablespoonful of ketchup, a little chopped parsley, and grated lemon peel, and fry them for a few minutes. Serve very hot, with toast separate. (Mrs. B.)

Fritters.--Have ready a batter made as follows: Dissolve 1 oz. butter in 2 oz. water or oyster liquor, and stir to this 1½ oz. sifted flour; mix well over the fire. Take it off and mix in, one after the other, 3 eggs and a little salt. Beard and scald the oysters, dip each into the butter, fry lightly, and serve.

Kromeskies.--Put 1 doz. oysters (tinned will do), with their liquor, into a saucepan, bring them to the boil, take them out and beard them, cut into pieces about the size of half a pea; return the beards to the saucepan, boil in their liquor to extract the flavour, put them back for 5 minutes to simmer. Make a panada of 1 oz. butter, 1 oz. flour, ¼ gill oyster liquor (add milk if short), pepper, salt, cayenne, and a few grates of nutmeg; put into a saucepan. When it thickens add the yolk of an egg, a teaspoonful of lemon juice, a teaspoonful of anchovy sauce; do not let it boil. Put the pieces of oyster in the panada to get thoroughly warmed through, turn out on a plate to cool. Then shape into cakes, inclose in very thin bacon, dip into frying batter, then drop into boiling fat, and fry. These can be warmed up in the oven. Batter for kromeskies: 4 oz. flour, 2 dessertspoonfuls salad oil, a pinch of salt, 1 gill tepid water, whites of 2 eggs beaten to a stiff froth; put the flour into a basin, make a well in the centre, then add salad oil, begin to stir very slowly, when it thickens add the water. After all the water is added let the mixture stand for 1 hour. Beat the whites of the eggs into a very stiff froth (it ought to be stiff enough to be able to cut it with a knife), stir into the batter very lightly. The best bacon for kromeskies is a block off the back, nearly all fat; parboil it for 20 minutes, let it get cold, cut into slices 2½ in. wide, 3 in. long, then wrap round the oyster shapes.

Olives.--Chop finely 1 lb. inside loin of mutton, with ½ lb. beef suet free from skin, and 1 pint oysters, scalded and bearded. Mix well, and season with pepper, salt, and mace, and a squeeze of lemon juice. When quite smooth, press all into a glazed pot. It will keep several days. For use, roll it into balls or cakes, and fry lightly.

Patties.--Make first a rich puff paste with ½ lb. Vienna flour and ½ lb. butter. Press all the moisture out of the butter with a clean cloth, then rub half of it very lightly into the flour, mix with sufficient cold water to form a paste, roll, and put on the remainder of the butter, fold in three, and roll out; repeat this, then fill the patty-pans, and bake quickly. Beard and drain 1 doz. oysters, add a few drops of lemon juice to the liquor, and thicken with flour, butter, and the yolk of an egg. Cut the oysters into dice, stir them into the mixture with a few drops of anchovy sauce; warm up, and fill the cases.

Pie.--Line the sides and edges of a buttered pie dish with puff paste. Take some large, fresh oysters, lay them in a stewpan, and stir to them pepper, salt, and mace to taste, a very little butter rolled in flour, and the liquor. When well mixed over the fire, pour it all into the pie dish, strew it thickly with breadcrumbs and chopped hard-boiled egg, cover the dish with paste, and bake in a quick oven.