Part 51

Kromeskies.--Odds and ends of cold salmon, and the tail of the fish, are well employed in making neat little dishes, such as kromeskies. To make these, cook the salmon, free it from skin and bone, and put it under a weight. When it is cooled into solidity, cut it into dice, and add half its bulk of chopped cooked truffles, if you have them, or mushrooms if the more noble fungus be unattainable. Take some good gravy, thicken it with butter and yolk of egg, reduce it a little, put in the salmon and the truffles, give it a shake up, and let it cook. Form the kromeskies with sheet wafer, dip in batter, fry them in butter, drain carefully, and serve very hot.

Mayonnaise.--Boil 5 or 6 eggs hard; when cold remove the yolks, and pound them up with 2 saltspoonfuls salt, 1 teaspoonful mustard, a little cayenne, and the raw yolks of 2 or 3 eggs. When quite smooth add 10 dessertspoonfuls oil, 2 of tarragon, and 4 of common vinegar. Wash and chop some tarragon, chervil, spring onions. Divide 1 lb. cold boiled salmon (freed from bone and skin) into flakes. Put a layer of the above salad into a bowl, then half of the salmon, pour some sauce over, then another layer of salad, the rest of the salmon and the sauce; ornament with sliced cucumber.

Pie.--Salmon pie is an elegant dish. To prepare this, take a tail of salmon and pick it clean from the bones and weigh it. Then make half its weight of whiting stuffing. Strip the fillets from 2 whiting, pound the flesh and rub it through a tammy; add to this ¼ lb. butter, and a like weight of breadcrumbs soaked in milk; season with pepper and salt, add a little white sauce, bind with yolks of 2 eggs, and mix all well together. Now take a pie dish, and put in a thin layer of stuffing, and on that a layer of salmon, seasoned with pepper, salt, and a little spice; on this put another layer of stuffing, then salmon, and so till the dish is filled; cover with paste, and bake in a slow oven till done. This requires some care in its preparation; but a simpler salmon pie may be made by mixing the cold flaked fish with mashed potatoes and a liberal dose of anchovy or shrimp sauce, and putting the whole into a pie dish, which may remain in a moderate oven till nicely browned.

Salad.--Take some boiled and “soused” salmon, mince it with apples and onions, add some salad oil, vinegar, and pepper; garnish with lemons and capers.

Scalloped.--Cut the flesh in slices half a finger thick, and these again, according to their size, into 2, 3, or 4 pieces, as round as possible. Put them into a pan with plenty of butter, and some salt and pepper. Keep a brisk fire till they are cooked through. Arrange them on a dish in a circle, overlapping each other, with a piece of fried bread the same size between each. Into the middle of these pour a sauce, tomato, genevoise, or Italian, or a white sauce, Parisienne or Normande.

_Salt fish_ (Morue).--In buying salt fish, care should be taken to select a thick, plump slice, which should be very white, as a yellow tinge often indicates fish that has been cured for a long time. That with a black skin should be preferred. Now take a sharp knife and pare the inside all over, wash the fish thoroughly, put it into a tub of spring water for 24 hours, then wash it out and put in fresh spring water for 12 hours longer. After this, lay it in hot water for a few minutes, and scrape off the tough outside pieces and scales without injuring the skin, which should be carefully preserved intact.

Wash the fish thoroughly, cut it into handsome pieces, and set it to drain. Have ready a kettle of boiling spring water, put in the fish, and boil it 20-30 minutes, according to thickness. Skim thoroughly, take up the fish and put it across the kettle to drain. Then with the paste brush wash it well, set it on a fish stand and napkin in a very hot dish, and garnish with hard eggs chopped small, and the whites of several more cut in rings. Surround the fish with pieces of boiled parsnips, and serve mashed parsnips and potatoes in separate dishes. If the fish be “dried” instead of merely salted, it will require soaking for 12-20 hours, according to its condition before commencing the operations just described. Salt fish is in this country invariably accompanied by egg sauce in boats, and it is important that this accompaniment be supplied in profusion. A little egg sauce is mere weak trifling. To make egg sauce, boil 6 eggs for 12 minutes, let them get cold, then cut the yolks into dice, and the whites in segments. Make 1 lb. good rich melted butter, add a little cream, season with pepper, salt, and a very little cayenne. Boil for a few minutes, then add the eggs, and shake them over the fire till they are quite hot through. Serve very hot.

_Sardines._--Curried.--Prepare the sardines as in the next recipe, put them on toast, and pour over them, instead of the “devil” mixture, the following sauce. Put the oil from the sardines in a small saucepan, which has previously been rubbed with a clove of garlic cut in half. When the oil boils add 1 tablespoonful flour and 1 teaspoonful curry powder, then add 2 gills stock, and boil till a good consistency is reached; then pour it upon the yolk of an egg, beaten with ½ teaspoonful lemon juice; add cayenne pepper and salt; pour over the sardines, and serve very hot.

Devilled.--Split the sardines, and remove the bones, trim them neatly, and season with a little made mustard, pepper, salt, and a little lemon juice; leave them for a short time, then broil over a clear fire, serve with fried parsley or with rich brown gravy, well flavoured and seasoned with pepper, salt, and French mustard.

Dressed.--6 sardines, 6 or 8 croûtons of bread, 2 teaspoonfuls anchovy essence, 2 teaspoonfuls Worcester sauce, a pinch of cayenne pepper, 1 dessertspoonful flour, 3 oz. butter, ¼ pint boiling water. Scrape, bone, and pound the sardines in a mortar with 1 oz. butter, a teaspoonful of anchovy essence, a teaspoonful of Worcester sauce; have ready fried, in fresh lard or butter, 6-8 croûtons of bread, stamped out with a small round tin cutter; spread the prepared sardines on the croûtons, and keep hot while the sauce is being made; put into a small saucepan 2 oz. butter, let it dissolve over the fire a minute; stir into it 1 dessertspoonful flour, and stir into it from the kettle ¼ pint boiling water; add to it the remainder of the anchovy and Worcester, and a little lemon juice; pour this over the croutons and serve.

Eggs.--4 eggs, 4 sardines, 1 dessertspoonful chopped parsley, boil the eggs 8-10 minutes, and put them in cold water; scrape the sardines gently, and pound in a mortar. Peel the shells off the eggs, and cut them in halves lengthways; take out the yolks, and add them to the sardines in the mortar, and to these add the parsley, a little salt, a little white pepper, and 1 oz. butter. Pound all together and use this mixture to fill the whites of the eggs; now put the two halves together, so as to give them the appearance of whole eggs, set them on a dish, and put between them some sprigs of parsley and some strips of toast, or a border of small salad sprinkled with a little salad oil and vinegar.

Grilled.--Open a box containing 1 doz. sardines, remove the skins, and place the sardines on a tin plate in the oven till they are heated through. Meanwhile pour the oil from the sardines into a small saucepan, set it on the fire, and when it boils put in an even tablespoonful flour, stir well; then add gradually 2 gills weak stock or water. Boil till it is as thick as rich cream, then add 1 teaspoonful Worcester sauce, with salt, and plenty of cayenne pepper; beat together the yolk of 1 egg, 1 teaspoonful French mustard, and 1 teaspoonful vinegar. Pour the sauce boiling hot on the eggs, &c., stir a moment, then pour it over the sardines.

Maître d’Hôtel.--6-8 sardines, 1 dessertspoonful chopped parsley, 1 thin slice onion chopped fine, 1 tablespoonful chili vinegar, ¼ pint melted butter, a round of toast. Have ready some toast; scrape the sardines carefully, and arrange them neatly on the toast, keep them warm while you make the following sauce: Make ¼ pint melted butter or white sauce, put into it the parsley and onion finely minced; let it boil 1 minute; add the chili vinegar or a little lemon juice, and a pinch of cayenne; pour this over the sardines, stand in the oven a few minutes, and serve.

Salad.--Take some sardines from a tin, wipe them slightly, bone and divide them into small pieces. Cut up some nicely washed lettuce, chervil, cress, &c., lay them in a salad bowl with the sardines and some chopped capers. Boil 2 eggs hard, mash the yolks, with salt, pepper, mustard, and cayenne; add gradually 3 tablespoonfuls fresh oil and 2 of lemon juice, stir well; pour it over the salad, garnish with slices of lemon and pickled capsicums.

Sandwiches.--Take 2 boxes sardines, and throw the contents into hot water, having first drained away all the oil. A few minutes will free the sardines from grease. Pour away the water, and dry the fish in a cloth; then scrape away the skins, and pound the sardines in a mortar till reduced to paste; add pepper, salt, and some tiny pieces of lettuce, and spread on the sandwiches, which have been previously cut as above. The lettuce adds very much to the flavour of the sardines.

Toast.--Place them with some of the oil out of the box between 2 plates in a hot oven; when thoroughly hot through place on toast cut in long slices the length of the sardine; shake a little cayenne and salt mixed over them, with a gentle squeeze of lemon.

_Scallops_ (Pitoncles).--Scallops are to be obtained during the colder months of the year, and in January and February are in full roe and at their best. Like all shell fish, scallops must be eaten quite fresh, or they are a failure; the flesh should be firm and white, the roe deep orange-coloured. In full season they are 6-8_d._ a doz., sometimes less, and being thick and fleshy, 1 doz. is generally considered enough for 4 persons.

Baked.--Trim off the beards and black part of the fish, and lay them in their own deep shells, or tin shells, 3 scallops in each; put a little vinegar in each, and pour over them the following mixture: a teacupful of breadcrumbs, a tablespoonful of chopped and scalded parsley, pepper, salt, and sufficient milk to make a thin paste; sprinkle a few dry crumbs, and put a tiny lump of butter on each shell; bake 20 minutes. Where vegetables are scarce and dear, or, as in this case, the bill of fare does not demand them, fried bread can be substituted. It should be cut into neat broad “fingers,” fried in bacon fat or beef dripping, and well drained before sending to table. A neat and pretty dish can be made by chopping up any remains of green vegetables, such as cabbage or sprouts, frying in a small proportion of fat, and piling it in the centre of a dish, with the bread round.

Fried.--Clean and beard them very carefully, and set them to drain; get ready a panful of boiling lard; flour the scallops thoroughly, put them in a frying basket, and fry to a light brown colour; garnish with fried parsley.

Stewed.--Put the scallops into a small saucepan with as much water as will thoroughly cover them, a little mace, and a little sugar. Let them stew gently till tender (probably about ½ hour), you can feel with your finger when they are sufficiently done. Make a sauce with 1-1½ oz. of butter dredged with flour and some of the liquor in which the scallops were stewed, add some cream and a little nutmeg. Stir this over the fire till it boils; then put the scallops in, and let them stew a little longer in the sauce beside the fire. In dishing up pour the sauce so as to cover the scallops.

_Shad_ (Alose).--This fine and delicate fish is found in greater perfection and richer abundance in the United States than in Europe; nevertheless, Europe is not devoid of shad, the Loire and the Severn being perhaps the most highly favoured rivers. The shad of the Thames--called the “twaite”--is a poor fish, but the “allice,” or Severn shad, is a great delicacy.

Take a fine shad, firm and bright in the scale; empty from the gills, and wash it thoroughly. Now make a forcemeat--either whiting or oyster--mixed with the roe of the shad, fill the fish, and either sew or skewer it up carefully, wrap it in strong writing paper thickly buttered, broil gently for an hour over a smokeless fire, either of charcoal or coke, and serve with caper sauce.

_Skate_ (Raie).--Boil some crimped skate in salted water, with some vinegar in it. Put a large piece of butter into a saucepan, and leave it on the fire until the butter becomes of a dark brown colour, but do not let it burn; then throw in some finely-chopped parsley, a wineglassful of tarragon vinegar, a little salt, and some powdered white pepper. Serve the sauce in a boat piping hot, with the fish on a napkin.

_Smelts_ (Eperlans) Fried.--Carefully flour, and fry in plenty of hot lard. When done, drain well in front of the fire, sprinkle all over with very fine salt, and serve with fried parsley and lemon cut into “quarters.”

_Sole_ (Sole) In jelly.--See Trout.

À la Normande.--Take a good-sized sole and put it into a fish kettle which will hold it flat; strew the sole with sprigs of parsley, minced onions, a little mace and thyme, and pepper and salt; now add some oysters, bearded, and some mussels, previously well cleaned, about 1 doz. of each; pour in a glass of chablis or any light white wine, and about the same quantity of white stock, or even water; cover over the kettle, and stew gently until cooked. Strain off the liquor and arrange the sole on a deep dish which will stand the oven, with the oysters and mussels all round; put the strained liquor into a saucepan, add to it ½ pint well flavoured good white stock; when quite hot add, off the fire, the beaten-up yolks of 2 eggs; pour the sauce over the fish, put it into the oven for a few minutes (it must not take colour), and then serve garnished with mushrooms previously stewed in lemon juice, slices of truffles stewed in white wine, and with fried bread croûtons.

À la Maître d’Hôtel.--Put into a saucepan full of water a bunch of parsley, an onion, a blade of mace, some whole pepper and salt to taste. When the water boils throw in 8 fillets of soles, each tied up in a knot, and let them boil till done. Serve with maître d’hôtel sauce.

Aspic.--Take 6 fillets of soles, put them in a buttered tin, with pepper, salt, and a squeeze of lemon; cover the tin with a sheet of buttered paper, and put it in the oven just long enough to cook the fillets, then put them under a weight until cold. Clean and wash some fillets of anchovies, have a little parsley very finely minced, cut the fillets of soles in rounds the size of a penny, make a layer in a plain mould of very pale aspic jelly; on this, when it begins to set, dispose in some sort of pattern the fillets of anchovies and the pieces of sole, sprinkling each with a little parsley; fill up the interstices with aspic jelly, and keep on adding layer upon layer of soles and anchovies until the mould is full.

Au gratin.--Put 1 large sole in a proper fish-baking dish, or else place 2 small ones side by side and head to tail. Pour a glass of sauterne or any white wine into the dish, add some pepper and salt, a few very fine mixed sweet herbs sprinkled over lightly, a little onion finely minced, and a squeeze of lemon juice. A few little lumps of butter or dripping should be placed at the bottom of the dish to prevent dryness. Cover the whole rather thickly with breadcrumbs, and bake for ½ hour or until the top is a brown colour. The fish must be sent to table in the dish it is baked in, as it spoils it completely to move it.

Au vin blanc.--Butter a baking dish, lay 2 soles on it, add pepper and salt to taste, pour sufficient white wine and common stock free from fat in equal parts to cover the fish well. Put a piece of buttered paper on the top, and bake for 20 minutes. Melt 1 oz. butter in a saucepan, and mix with it a tablespoonful of flour, strain into this the liquor in which the soles have been cooked, add a little more stock or water if necessary, and stir on the fire till the sauce thickens, throw in some finely minced parsley, pour over the soles, and serve.

Broiled.--Clean and skin the fish, and thoroughly dry it in a cloth; dip it either in oil or liquefied butter; put it in a double gridiron, and broil it at a brisk fire for about 8-10 minutes, turning it once or twice during the operation. Serve with a piece of fresh butter under, and a lemon cut into quarters round it.

Consommé.--Remove the fillets from 2 soles, cut them out with a cutter in pieces the size of a penny. Put the bones and all the trimmings of the soles in a saucepan with 1 qt. plain white stock, a large handful of parsley, a piece of celery, 1 onion, 2 or 3 cloves, a blade of mace, and pepper and salt to taste. Let this boil slowly 3-4 hours, carefully skim and strain the liquor; then put it on the fire again, and when it boils put in the cut pieces of soles. When they are cooked take them out, put them in the soup tureen with a little chopped parsley, and having strained the liquor once more pour it over and serve.

En Matelote.--Put the fish in a stewpan with a bunch of sweet herbs, some butter, onions cut in rings, some white wine or cider and water, half of each, enough almost to cover the fish; add salt and pepper. Bring it to the boil, and boil for about 15 minutes. Place the fish on the dish on which it is to be served, having first covered the bottom of it with slices of fried bread. About 25 mushrooms may be added to the sauce. Boil it down till it is somewhat reduced; thicken it with a good-sized piece of butter rolled in flour; take out the bunch of herbs, and pour it over the fish.

Fillets.--(_a_) Fillet and fry soles in the usual manner. Make tartare sauce of the yolks of 2 eggs, dropping in 1 gill oil, with 2 tablespoonfuls of vinegar, and 1 of tarragon vinegar, ½ gill cream, and 1 teaspoonful made mustard.

(_b_) Remove both skins of the sole; then, with a sharp-pointed knife, cut it around the inside of the fins. This done, make an incision along the backbone, and divide the fish from the bone by beginning at the head, and drawing the point of the knife horizontally down each side of the backbone, between the flesh and the ribs, and placing at the same time the 3 first fingers of the left hand on the fillet you are about to remove. Each sole should make but 4 fillets, except in the case of very large soles, when they may be either cut lengthways or across, as taste may direct. (Jane Burtenshaw.)

Fricassée.--Fillet a large pair of soles, put the bones in an enamelled stewpan with a pint of cold water, a small bunch of thyme and parsley, and ½ onion, a blade of mace and a little lemon rind pared thin, let them stew about 1 hour; when done strain the liquor off into a basin. Rinse the stewpan, and roll up each fillet separately, and fasten either with a small skewer, or tie round with a piece of darning cotton, and place them in the stewpan in one layer, and pour over them the liquor from the bones; stew about 20 minutes very gently, and thicken the sauce with 1 dessertspoonful arrowroot or cornflour, mixed with a little milk; when done, add to the sauce ¼ pint cream, the yolks of 2 eggs, the juice of ½ lemon, a pinch of pounded mace, and a little pepper and salt. The dish may be garnished with a border of potato croquettes.

Fried.--Clean and skin the fish, and dry it thoroughly in a cloth; dip it in an egg beaten up, and then strew it on both sides with very fine breadcrumbs, taking care that it is evenly covered with a very thin layer of them. Let the fish rest for 1-2 hours, then have ready in the frying-pan boiling hot fat in sufficient quantity to fairly float it; put in the fish, which will be cooked in 5-10 minutes, according to size, and should be skilfully turned over once during the operation. The fish should be laid on blotting-paper before the fire in the screen, in order to drain all fat from it. Serve with fried parsley and cut lemon.

In Brown Sauce.--Put into a small copper stewpan 3 oz. butter. Put this on the fire to dissolve; then stir into it 1 tablespoonful flour. Keep stirring on the fire till it assumes a golden-brown hue. Now stir into it ½ pint stock or gravy, and let it boil up to thicken the sauce. Now put into a wide shallow stewpan a pair of moderate-sized soles that have been previously cleaned, well dried in a cloth, floured and fried in some lard or butter over a rather sharp fire so as to brown them without being quite done. Pour over the soles the prepared sauce, adding a moderate-sized onion stuck with 4 or 5 cloves, a few sprigs of thyme, and a few peppercorns. Stew the fish 15-20 minutes very gently. When the soles are done lift them out carefully on to the dish in which they are to be served and keep warm while the sauce is being finished by adding to it a wineglass of sherry, a tablespoonful of mushroom ketchup, one of vinegar, and two teaspoonfuls of essence of anchovies. Pour some of the sauce over the fish and the rest in a boat and serve.

In Cases.--Take 2 parts finely minced mushrooms, 1 part shallots and parsley in equal proportions, also finely minced; toss them in plenty of butter for a few minutes, adding pepper and salt to taste, and put the mixture aside. When cold spread a thin layer of it on each fillet, roll them up, and cook them between 2 buttered plates in the oven. Have ready some paper cases, place one rolled fillet in each, then fill up the case with white sauce, and place a button mushroom on the top of each, and keep quite hot till time of serving. _Sauce._--Take 2 parts butter and 1 of flour, mix thoroughly in a saucepan on the fire, add enough veal stock to get the sauce of a proper consistency, add a few button mushrooms; let the sauce boil for 10 minutes; stir in, off the fire, the yolks of 2 eggs beaten up with the juice of ½ lemon.

Roulettes.--Choose fine ones, take off the heads, fins, and tails, strip them from the bone; cut small oblong fillets, lay them in a marinade of salt, pepper, lemon juice, and a grate of nutmeg for ½ hour. Roll the fillets egg-shaped and bind them with thread; pack them closely together in a stewpan, with a little broth or water, to which add lemon juice and some butter; cover closely and stew gently till done. Serve in their own sauce, or glaze them brown and serve as a ragout.

Salad.--Take any remnants of sole, cut them up in small pieces, and put them to marinade for 2 hours in tarragon vinegar, with some sliced onions and sprigs of basil, thyme, and chervil. Strain and mix them with some fresh lettuce; beat up the yolk of a hard-boiled egg with salt, pepper, a very little of the tarragon vinegar, 3 tablespoons cream or sweet oil, and ½ teaspoon anchovy sauce. When quite smooth pour over the salad.

Savalada.--Take 2 Spanish onions, slice them, and stew them in a gill of olive oil, taking care that they do not burn or even brown; add 2 soles (filleted and fried a light brown in oil), and 1½ gills tomato sauce, or 3 fresh tomatoes, peeled, freed from pips, and cut in slices. Season with pepper and salt, let the whole stew a few minutes, and serve.

Stewed.--Cut up 2 large onions in slices, lay them flat in a stewpan with an ounce of butter, pepper, and salt, and enough water just to cover them. Let them simmer till tender. Cut in comely pieces a pair of soles, lay them on the top of the onions, and let them simmer till done. Strain off the liquor, and when it is cold stir into it the juice of 2 lemons beaten up with the yolks of 3 eggs, return it to the stewpan, and let the whole get hot again, but not boil; then arrange the fish and the onions on a dish, sprinkle them over with finely minced parsley, and pour the sauce over. To be served cold.