Chapter 25

Take a mullet; draw it, and wash it clean, broil it with the scales on, or without scales, and lay it in a dish with some good sallet oyl, wine vinegar, salt, some sprigs of rosemary, time, and parsley, then heat the gridiron, and lay on the fish, broil it on a soft fire, on the embers, and baste it with the sauce it was steep'd in, being broiled serve it in a clean warm dish with the sauce it was steeped in, the herbs on it, and about the dish, cast on salt, and so serve it with slices of orange, lemon, or barberries.

Or broil it in butter and vinegar with herbs as above-said, and make sauce with beaten butter and vinegar.

Or beaten butter and juyce of lemon and orange.

Sometimes for change, with grape verjuyce, juyce of sorrel, beaten butter and the herbs.

_To fry Mullets._

Scale, draw, and scotch them, wash them clean, wipe them dry and flour them, fry them in clarified butter, and being fried, put them in a dish, put to them some claret wine, slic't ginger, grated nutmeg, an anchove, salt, and some sweet butter beat up thick, give the fish a warm with a minced lemon, and dish it, but first rub the dish with a clove of garlick.

The least Mullets are the best to fry.

_To bake a Mullet or Bace._

Scale, garbidge, wash and dry the Mullet very well, then lard it with a salt eel, season it, and make a pudding for it with grated bread, sweet herbs, and some fresh eel minced, put also the yolks of hard eggs, an anchove wash'd & minc'd very small, some nutmeg, & salt, fill the belly or not fill it at all, but cut it into quarters or three of a side, and season them with nutmeg, ginger, and pepper, lay them in your pie, and make balls and lay them upon the pieces of Mullet, then put on some capers, prawns, or cockles, yolks of eggs minced, butter, large mace, and barberries, close it up, and being bak'd cut up the lid, and stick it full of cuts of paste, lozenges, or other pretty garnish, fill it up with beaten butter, and garnish it with slic't lemon.

Or you may bake it in a patty pan with better paste than that which is made for pyes.

This is a very good way for tench or bream.

* * * * * * * * *

SECTION XVI.

or,

The fourth Section for dressing of FISH.

_Shewing the exactest ways of dressing Turbut, Plaice, Flounders, and Lampry._

_To boil Turbut to eat hot._

Draw and wash them clean, then boil them in white wine and water, as much of the one as of the other with some large mace, a few cloves, salt, slic't ginger, a bundle of time and rosemary fast bound up; when the pan boils put in the fish, scum it as it boils, and being half boil'd, put in some lemon-peel; being through boiled, serve it in this broth, with the spices, herbs, and slic't lemon on it; or dish it on sippets with the foresaid garnish, and serve it with beaten butter.

_Turbut otherways calvered._

Draw the turbut, wash it clean, and boil it in half wine and half water, salt, and vinegar; when the pan boils put in the fish, with some slic't onions, large mace, a clove or two, some slic't ginger, whole pepper, and a bundle of sweet herbs, as time, rosemary, and a bay-leaf or two; scotch the fish on the white side very thick overthwart only one way, before you put it a boiling; being half boiled, put in some lemon or orange peel; and being through boil'd, serve it with the spices, herbs, some of the liquor, onions, and slic't lemon.

Or serve it with beaten butter, slic't lemon, herbs, spices, onions and barberries. Thus also you may dress holyburt.

_To boil Turbut or Holyburt otherways._

Boil it in fair water and salt, being drawn and washed clean, when the pan boils put in the fish and scum it; being well boil'd dish it, and pour on it some stew'd oysters and slic't lemon; run it over with beaten butter beat up thick with juyce of oranges, pour it over all, then cut sippets, and stick it with fryed bread.

_Otherways._

Serve them with beaten butter, vinegar, and barberries, and sippets about the dish.

_To souce Turbut or Holyburt otherways._

Take and draw the fish, wash it clean from the blood and slime, and when the pan boils put in the fish in fair water and salt, boil it very leisurely, scum it, and season it pretty savory of the salt, boil it well with no more water then will cover it. If you intend to keep it long, boil it in as much water as white-wine, some wine vinegar, slic't ginger, large mace, two or three cloves, and some lemon-peel; being boil'd and cold, put in a slic't lemon or two, take up the fish, and keep it in an earthen pan close covered, boil these fishes in no more liquor than will cover them, boil them on a soft fire simering.

_To stew Turbut or Holyburt._

Take it and cut it in slices, then fry it, and being half fryed put it in a stew-pan or deep dish, then put to it some claret, grated nutmeg, three or four slices of an orange, a little wine-vinegar, and sweet butter, stew it well, dish it, and run it over with beaten butter, slic't lemon or orange, and orange or lemon-peel.

_To fry Turburt or Hollyburt._

Cut the fish into thin slices, hack it with the knife, and it will be ribbid, then fry it almost brown with butter, take it up, draining all the butter from it, then the pan being clean, put it in again with claret, slic't ginger, nutmeg, anchove, salt, and saffron beat, fry it till it be half consumed, then put in a piece of butter, shaking it well together with a minced lemon, and rub the dish with a clove of garlick.

To hash turbut, make a farc't meat of it, to rost or broil it, use in all points as you do sturgeon, and marinate it as you do carp.

_The best way to calver Flounders._

Take them alive, draw and scotch them very thick on the white side, then have a pan of white-wine and wine vinegar over the fire with all manner of spices, as large mace, salt, cloves, slic't ginger, some great onions slic't, the tops of rosemary, time, sweet marjoram, pick'd parsley, and winter savory, when the pan boils put in the flounders, and no more liquor than will cover them; cover the pan close, and boil them up quick, serve them hot or cold with slic't lemon, the spices and herbs on them and lemon peel.

Broil flounders as you do bace and mullet, souce them as pike, marinate, and dress them in stoffado as carp, and bake them as oysters.

_To boil Plaice hot to butter._

Draw them, and wash them clean, then boil them in fair water and salt, when the pan boils put them in being very new, boil them up quick with a lemon-peel; dish them upon fine sippets round about them, slic't lemon on them, the peel and some barberries, beat up some butter very thick with some juyce of lemon and nutmeg grated, and run it over them hot.

_Otherways._

Boil them in white-wine vinegar, large mace, a clove or two, and slic't ginger; being boil'd serve them in beaten butter, with the juyce of sorrel, strained bread, slic't lemon, barberries, grapes, or gooseberries.

_To stew Plaice._

Take and draw them, wash them clean, and put them in a dish, stew-pan or pipkin, with some claret or white wine, butter, some sweet herbs, nutmeg, pepper, an onion and salt; being finely stewed, serve them with beaten butter on carved sippets, and slic't lemon.

_Otherways._

Draw, wash, and scotch them, then fry them not too much; being fried, put them in a dish or stew-pan, put to them some claret wine, grated nutmeg, wine vinegar, butter, pepper, and salt, stew them together with some slices of orange.

_To bake a Lampry._

Draw it, and split the back on the inside from the mouth to the end of the tail, take out the string in the back, flay her and truss her round, parboil it and season it with nutmeg, pepper, and salt, put some butter in the bottom of the pie, and lay on the lampry with two or three good big onions, a few whole cloves and butter, close it up and baste it over with yolks of eggs, and beer or saffron water, bake it, and being baked, fill it up with clarified butter, stop it up with butter in the vent hole, and put in some claret wine, but that will not keep long.

_To bake a Lampry otherways with an Eel._

Flay it, splat it, and take out the garbidg, then have a good fat eel, flay it, draw it, and bone it, wipe them dry from the slime, and season them with pepper, salt, and nutmeg, cut them in equal pieces as may conveniently lye in a square or round pye, lay butter in the bottom, and three or four good whole onions, then lay a layer of eels over the butter, and on that lay a lampry, then another of eel, thus do till the pye be full, and on the top of all put some whole cloves and butter, close it up and bake it being basted over with saffron water, yolks of eggs, and beer, and being baked and cold, fill it up with beaten butter. Make your pies according to these forms.

_To bake a Lampry in the Italian Fashion to eat hot._

Flay it, and season it with nutmeg, pepper, salt, cinamon, and ginger, fill the pie either with Lampry cut in pieces or whole, put to it raisins, currans, prunes, dryed cherries, dates, and butter, close it up, and bake it, being baked liquor it with strained almonds, grape verjuyce, sugar, sweet herbs chop't and boil'd all together, serve it with juyce of orange, white wine, cinamon, and the blood of the lampry, and ice it, thus you may also do lampurns baked for hot.

_To bake a Lampry otherways in Patty-pan or dish._

Take a lampry, roast it in pieces, being drawn and flayed, baste it with butter, and being roasted and cold, put it into a dish with paste or puff paste; put butter to it, being first seasoned with pepper, nutmeg, cinamon, ginger, and salt, seasoned lightly, some sweet herbs chopped, grated bisket bread, currans, dates, or slic't lemon, close it up and bake it, being baked liquor it with butter, white-wine, or sack, and sugar.

* * * * * * * * *

SECTION XVII.

or,

The Fifth Section of FISH.

_Shewing the best way to Dress Eels, Conger, Lump, and Soals._

_To boil Eels to be eaten hot._

Draw them, flay them, and wipe them clean, then put them in a posnet or stew-pan, cut them three inches long, and put to them some white-wine, white-wine vinegar, a little fair water, salt, large mace, and a good big onion stew the foresaid together with a little butter; being finely stewed and tender, dish them on carved sippets, or on slices of French bread, and serve them with boil'd currans boil'd by themselves, slic't lemon, barberries, and scrape on sugar.

_Otherways._

Draw and flay them, cut them into pieces, and boil them in a little fair water, white-wine, an anchove, some oyster-liquor, large mace, two or three cloves bruised, salt, spinage, sorrel, and parsley grosly minced with a little onion and pepper, dish them upon fine carved sippets; then broth them with a little of that broth, and beat up a lear with some good butter, the yolk of an egg or two, and the rinde and slices of a lemon.

_To stew Eels._

Flay them, cut them into pieces, and put them into a skillet with butter, verjuyce, and fair water as much as will cover them, some large mace, pepper, a quarter of a pound of currans, two or three onions, three or four spoonfuls of yeast, and a bundle of sweet herbs, stew all these together till the fish be very tender, then dish them, and put to the broth a quarter of a pound of butter, a little salt, and sugar, pour it on the fish, sippet it, and serve it hot.

_To stew Eels in an Oven._

Cut them in pieces, being drawn and flayed, then season them with pepper, salt, and a few sweet herbs chopped small, put them into an earthen pot, and set them up on end, put to them four or five cloves of garlick, and two or three spoonfulls of fair water, bake them, and serve them on sippets.

_To stew Eels otherways to be eaten hot._

Draw the eels, flay them, and cut them into pieces three inches long, then put them into a broad mouthed pipkin with as much white-wine and water as will cover them put to them some stripped tyme, sweet marjoram, savory, picked parsley, and large mace, stew them well together and serve them on fine sippets, stick bay-leaves round the dish garnish the meat with slic't lemon, and the dish with fine grated manchet.

_To stew whole Eels to be eaten hot._

Take three good eels, draw, flay them, and truss them round, (or in pieces,) then have a quart of white-wine, three half pints of wine-vinegar, a quart of water, some salt, and a handful of rosemary and tyme bound up hard, when the liquor boils put in the eels with some whole pepper, and large mace; being boil'd, serve them with some of the broth, beat up thick with some good butter and slic't lemon, dish them on sippets with some grapes, barberries, or gooseberries.

_Otherways._

Take three good eels, draw, flay, and scotch them with your knife, truss them round, or cut them in pieces, and fry them in clarified butter, then stew them between two dishes, put to them some two or three spoonfuls of claret or white-wine, some sweet butter, two or three slices of an orange, some salt, and slic't nutmeg; stew all well together, dish them, pour on the sauce, and run it over with beaten butter, and slices of fresh orange, and put fine sippets round the dish.

_To dress Eels in Stoffado._

Take two good eels, draw, flay them, and cut them in pieces three inches long, put to them half as much claret wine as will cover them, or white-wine, wine-vinegar, or elder-vinegar, some whole cloves, large mace, gross pepper, slic't ginger, salt, four or five cloves of garlick, being put into a pipkin that will contain it, put to them also three or four sprigs of sweet herbs, as rosemary, tyme, or sweet marjoram; 2 or 3 bay leaves, and some parsley; cover up the pipkin, and paste the cover, then stew it in an oven, in one hour it will be baked, serve it hot for dinner or supper on fine sippets of French bread, and the spices upon it, the herbs, slic't lemon, and lemon-peel, and run it over with beaten butter.

_To souce Eels in Collars._

Take a good large silver eel, flay it (or not) take out the back bone, and wash and wipe away the blood with a dry cloth, then season it with beaten nutmeg and salt, cut off the head and roul in the tail; being seasoned in the in side, bind it up in a fine white cloth close and streight; then have a large skillet or pipkin, put in it some fair water and white wine, of each a like quantity, and some salt, when it boils put in the eel; being boil'd tender take it up, and let it cool, when it is almost cold keep it in sauce for your use in a pipkin close covered, and when you will serve it take it out of the cloth, pare it, and dish it in a clean dish or plate, with a sprig of rosemary in the middle of the Collar: Garnish the dish with jelly, barberries and lemon.

If you will have it jelly, put in a piece of ising-glass after the eel is taken up, and boil the liquor down to a jelly.

_To jelly Eels otherways._

Flay an eel, and cut it into rouls, wash it clean from the blood, and boil it in a dish with some white-wine, and white-wine vinegar, as much water as wine and vinegar, and no more of the liquor than will just cover it; being tender boil'd with a little salt, take it up and boil down the liquor with a piece of ising-glass, a blade of mace, a little juyce of orange and sugar; then the eel being dished, run the clearest of the jelly over it.

_To souce Eels otherways in Collars._

Take two fair eels, flay them, and part them down the back, take out the back-bone, then take tyme, parsley, & sweet marjoram, mince them small, and mingle them with nutmeg, ginger, pepper, and salt; then strow it on the inside of the eels, then roul them up like a collar of brawn, and put them in a clean cloth, bind the ends of the cloth, and boil them tender with vinegar, white-wine, salt, and water, but let the liquor boil before you put in the Eels.

_To souce Eels otherways in a Collar or Roll._

Take a large great eel, and scowr it with a handful of salt, then split it down the back, take out the back bone and the guts, wipe out the blood clean, and season the eel with pepper, nutmeg, salt, and some sweet herbs minced and strowed upon it, roul it up, and bind it up close with packthred like a collar of brawn, boil it in water, salt, vinegar, and two or three blades of mace, boil it half an hour; and being boil'd, put to it a slic't lemon, and keep it in the same liquor; when you serve it, serve it in a collar or cut it out in round slices, lay six or seven in a dish, and garnish it in the dish with parsley and barberries, or serve with it vinegar in saucers.

_To souce Eels otherways cut in pieces, or whole._

Take two or three great eels, scowr them in salt, draw them and wash them clean, cut them in equal pieces three inches long, and scotch them cross on both sides, put them in a dish with wine-vinegar, and salt; then have a kettle over the fire with fair water and a bundle of sweet herbs 2 or three great onions, and some large mace; when the kettle boils put in the eels, wine, vinegar, and salt; being finely boil'd and tender, drain them from the liquor and when they are cold take some of the broth and a pint of white wine, boil it up with some saffron beaten to powder, or it will not colour the wine; then take out the spices of the liquor where it was boiled and put it in the last broth made for it, leave out the onions and herbs of the first broth, and keep it in the last.

_To make a Hash of Eels._

Take a good large eel or two, flay, draw, and wash them, bone and mince them, then season them with cloves and mace, mix with them some good large oysters, a whole onion, salt, a little white-wine, and an anchove, stew them upon a soft fire, and serve them on fine carved sippets, garnish them with some slic't orange and run them over with beaten butter thickned with the yolk of an egg or two, some grated nutmeg, and juyce of orange.

_To make a Spitch-Cock, or broil'd Eels._

Take a good large eel, splat it down the back, and joynt the back-bone; being drawn, and the blood washed out, leave on the skin, and cut it in four pieces equally, salt them, and bast them with butter, or oyl and vinegar; broil them on a soft fire, and being finely broil'd, serve them in a clean dish, with beaten butter and juyce of lemon, or beaten butter, and vinegar, with sprigs of rosemary round about them.

_To broil salt Eels._

Take a salt eel and boil it tender, being flayed and trust round with scuers, boil it tender on a soft fire, then broil it brown, and serve it in a clean dish with two or three great onions boil'd whole and tender, and then broil'd brown; serve them on the eel with oyl and mustard in saucers.

_To roast an Eel._

Cut it three inches long, being first flayed and drawn, split it, put it on a small spit, & roast it, set a dish under it to save the gravy, and roast it fine and brown, then make sauce with the gravy, a little vinegar, salt, pepper, a clove or two, and a little grated parmisan, or old _English_ cheese, or a little botargo grated; the eel being roasted, blow the fat off the gravy, and put to it a piece of sweet butter, shaking it well together with some salt, put it in a clean dish, lay the eel on it, and some slices of oranges.

_To roast Eels otherways._

Take a good large silver eel, draw it, and flay it in pieces of four inches long, spit it on a small spit with some bay-leaves, or large sage leaves between each piece spit it cross ways, and roast it; being roasted, serve it with beaten butter, beaten with juyce of oranges, lemons, or elder vinegar, and beaten nutmeg, or serve it with venison sauce, and dredge it with beaten caraway-seed, cinamon, flour, or grated bread.

_To bake Eels in Pye, Dish or Patty-pan._

Take good fresh water eels, draw, and flay them, cut them in pieces, and season them with pepper, salt, and nutmeg, lay them in a pye with some prunes, currans, grapes, gooseberries, or barberries, large mace, slic't dates and butter, close it up and bake it, being baked, liquor it with white-wine, sugar, and butter, and ice it.

If you bake it in a dish in paste, bake it in cold butter paste, rost the eel, & let it be cold, season it with nutmeg pepper, ginger, cinamon, and salt, put butter on the paste, and lay on the eel with a few sweet herbs chopped, and grated bisket-bread, grapes, currans, dates, large mace, and butter, close it up and bake it, liquor it, and ice it.

_Otherways._

Take good fresh water eels; flay and draw them, season them with nutmeg, pepper, and salt, being cut in pieces, lay them in the pie, and put to them some two or three onions in quaters, some butter, large mace, grapes, barberries or gooseberries, close them up and bake them; being baked liquor them with beaten butter, beat up thick with the yolks of two eggs, and slices of an orange.

Sometimes you may bake them with a minced onion, some raisins of the sun, and season them with some ginger, pepper, and salt.

_To bake Eels otherways._

Take half a douzen good eels, flay them and take out the bones, mince them and season them with nutmeg, pepper, and salt, lay some butter in the pye, and lay a lay of Eel, and a lay of watred salt Eel, cut into great lard as big as your finger, lay a lay of it, and another of minced eel, thus lay six or seven lays, and on the top lay on some whole cloves, slic't nutmeg, butter, and some slices of salt eel, close it up and bake it, being baked fill it up with some clarified butter, and close the vent. Make your pye round according to this form.

_To bake Eels with Tenches in a round or square Pie to eat cold._

Take four good large eels, flayed and boned, and six good large tenches, scale, splat, and bone them, cut off the heads and fins, as also of the eels; cut both eels, and tenches a handful long, & season them with pepper, salt and nutmeg; then lay some butter in the bottom of the pie, lay a lay of eels, and then a lay of tench, thus do five or six layings, lay on the top large mace, & whole cloves and on that butter, close it up and bake it; being baked and cold, fill it up with clarified butter.

Or you may bake them whole, and lay them round in the pye, being flayed, boned, and seasoned as the former, bake them as you do a lampry, with two or three onions in the middle.

_To make minced Pies of an Eel._

Take a fresh eel, flay it and cut off the fish from the bone, mince it small, and pare two or three wardens or pears, mince of them as much as of the eel, or oysters, temper and season them together with ginger, pepper, cloves, mace, salt, a little sanders, some currans, raisins, prunes, dates, verjuyce, butter, and rose-water.

_Minced Eel Pyes otherways._

Take a good fresh water eel flay, draw, and parboil it, then mince the fish being taken from the bones, mince also some pippins, wardens, figs, some great raisins of the sun, season them with cloves, mace, pepper, salt, sugar, saffron, prunes, currans, dates on the top, whole raisins, and butter, make pies according to these forms; fill them, close them up and bake them, being baked, liquor them with grape verjuyce, slic't lemon, butter, sugar, and white-wine.

_Other minced Eel Pyes._

Take 2 or three good large eels, being cleans'd, mince them & season them with cloves, mace, pepper, nutmeg, salt, and a good big onion in the bottom of your pye, some sweet herbs chopped, and onions, put some goosberries and butter to it, and fill your pie, close it up and bake it, being baked, liquor it with butter and verjuyce, or strong fish broth, butter, and saffron.

_Otherways._

Mince some wardens or pears, figs, raisins, prunes, and season them as abovesaid with some spices, but no onions nor herbs, put to them goosberries, saffron, slic't dates, sugar, verjuyce, rose-water, and butter; then make pyes according to these forms, fill them and bake them, being baked, liquor them with white batter, white-wine and sugar, and ice them.

_To boil Conger to be eaten hot._