FISH.
To boil Fresh Fish.—Clean, wash thoroughly, wipe dry, and then sew up in a cloth, kept solely for fish, and plunge at once into boiling water that has been first salted sufficiently. Sew the cloth up on the back of the fish. Take it out when done, cut the threads down the back of the fish, and cut the skin of the fish so that in taking off the cloth, the skin will come off with it, leaving the fish white and whole. Be careful not to break it, as it should come to the table in good condition. Eat with egg sauce or plain drawn butter. A fat shad is very nice boiled; but most people prefer cod, rock-fish, or bass.
Baked Salmon Trout, with Cream Gravy.—Wash and clean the fish carefully, wipe dry and lay in the bake-pan, with only enough water to keep from scorching. If very large, score the backbone a little, but do not cut the sides. Bake slowly, basting with butter and water, from three quarters of an hour to an hour, according to the size. Have ready a cup of rich cream, into which stir three or four table-spoonfuls of boiling water, else the cream will clot when heated. Into this stir gently two table-spoonfuls of melted butter and a little chopped parsley. Put this into a milk-boiler or farina-kettle, or any vessel that you can set into another, half filled with boiling water, to prevent the sauce from burning. Add to the cream and butter the gravy from the dripping-pan in which the fish was baked. Lay the trout on a hot platter and let the gravy boil up once, and then pour over the fish. Garnish with sprigs of parsley, arranged neatly. Use no spiced sauces and very little salt. Serve hot.
To fully appreciate the excellence of this fish with the cream sauce or gravy, one should be able to eat it a very short time after it is taken from the water, but the cream sauce is a great improvement to most baked fish.
Boiled Salmon Trout.—Wash and dry the fish after cleaning it nicely. Wrap in a clean fish-cloth, lay it in a fish-kettle, cover with cold, salted water, and boil slowly from half to three quarters of an hour, according to the size of the fish. When done, take off the cloth gently, so as not to break the trout; lay in a hot fish-platter and pour around it cream gravy like that used for baked salmon trout, and serve hot.
All fish, boiled or baked, are improved by cream gravy. If you cannot obtain cream, use rich milk, and thicken it a little.
Fried Halibut.—Have the slices seasoned some hours before frying, as it will be less liable to break in turning; when ready to fry, dip it in egg beaten up, and roll it in bread crumbs; then fry in hot lard, or have three or four slices of sweet salt pork fried till quite brown and crisp, and then fry the halibut in the hot lard which came from the pork. Dish it and lay the crisp brown pork around it.
Fish Chowder.—Haddock and striped bass are generally considered the best fish for chowder. Cut the fish in pieces about one inch thick and two inches square. Cut five or six good slices of the best salt pork, lay them in the bottom of an iron pot and fry till crisped, but do not scorch; take out the pork, leaving the fat; chop the pork in small pieces; put into the pot a layer of fish, a layer of split crackers and some of the chopped pork; a little red and black pepper; a little chopped onion; then another layer of fish, split crackers, and seasoning, and so on till all the fish is used. Then just cover all with water, and stew slowly till tender. Thicken the gravy with cracker crumbs and catsup if you like. Take out the fish, boil up the gravy once, squeeze in the juice of a lemon, and pour the gravy over the fish. Add salt if necessary.
To prepare and dress Cold Fish.—Cut cold boiled fish into pieces about an inch long. Do not chop it. Take the yelks of four eggs, hard boiled, and rub them to a smooth paste with a few spoonfuls of salad-oil or melted butter. Add a little salt, pepper, and mustard,—the exact amount must be decided by your own taste and knowledge of how highly seasoned your family like their food. Add two teaspoonfuls of white sugar; rub all in with the paste, and the last thing after getting the paste perfectly smooth put in six table-spoonfuls of vinegar. Beat the mixture till very light, and just before pouring it over the fish beat the whites of two eggs to a stiff froth and stir in with it. Stir half the dressing into the picked-up fish. Serve in a glass dish, and spread the other half of the dressing over the top. Garnish with delicate leaves of lettuce, to be eaten with it.
Newport Fish Pudding.—Pick any cold fish left from the dinner into fine bits, carefully removing all the bones. Thicken some boiling milk with flour, wet to a batter with cold milk, and stir the fish into it; season with pepper, butter, and salt. Put it into a pudding-dish, and spread cracker or bread crumbs thickly over the top to prevent the milk from scorching, and set into the oven to bake just long enough to brown nicely. A good way to use up cold fish, making a nice breakfast or a side-dish for dinner.
Fish-Balls.—Salt codfish is usually preferred for making fish-balls, although any fresh boiled fish left over from dinner is very nice. When the salt cod is used, it should be put in a damp place for a day or two before using, to soften. Early in the evening, before needed, it should be thoroughly washed in several waters, rubbing it well, then put to soak in a large quantity of lukewarm water. Just before bedtime pour off the first water, and add more lukewarm water; wash again in clean water in the morning, rubbing off all the salt crystal that may adhere, particularly on the under side, and place over the fire, in enough warm water to fully cover it. Let it come to the boiling point slowly, but don’t let it really boil; keep it simmering a half-hour. If the fish is very salt, turn off this water and cover again with boiling water, and let it simmer fifteen or twenty minutes, then drain and spread it out to cool; remove every bone and bit of skin, and when perfectly cold pick to pieces very fine with a fork. While the fish is cooling have nice mealy potatoes boiling over the fire; when done, mash smooth and light, and add to the picked-up fish a little more than its weight of potatoes, say a pound and a quarter of potatoes to a pound of fish. For a dozen balls add one well-beaten egg, or two if plenty, or two table-spoonfuls of rich cream, two spoonfuls of butter; beat all together and form into neat balls with your hands—which should be well floured—and drop them into a kettle or large saucepan of boiling lard or drippings, and fry a good clear brown. Plainer fish-balls may be made if desirable, omitting eggs and cream, and using less butter.
Codfish Balls.—Soak in warm water as much salt codfish as is needed, judging by the size of the family. Let it stand in the water all night. In the morning pick out all the bones, press out the water, and chop fine. Boil the potatoes in the skin. When done, peel and mash while hot twice as much potato as you have fish; mix well together and moisten with cream or a little new milk, with a great spoonful of butter. Have some well-clarified drippings or sweet lard ready in a saucepan. Let it get boiling hot, and then put in the fish-balls. They should be made a little more than half an inch thick. Fry a good, clear brown, taking care not to scorch them. One egg well beaten is an improvement.
Scalloped Crabs.—Wash the crabs and put into a kettle of boiling water, throw in a handful of salt. Boil from twenty minutes to half an hour. Take them from the water when done, and pick out all the meat; be careful and not break the shell. To a pint of meat put a little salt and pepper; we cannot give the exact amount, as tastes differ so widely; but taste, and if there is not enough add more, a little at a time till suited. Grate in a very little nutmeg, and add one spoonful cracker or bread crumbs, two eggs well beaten, and two table-spoonfuls of butter (even full); stir all well together; wash the shells clean and fill each shell full of the mixture; sprinkle crumbs over the top and set in the oven till of a nice brown; a few minutes will do it. Send to the table hot.
Oyster Pie.—Line a deep dish with good puff paste, not too rich. Roll out the upper crust, and lay on a plate just the size of the oyster-dish; set it on the top of the dish and put into the oven, as the crust must be nearly cooked before the oysters are put in, for they require less time than the crust. While the crust is baking, strain the liquor from the oysters; thicken it with the yelks of eggs, boiled hard and grated,—three eggs for seventy-five oysters; add two even table-spoonfuls of butter, and the same quantity of bread or cracker crumbs; season with pepper, salt, and mace or nutmeg,—a very little of either,—and by tasting, be sure that you do not season it too much; to add is very easy, but to take out seasoning in cooking is a difficult task. Let the liquor just boil; then slip in the oysters, and as soon as they come to a boil, stir well and remove the plate with top crust, and pour them and their gravy into the hot bake-dish; place the top crust over, and return to the oven for five minutes. Send to the table hot.
Oyster Fritters.—Drain off the liquor and wipe the oysters dry; season with a little pepper and salt, if not salt enough. Make a batter with a pint of milk and flour enough to mix not very stiff. Beat the yelks of three eggs thoroughly, and put to the batter, beating all a good deal. Whisk the whites to a stiff, dry froth, and stir in gently the last thing. Take up a spoonful of batter on a spoon, lay an oyster on top, and cover with a little more batter, and with a broad knife slip this off gently into a pan of boiling lard. When brown on both sides, drain on a perforated plate, and send to the table hot.
To Fry Oysters.—Take from the shells carefully so as not to tear or break them; dry in a clean fish-cloth; beat the yelks of eggs with thick cream,—one yelk to two table-spoonfuls of cream; rub together some bread or cracker crumbs, a little salt and cayenne pepper. Have half a pound of butter boiling hot in a skillet; dip each oyster in the beaten yelks and cream; then roll in the cracker crumbs, taking pains to have the crumbs adhere thickly to the oyster. Drop into the skillet, and fry of a light brown on each side. They should be crisp and light. Drain free from all grease, and serve hot.
Lobster Patties.—Boil two or three good lobsters; take out all the meat, and chop very fine; mash the coral smooth, and mix with the meat. Boil three or four eggs hard, and grate the yelks, mashing or rolling the whites to make them heavy and waxy. Season the whole with salt, cayenne, a very little pounded mace or nutmeg, and a small portion of lemon-rind, grated. Moisten the whole with cream, fresh butter, or salad-oil. (Be careful that you do not use too much of any of these seasonings. It will make the whole bitter. In all of these strong flavors, only just an intimation that they are present is necessary.) Put it into a stewpan, add a little water, put over the fire till it just comes to a boil; then remove from the fire. Make puff paste, and line deep patty-pans. Bake the paste before filling, while preparing the lobster. As soon as the lobster has been removed from the fire, and is partially cooled, take the crust from the oven and fill the patty-pans with the mixture to the top. Crabs or prawns may be made into patties in a similar manner.
Lobster Rissoles.—Boil the lobster, take out the meat, mince it fine; pound the coral smooth, and grate the yelks of three hard-boiled eggs for one lobster. Season with cayenne pepper, a little nutmeg, and salt. Make a batter of milk, flour, and well-beaten eggs,—two table-spoonfuls of milk and one of flour to each egg. Beat this batter well, and mix the lobster with it gradually, till it is stiff enough to roll into balls the size of a large plum. Fry in fresh butter, or the best salad-oil, and serve up either warm or cold. Similar rissoles may be made of raw oysters minced fine, or of boiled clams. These should be fried in lard.
Fish Sauce.—Four ounces of butter blended with three table-spoonfuls of flour; stir in gradually half a pint of boiling water, stirring all the time. When smooth, put it into a farina-kettle or milk-boiler, and let boil five minutes. If too thick, add a little more water. Beat two eggs to a foam, and stir in the last thing before removing it from the fire. A little parsley chopped fine added to this sauce, or an onion, is relished by some.
A good Breakfast Dish.—When any boiled fresh fish is left from dinner, take out all the bones carefully, and pick the fish up in small bits. Cover the bottom of a deep dish with some of the fish, and, if needed, a little pepper and salt, and a few spoonfuls of the fish sauce, if any was left from dinner; then sprinkle over some fine bread crumbs; then another layer of fish, with sauce; then bread crumbs, until the dish is full. If all the fish sauce is used without making the composition quite moist, beat two eggs very light, and add a cup of milk and pour over the whole; then cover with more bread crumbs, and set in the oven long enough to heat through and brown delicately. If no fish sauce is left over, take two great spoonfuls of butter, cut in little bits, and lay in alternately with the fish and crumbs; use four eggs instead of two, and a pint of milk.
Best Mode of Roasting Fish, Ducks, &c.—The very best way of cooking fish and fowl ever devised is familiar to woodmen, but unknown to city epicures. It is this: Take a large fish,—say a trout of three or four pounds, fresh from its gambols in the cool stream,—cut a small hole in the neck and abstract the intestines. Wash the inside clean, and season it with pepper and salt; or, if convenient, fill it with bread crumbs or crackers chopped up with meat. Make a fire outside the tent, and when it has burned down to embers, rake it open, put in the fish, and cover it with coals and hot ashes. Within an hour take it from its bed, peel off the skin from the clean flesh, and you will have a trout with all its original juices and flavors preserved within it,—a dish too good, as Izaak Walton would say, “for any but very honest men.”
Grouse, ducks, and various other fowls can be cooked deliciously in a similar way. The intestines of the bird should be taken out by a small hole at the vent, and the inside washed and stuffed as before. Then wet the feathers thoroughly, and cover with hot embers. When the cooking is finished, peel off the burnt feathers and skin, and you will find underneath a lump of nice juicy flesh, which, when once tasted, will never be forgotten. The peculiar advantage of this method of roasting is that the covering of embers prevents the escape of juices by evaporation. This comes from the “Trappers’ Guide,” and we know it is good.