They may be served boiled, like the turbot; grilled; à la Meunière; fried; au [gratin], like the soles; or braised, like the salmon and the trout. They are most often served whole, garnished and with sauce; but, in order to simplify the process, they may be filleted, the fillets being poached and dished with a garnish and the selected sauce.
[312]
]Whatever be the method of preparing the chicken-turbot, whether it be boiled, poached, or braised, the spine should always be cut in one or two places. The gash should be just in the middle of the back where the flesh is thickest, and the fillets on either side of the gash should be partly separated from the bone. The object of this measure is to prevent deformation during the cooking process and, also, to precipitate the latter.
[926—TURBOTIN A L’AMIRAL]
Gash the back of the fish, and partly separate the under fillets from the bones. Lay it on a grill, and moisten, sufficiently to cover it, with previously-cooked court-bouillon with Sauterne wine. As soon as the court-bouillon boils, allow the fish to cook ten or twelve minutes for every two lbs. of its weight.
This done, drain it; dish it, and coat it twice with melted, red butter.
Now surround it with the following garnish, which should be in proportion to the size of the fish, viz., little heaps of large mussels and oysters, prepared à la Villeroy, and fried at the time of dishing; small patties of crayfish tails; large mushroom-heads grooved and cooked, and slices of truffle.
Serve, separately, (1) a timbale of potatoes [à l’anglaise]; (2) Normande sauce, combined with one-sixth pint of reduced court-bouillon per quart of sauce, finished with crayfish butter and seasoned with cayenne.
[927—TURBOTIN A L’ANDALOUSE]
Cut it in the region of the back; season it, and lay it in a deep earthenware dish of convenient size, liberally buttered. In the case of a chicken-turbot weighing two and one-half lbs., moisten with one-third pint of white wine and one-quarter pint of fish [fumet].
Finely mince two medium-sized onions, and toss them in butter until they have acquired a yellow colour.