Set to glaze at the last moment.
When taking the whitings out of the oven, sprinkle them with a few drops of lemon juice and a little chopped parsley.
[1016—MERLAN A LA COLBERT]
Open the whitings down the back, and bone them. Season them; dip them in milk; roll them in flour; and treat them [à l’anglaise]. Fry them; drain them; set them on a long dish; garnish the openings in their backs with butter à la Maître-d’Hôtel and border the dish with grooved slices of lemon.
[1017—MOUSSELINES DE MERLAN]
For the preparation of the [mousseline] forcemeat, refer to No. [195]. The moulding and poaching of these [mousselines] [343] ]are the same as for salmon [mousselines], and the preparations suited to the latter may likewise be applied to mousselines de merlans. (See Mousselines de Saumon, Nos. [797] to [799].)
[1018—FILETS DE MERLAN AU GRATIN]
Raise the fillets from some whitings, and leave the bones quite clean. Lay them on a buttered dish besprinkled with chopped shallots, the bottom of which should have been covered with a few tablespoonfuls of [gratin] sauce. Surround the fillets with slices of raw mushrooms; set two small, cooked mushrooms upon each fillet; pour a few tablespoonfuls of white wine into the dish, and cover the whole with [gratin] sauce.
Sprinkle with fine raspings and melted butter, and put the dish in a sufficiently fierce oven to (1) reduce the sauce; (2) allow the [gratin] to form; and (3) cook the fillets at the same moment of time. In respect of this operation, refer to Complete Gratin, No. [269].
When taking the dish from the oven, sprinkle a little chopped parsley and a few drops of lemon juice over it.