Nonius says of this fish,—“Carnem enim habet teneram dulcem et præpinquem.”
The cod-fish brought to England is much finer than that sold on the Continent; and from November to April there can be no better dish than slices of crimped cod, done either in the English or the Dutch fashion, which most Englishmen prefer to the more elaborate dressing of French cooks. A Béchamel of cod-fish in the French fashion is, however, a very good thing; and cabillaud grillé à la Laguipierre is excellent. This last was said to be a favourite dish with the late Duke of Wellington; and certain it is, that it was often placed on the table both at Strathfieldsaye and at Apsley House.
The haddock, which is now more commonly served at English dinner-tables than in my youth, is an excellent fish when of the proper size. The Dublin Bay haddock is pre-eminently good, and merits the encomium of Galen:—“Aselli si probo utantur alimento et in maripuro degunt, carnis bonitate cum saxatilibus contendunt.”[13]
Pliny also in his ninth book, cap. xvii., says the haddock “post acipenserem apud antiquos nobilis simum piscium.”[14] Haddocks, to my thinking, are best dressed in the English fashion—boiled, either with egg or parsley-and-butter sauce. In Ireland, they sometimes serve them with cockle sauce: and an excellent friend of mine (the son of a late accomplished and eloquent Chief Justice of the Queen’s Bench) tells me they are admirable in this fashion. In French cookery, the haddock is generally dressed and served as cod-fish is dressed. There are worse things than a fillet of haddock à la Royale, or à l’italienne.
There is no more nourishing or easily digested fish than the sole, and it is in season all the year round. The richest and largest sole, called by some the black sole, comes from the Devon coast; and these, as well as the Dover sole, and the black sole of Ireland, are best plain boiled. The smaller and whiter sole found on the coast of Sussex is best fried. Lemery calls the sole, perdrix marina (the partridge of the sea); and Ovid classes it with the flounder, to which it is far superior.
“Fulgentes soleæ candore et concolorillis passer.”
There are thirty or more excellent ways of serving sole in the French fashion, the principal of which are à la Colbert, à la Perigord, au gratin, en matelote normande, à la provençale, filets de soles aux truffes, et aux fines herbes. All of these are excellent, but require a good cook. If you are not sure of your cook, order your soles to be fried or plainly boiled.
I must say a word on the fish of which the celebrated Roman orator Hortensius was so fond—a fish furnishing occasion for the epigrams of Martial, and the scathing satire of Juvenal. Red mullet is only prime during the warm weather, and is best done en papillote. It may also be done en caisse aux fines herbes, à l’italienne, and à là Cardinale, but in no way is it so good as en papillote.
Mullet should never be drawn; it is sufficient to take out the gills, as the liver and trail are the best parts of the fish. When we know that Apicius spent £60,000 to vary the taste of sauces, we can well believe that a sum of £240 was given in the olden time, at Rome, for three mullets of a large size.
I will only speak of two other fishes, the john-dory and the lamprey. The john-dory is finest on the western coast of England, and is best plain boiled. Quin, the actor, a great gourmand, was remarkably fond of this fish and red mullet, and used to go down to Exeter for the purpose of eating them. One morning after his arrival in the west, his valet came in to call him as usual. “Well, John, any dory in the market?” “No, sir.”