—Clams should be served on deep plates, covered previously with finely chopped ice. To have them sweet and fresh, they should be kept as cold as possible. Serve six on each plate with quarters of lemon.
301. To prepare Breaded Fish.
—1. After the fish is pared, cleaned, and dried, dip it first in milk, then in flour, and fry in very hot fat.
2. Take very clean fish, dip it in beaten egg, then in freshly grated bread-crumbs, and fry in very hot fat.
3. For certain fish, like whitebait, immerse them in milk, then in flour mixed with pulverized crackers, shake well in a colander, and throw into very hot fat. Oysters are breaded the same way, but should be flattened before frying.
4. For croustades of rice or potatoes, dip in beaten egg and roll in fresh bread-crumbs; repeat three times before frying.
302. Salmon, en Papillotes.
—Procure two pounds of very fresh salmon and cut it into six even slices. Season these with a good pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper. Roll them well. Cut out six heart-shaped pieces of paper, oil them nicely, and have twelve thin slices of cooked ham ([No. 753]), then proceed to prepare them exactly as for mackerel en papillote ([No. 330]).
303. Salmon, oyster sauce.
—Place two pounds of very fresh salmon in a fish-kettle, completely cover with cold water, season with a handful of salt, add one medium-sized, sliced onion, half a wine-glassful of white vinegar, eight whole peppers, two cloves, and two parsley-roots. Range the kettle on a brisk fire. Five minutes after coming to a boil the salmon will be sufficiently cooked. Remove from the kettle, drain it well; dress on a hot dish with a folded napkin, nicely decorate with parsley-greens all around the salmon, and serve with a pint of hot oyster sauce ([No. 173]) separately.