No. 69. Mackerel are generally served plain boiled; put them in a kettle containing boiling water, well salted, let simmer nearly half an hour, take them up, drain, and dish them upon a napkin, serve melted butter in a boat, with which you have mixed a tablespoonful of chopped fennel, boiling it a few minutes.
No. 70. Mackerel à la Maître d’Hôtel. (See p. 127); as also for Mackerel au beurre noir.
No. 71. Gurnets are best stuffed and baked; stuff them as directed for haddocks, turn them round in the same manner, lay slices of butter over, cut very thin, and bake half an hour or more (according to their size) in a warm oven, when done dress upon a dish without a napkin, and have ready the following sauce: put a tablespoonful of chopped onions in a stewpan, with one of vinegar, place over the fire a couple of minutes, add half a pint of melted butter, a tablespoonful of Harvey sauce, one of catsup, and two of water, reduce until rather thick, season with a little pepper, cut the fillets of a good anchovy into strips, put in the sauce, which pour round the fish and serve.
No. 72. Boiled Gurnet. You may boil it either with or without the stuffing in very salt water, it will require rather more than half an hour; serve with anchovy sauce separate.
No. 73. Herrings boiled with Cream Sauce. Boil six herrings about twenty minutes in plenty of salt and water, but only just to simmer; then have ready the following sauce: put half a gill of cream upon the fire in a stewpan, when it boils add eight spoonfuls of melted butter, an ounce of fresh butter, a little pepper, salt, and the juice of half a lemon; dress the fish upon a dish without a napkin, sauce over and serve.
For Broiled Herrings à la Digon, see page 132.
No. 74. Skate is usually crimped, cut into long slices, and curled round; procure two or three slices, tie them with string to keep the shape in boiling, put them into a kettle of boiling water, in which you have put a good handful of salt; boil gently about twenty minutes (have ready also a piece of the liver, which boil with it), when done drain well, and put it upon a dish without a napkin; put three parts of a pint of melted butter in a stewpan, place it upon the fire, and when quite hot add a wineglassful of capers, sauce over and serve.
For Skate au beurre noir, see page 133.
Skate may also be served upon a napkin with a boat of well-seasoned melted butter, to which you have added a spoonful of Harvey sauce.
No. 75. Flounders, Water Souchet. Procure four or six Thames flounders, cut each in halves, put half a pint of water in a sauté-pan, with a little scraped horseradish, a little pepper, salt, sugar, and forty sprigs of fresh parsley; place over the fire, boil a minute, then add the flounders, stew ten minutes, take them out and place in a dish without a napkin, reduce the liquor they were stewed in a little, pour over and serve.