To fry flounders, trim them, and proceed precisely as directed for fried soles (p. 114).
Smelts are likewise floured, egged, bread-crumbed, and fried as above.
Plaice are plain boiled in salt and water, and served with shrimp sauce in a boat.
FRESH WATER FISH.—No. 76. Pike. Clean as directed (page 93), stuff the interior as directed for haddocks (page 129), only adding some fillets of anchovies and chopped lemon-peel with it; curl round and put in a baking dish, spread a little butter all over, put in a moderate oven; when about half done egg over with a paste brush, and sprinkle bread-crumbs upon it; a middling-sized pike will take about an hour, but that according to the size and the heat of the oven; when done dress upon a dish without a napkin, and sauce round as directed for baked haddock above referred to.
No. 77. Pike, Sauce Matelote. Cook a pike exactly as in the last, dress it upon a dish without a napkin, and sauce with a matelote sauce over, made as directed for salmon sauce matelote (No. 57).
This fish may also be served with caper sauce as directed for the skate (No. 74)—the smaller ones are the best; the remains of a pike placed in the oven the next day, with a cover over it and a little more sauce added, is very nice.
No. 78. Stewed Carp. Procure a good-sized carp, stuff it, then put it into a baking-dish with two onions, one carrot, one turnip, one head of celery, and a good bunch of parsley, thyme, and bay-leaf; moisten with two glasses of port wine, and put it in a moderate oven about two hours to bake; try if done with a knife, which is the case if the flesh leaves the bone easily, dress upon a dish without a napkin, then have ready the following sauce: mince a large Spanish onion with two common ones, and put them into a stewpan with three spoonfuls of salad-oil, fry rather a yellow colour, add two glasses of port wine and two spoonfuls of flour, mix all well together, add a pint of broth (reserved from some soup) or water, with half an ounce of glaze, boil it up, drain the stock the carp was cooked in from the vegetables, which also add to the sauce; boil well at the corner of the stove, skim, and when rather thick add a teaspoonful of Harvey sauce, one of essence of anchovies, twelve pickled mushrooms, and a little cayenne pepper, pour all the liquor drained from the fish out of your dish, sauce over and serve.
No. 79. Carp, Sauce Matelote. Put your carp into a small oval fish-kettle, with wine and vegetables as in the last, to which add also a pint of water and a little salt, with a few cloves and peppercorns; put the lid upon the fish-kettle and stand it over a moderate fire to stew an hour and a half, according to the size; when done drain well, dress upon a dish without a napkin, and sauce over with a matelote sauce made as directed for salmon sauce matelote (No. 57), or caper sauce, as for skate (No. 74); small carp are very good-flavored, bread-crumbed and fried.
No. 80. Truite à la Twickenham. When you have cleaned your trout as described at page 23, put them into a kettle of boiling water, to which you have added a good handful of salt, and a wineglassful of vinegar; boil gently about twenty minutes, or according to their size, dress upon a napkin, and serve melted butter, into which you have put a tablespoonful of chopped gherkins in a boat.
The remains of trout, salmon, or mackerel are excellent pickled; put three onions in slices in a stewpan, with two ounces of butter, one turnip, parsley, thyme, and bay-leaf, pass them five minutes over the fire, add a pint of water and a pint of vinegar; boil until the onions are tender, then strain it through a sieve over the fish; it will keep some time if required, and then do to pickle more fish by boiling over again.