Fillet two soles, beat each fillet flat; have ready a dozen oysters, blanched and chopped, which mix with four tablespoonfuls of forcemeat of whitings (No. 124), and a little chopped eschalots; spread some on one fillet, then cover another over it, and so on till they are all done; put a little oil in a sauté-pan, with a little chopped eschalots, and a glass of white wine; lay your fillets in, season with a little pepper and salt, and put them in a moderate oven until tender; turn them over, and cut each into large diamonds, dress them round (points upwards) upon a dish, and put them in the hot closet; put ten tablespoonfuls of melted butter, and six do. of milk into the sauté-pan; place it over the fire, and when it boils pass it through a tammie; place it again on the fire, boil it a few minutes, add two pats of butter, and stir it till quite smooth; pour the sauce over the fillets, sprinkle some gherkins and ham (cut in strips half an inch long) over, and serve very hot.
No. 270. Filets de Soles aux Huîtres.
Fillet and dress two soles as for Filets de sole à la Hollandaise (No. 265), dish them round, then put a dozen and a half of oysters lightly blanched in the sauté-pan, with ten tablespoonfuls of oyster sauce (No. 69), and four do. of milk; boil five minutes, season with a little cayenne pepper and salt, if required, and pour over the fillets.
No. 271. Cod-fish au naturel.
Crimped cod, like crimped salmon, is preferable to the plain, and is better cut in slices and cooked, than to cook the whole fish; to boil it well you should have the water boiling (with one pound of salt to every six quarts of water); when you put in the fish, then draw it to the corner of the stove, and let it simmer twenty minutes or half an hour; when it is done, the bone in the centre will leave with facility; be careful you do not boil it too much, for it would cause the fish to eat tough and stringy, and observe in boiling cod that is not crimped, to put more salt in the water, it will make the fish eat firmer.
No. 272. Cabillaud aux Huîtres.
Boil your fish as above, dress it on a napkin, and garnish with some nice sprigs of double parsley, and serve the oyster sauce (No. 69) in a boat.
No. 273. Cabillaud à la Béchamel.
Boil two slices of cod as before, dish them without a napkin, and have ready the following sauce: put nearly a quart of Bechamel sauce (No. 7) in a stewpan, with a quarter of a pint of white stock; stir it over the fire, to reduce ten minutes, then add two teaspoonfuls of essence of anchovies, a little cayenne pepper and sugar; finish with a gill of whipped cream, and pour over the fish.