251. Carp, Sauce Matelote.—Put your carp in 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 about an hour, 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, or caper sauce, as for skate; small carp are very good-flavored, bread-crumbed and fried.
Trout.—There are several kinds, none of which, it seems, were known to the Romans. This is the salmon of fresh water, and bears a very close resemblance to it in flavor. They grow to a very large size; I partook of part of one weighing twenty-six pounds, which was caught in the Lake of Killarney, in July, 1848. They have different names in various parts of Great Britain, but there is the common trout, the white trout, and the sea trout; the white trout never grows very large, but the sea trout does, and is of a very fine flavor.
River Trout, when fresh, have the most beautiful skin imaginable, the golden and sometimes silvery tint of which makes me term it the sister fish of the red (sea) mullet; should the gills be pink instead of red, and the skin dry (which is frequently the case on the second day), they may still be eatable, but their succulence goes with their beauty. Clean them as directed for salmon.
252. Trout à la Twickenham.—When you have cleaned your trout, 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, two sprigs of chopped parsley, salt and pepper, 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, a bouquet of parsley, thyme, and bay-leaf, pass them five minutes over the fire, add a pint of water and a pint of vinegar, two teaspoonfuls of salt and one of pepper, 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.
253. Trout à la Burton.—Boil the trout as in the last; then put half a pint of melted butter in a stewpan, with two tablespoonfuls of cream, place it upon the fire, and when upon the point of boiling add a liaison of one yolk of egg mixed with a tablespoonful of cream (dress the fish upon a dish without a napkin), put two ounces of fresh butter, a pinch of salt, and the juice of a lemon into the sauce; shake round over the fire, but do not let it boil; sauce over the fish, sprinkle some chopped parsley, and serve.
Perch were known to the Romans, and those they received from Britain were considered the best. They do not grow to a very large size, four pounds being considered a large one. When fresh, are reddish at the eyes and gills. These fish, having a great objection to part with their scales, must be scraped almost alive, forming the fish into the shape of the letter S, and scraping with an oyster-knife; open the belly, take out the interior, pull away the gills, and wash well. When large, they are frequently boiled with the scales on, and they are taken off afterwards, which is much easier.