Now add three quarts of pig’s blood—calf’s, or sheep’s is as good—that has not been long taken from the animal, and if still warm is preferable. Mix all intimately, and if you find the mixture is too thin to work well, add a handful or two of stale bread crumbs, or half to three quarters of a pound of rice, boiled just tender but not mashed. Take now the smaller pudding skins which have been properly scraped and cleaned, wash them in salt and water, and with a tin funnel tie one end of the skin tightly upon it, and the other end up in a knot, two feet or a yard will be a convenient length. Proceed now to fill your skins by pressing the meat through the funnel, pricking with a pin to let out the air. When nicely and firmly filled, tie up the end, and put the puddings into a flat large pan, with plenty of water tasting slightly of salt, and already boiling, and let them simmer twenty minutes, or rather more, attentively watching and pricking them to prevent bursting. When the blood oozes out no longer, they are fully cooked, then take them up and let them lie all night on a sieve. Cut them into pieces four to six inches long, and when wanted for table wipe them lightly over with a linen rag dipped in olive oil, and broil them ten minutes. Serve them plain, but very hot. If you cannot procure endive, you may substitute celery, which must be boiled along with three or four laurel leaves; the tender parts only must be used. Leeks also are generally liked, but in that case part of the onions must be omitted.
MARINATED SALMON.
Take six or eight pounds of the middle of a large fish, in preference to a similar weight of the whole of a grilse or salmon trout, scale it and cut off the fins, split it open at the back and reserve the roe and liver; wipe the fish out nicely, and strew moist sugar all over the red side, put it away on a dish until the next day. Then make the following mixture,
| Bay leaf, in powder | 1 | oz. |
| Mace, in powder | ½ | oz. |
| Cloves, in powder | ¾ | oz. |
| White pepper, in powder | ¾ | oz. |
| Table salt | 1¼ | lb. |
Take out the backbone neatly and rub the fish on both sides well with the mixture and the former sugar; lay three or four laurel leaves upon the red face of the thick side, turn the thin side over upon them, and set it away in a cool place for twenty-four hours. Then take it up, wipe dry, and cut the sides into fitting pieces, and place them in a deep dish upon the spices, and half a pint of Rhenish wine or Cape Madeira; tie double paper over and bake it in a slow oven till done enough. Pour off the pickle while yet warm, and set the pieces on a sieve to drip until the next day—covered close with a cloth to prevent the action of the air upon it, and thus to preserve the colour. Now choose your pots according to the size of your family, and into each one place a piece of the fish, the red face downwards, and fill up with genuine olive oil, let remain until the next day, when add more oil, and again on the third day replenishing what has been absorbed by the fish. Then tie wetted bladder over the pots and keep them in a cool dry air. This cannot fail of gaining the approval of all who partake of it, and is the most certain method of obtaining fresh salmon in the winter months. The same oil will do again and again for a similar purpose.
MARINATED TENCH AND CARP.
How often have I seen twenty or thirty brace of these delicious and exceedingly nutritious fish exposed for sale in some provincial market-place, and spoiling for want of purchasers, some neighbouring baronet or esquire having been drawing his pits and preserves. But why no purchasers? Simply because, although the spectators might nearly beg them, the price being so low, few persons only would know what to do with them, they not being “poor men’s fish;” and the sauces, &c., required to dress them would be too expensive; the operatives have not seen pies made of them, like eels, so even the million as they are termed do not enjoy them, and ten to one the beautiful fish are lost; whilst if they were near Houndsditch or the Minories, amongst the Israelites, they would not remain half an hour unsold even at half-a-crown the brace, because they know how to prepare them, and delicious indeed are the majority of their fish dishes. Take three brace of these fish, scale them, cut off the tails and fins, split them open at the back, take out all the garbage, gills and eyes, and wash them quickly in salt and water; now wipe them dry, and have ready the following mixture:
| Fresh parsley, minced finely | 2 | tablespoonfuls |
| Thyme, in powder | 2 | tablespoonfuls |
| Marjorum, in powder | 2 | tablespoonfuls |
| Moist sugar | ½ | lb. |
| Table salt | ¾ | lb. |
Make two sides of each fish and cut them across, again place these pieces in alternate layers with the mixture in an oblong pot closely covered up, and set them aside for forty-eight hours; then unpack the fish and replace them in the same receptacle, having rubbed them well and turned each piece over; so let remain twenty-four hours longer, the thickest pieces lying nearest the bottom of the jar. Now unpack again and wash the pieces separately in weak vinegar and water with a trifle of saltpetre in it, and wiping, leave them between cloths while you are preparing, by boiling the used herbs and liquor with half a pint of vinegar and water for ten minutes, and skimming well, strain it through a fine sieve and set it aside. Now take
| Mace, bruised | ½ | oz. |
| Cloves, bruised | 1 | oz. |
| Cayenne pepper | 1 | teaspoonful |
| Twelve bay leaves, shred | ||
| Four laurel leaves, green | ||
| Of the strained liquor | ½ | pint |