FRIED SHAD.
18. Cut your shad in half, wash it and wipe it dry, score it and season with cayenne pepper and salt, dredge flour over it, and fry it in hot lard. When done, put the two halves together, that it may assume the appearance of a whole fish.
BROILED SHAD.
19. Split your shad down the back, wash it and season it well with salt. Have your gridiron heated, grease the bars, put on the shad and broil it slowly till quite done. It should be of a fine brown on both sides. If designed for the dinner table, after having basted it well with butter on both sides, fold it over, that it may assume its original form, and serve it.
BAKED SHAD.
20. Open your shad by cutting it down the back, wash it well and wipe it dry, score it and season it with cayenne pepper and salt; put it in a pan with two ounces of butter cut in small pieces, put a few pieces of butter in the bottom of the pan and the remainder on the shad, add two table spoonsful of water. Place it in a very moderate oven and let it stand three or four hours.
SHAD ROASTED ON A BOARD.
21. Take a piece of clean oak board about three inches thick, and two feet square, stand it before the fire till the board is very hot, indeed almost charred. Have your shad split down the back, cleaned, washed, wiped dry, and seasoned with salt; fasten it to the hot board with a few small nails; the skin side should be next the board, place the board before the fire with the head part down; as soon as the juices begin to run, turn it with the tail down; it should be turned frequently in order to retain the juices. When done butter it and serve it hot. Send it to the table on the board.
This is the receipt for baking shad at the Philadelphia "fish house."