NO. 42. SHAD ROE CROQUETTES.
FILLETS OF FISH
Fillets of fish are the flesh of the fish freed from the skin and bones. (See “Century Cook Book,” page 112.) The fillets of flounder are used to imitate sole, a variety of fish much esteemed in France and England. Sheepshead and other smaller fish also make good fillets.
FRIED FILLETS OF FISH
Marinate the fillets by letting them lie in a mixture of oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and chopped parsley. Take the fillets from the marinade, roll them first in flour, then in egg, and then in white bread crumbs grated from the loaf. Fry them to a lemon color in smoking-hot fat. They must not be cooked too long or they will become dry. They may also be cooked by sautéing, using half butter and half lard. Prepare one fillet at a time, for the covering of flour and crumbs will become damp if it stands long, and then will not crisp. If the fillets are small, serve them piled in crossed layers on a napkin and garnish with quarters of lemon. If they are large, serve with maître d’hôtel butter or with tartare sauce and garnish with watercress.
ROLLED FILLETS OF FLOUNDER
Sprinkle each fillet with salt and pepper. Spread it with a mixture made of butter, lemon juice, and parsley cut in pieces, not chopped fine. Fold the fillet over, roll it, and fasten it with a wooden toothpick or small skewer. Stand the rolled fillets on end in a baking-pan, put a piece of butter on the top of each one, and pour over the whole a half cupful of white cooking wine (California sauterne). Bake them in a moderate oven for twenty minutes, or until tender, and baste them frequently. Arrange the fillets symmetrically on a platter. Put a piece of parsley in the top of each one, and place in the center of the dish a lemon cut into the shape of a basket. Sprinkle the exposed pulp of the lemon with chopped parsley.
Make a sauce to serve with the fish as follows: Add to the drippings, in the pan in which the fish was cooked, a tablespoonful of flour, stir constantly until the flour is cooked, then add enough stock to make a creamy sauce. Add pepper and salt if necessary.