Clean a large roe shad, saving the roe and removing the back-bone. Soak stale bread in cold water and squeeze dry. Chop a large onion fine and fry in butter. Add the bread, and salt, pepper, parsley, and sage to season. Cook thoroughly, take from the fire and add the yolks of two eggs well beaten. Stuff the fish, sew up, rub with salt and put in a buttered baking-pan with thin slices of salt pork or bacon to cover the top. Fill the pan with sweet milk, leaving only the pork exposed. Bake slowly, basting often. Take up the fish carefully, strain the liquor, thicken with butter and flour, and serve separately. Fry the roe in butter, cut in slices, and garnish the fish with it.
BAKED SHAD À LA VIRGINIA
Clean the fish and stuff with seasoned crumbs made very rich with melted butter. Put in a baking-pan with enough boiling water to keep it from burning, and bake until done, basting with melted butter and the liquid in the pan. Take up the fish carefully and keep warm. Thicken the gravy with a tablespoonful of flour browned in butter, and mix smooth with cold water. Season with catsup, lemon-juice, Sherry or Madeira. Serve the sauce separately.
BAKED SHAD À LA CAROLINA
Clean a large roe shad, leaving the head on, take out the backbone and stuff with the boiled roe chopped, six chopped hard-boiled eggs, half a cupful of bread-crumbs, a chopped onion, a tablespoonful of butter, and salt, pepper, and minced parsley to season. Stuff the fish, sew up and put in a buttered baking-pan, adding enough hot water to keep from burning, three or four slices of bacon, and salt and pepper to season. Baste often and serve with Tartar Sauce.
BAKED SHAD WITH FINE HERBS
Sprinkle a buttered baking-dish with chopped onion and parsley, lay the prepared fish upon it and sprinkle with onion and parsley, seasoning with salt, pepper, and dots of butter. Add half a cupful of white wine and a cupful of white stock. Cover with a buttered paper and bake in a moderate oven. Take up the fish carefully and thicken the gravy with flour cooked in butter. Pour the sauce over the fish, sprinkle with crumbs, dot with butter, and brown in the oven. Squeeze the juice of a lemon over and serve.
BAKED SHAD STUFFED WITH OYSTERS
Rub a large cleaned fish with salt inside and out. Stuff with oysters and seasoned crumbs made very rich with melted butter, and bake, basting with melted butter and hot water. Thicken the gravy with flour browned in butter, adding a little hot water or stock if necessary, season with lemon-juice and catsup and serve the sauce separately.