Cover well-cleaned and lightly-gashed butterfish with boiling water, season with one chopped onion, parsley and thyme, salt and pepper. Boil gently for about ten minutes if small. Take from the water, and serve with scalded milk seasoned with butter, pepper, salt, and minced parsley.
TWENTY-TWO WAYS TO COOK CARP
BAKED CARP—I
Clean a carp and cover it with salted cold water and vinegar. Soak for an hour, then drain and dry. Stuff with seasoned crumbs, sew up, and put into a deep baking-pan. Brush with beaten egg, sprinkle with bread-crumbs and dot with butter. Add two sliced onions and a pinch of sweet herbs, a cupful each of sweet wine and stock, and a teaspoonful of anchovy paste. Bake for an hour, basting as needed. Take out the fish, strain the liquor, thicken with a tablespoonful of butter rolled in flour, and season with salt, pepper, lemon-juice, and a pinch of sugar.
BAKED CARP—II
Let the fish stand in vinegar for fifteen minutes. Stuff with seasoned crumbs and sew up. Brush with beaten egg, cover with crumbs, and dot with butter. Put into a baking-pan with two chopped onions, a bunch of parsley, a cupful of water, and a teaspoonful of Worcestershire sauce. Bake in a moderate oven, basting as required. Add enough water to make a cupful of the liquid remaining after taking up the fish. Thicken with a tablespoonful of flour blended with an equal quantity of butter, strain, add the juice of a lemon, and pepper and salt to season.
STEWED CARP—I
Clean and scale a carp, pouring boiling vinegar over the fish to facilitate the process. Wrap in a cloth and cook it gently in court bouillon. Serve with a sauce made of court bouillon, strained and thickened, with a few capers and a little anchovy sauce added.
STEWED CARP—II
Mix together one tablespoonful of salt, half a teaspoonful of pepper, and a pinch of powdered mace. Rub a cleaned fish with it, both inside and out. Leave it in a cold place for two hours. Then put into a kettle, cover with boiling water, add a small onion sliced, a sprig of parsley, a bay-leaf, and a teaspoonful of marjoram. Simmer until done, drain, and serve with Cream Sauce.