How to Cook Fish

by Myrtle Reed

BOILED CARP

Put a cleaned carp into a saucepan with sufficient beef stock to cover. Add an onion, four cloves, a bunch of sweet herbs, and salt to season. Simmer until the fish is done. Take out the fish and strain the sauce. Add two cupfuls of beef stock and thicken with browned flour. Boil until thick, add a wineglassful of white wine and the juice of half a lemon. Pour the sauce over the fish and serve.

PICKLED CARP

Put a cleaned carp into a fish-kettle and pour over it boiling vinegar and a cupful of Claret. Add two carrots and three onions chopped fine, and sage, thyme, bay-leaves, parsley, cloves, and bruised garlic to season. Simmer for an hour and let cool in the liquid.

CARP À L'ITALIENNE

Clean, scale, and slice the fish. Fry with onion, parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper, using plenty of butter. Add white wine to cover and simmer for ten minutes; then put in the oven and bake until tender. Add two lemons sliced and one cupful each of chopped almonds and currants. Cook long enough to soften the currants, adding stock if necessary.

CARP À L'ALLEMANDE

Clean and cut into strips two pounds of carp. Add one wineglassful of Claret, one cupful of beef stock, one cupful of chopped mushrooms, a carrot and an onion chopped fine, and salt, pepper, thyme, clove and parsley to season. Simmer for an hour, add a tablespoonful of capers, and serve on buttered toast.

CARP À LA BORDELAISE

Chop fine an onion, a carrot, and a bunch of parsley. Add two cupfuls of white wine, a clove of garlic, three cloves, and salt and pepper to season. Cook for fifteen minutes, then add two quarts of cold water. Boil the carp in this sauce and drain. Prepare a sauce as follows: Chop fine a small onion and a shallot. Season with salt and pepper, and cook until soft with a wineglassful of Claret. Add two cupfuls of beef stock and bring to the boil. Thicken with two tablespoonfuls of browned flour rubbed smooth in a little cold water, season with salt, red pepper, minced parsley, and chives, and add a small piece of cooked chopped marrow. Pour over the fish and serve very hot.