The Art of Living in Australia / Together with Three Hundred Australian Cookery Recipes and Accessory Kitchen Information by Mrs. H. Wicken

by Philip E. Muskett

SMALL FISH

Any kind of small fish will do for this dish. Wash and dry them; well butter a sheet of stiff writing paper, lay the fish in, sprinkle them with a little very finely chopped onion or shallot, parsley, pepper, and salt. Squeeze over a few drops of lemon juice, and put a few little pieces of butter about them; wrap them up in the paper and bake for twenty minutes. Serve in the paper in which they were cooked.

BAKED FISH

* 4 Mullet or Jew-fish—1s. * * 2 oz. Bread Crumbs—1/2d. * * 1 oz. Butter—1d. * * Pepper and Salt * * 1 teaspoonful Parsley * * 1 teaspoonful Sweet Herbs * * 1/2 lemon * * 2 oz. Suet—2 1/2d. * * Total Cost—1 s. 4 d. * * Time—30 Minutes. * Split open the fish and remove the head and backbone, wash well in cold water and dry in a cloth. Chop the parsley, herbs, and suet, and mix these together; add half the crumbs, the rind of half a lemon, and pepper and salt. Butter a baking tin, lay on a fish skin downwards. On this place a layer of seasoning, a little lemon juice, and a few pieces of butter; on this another fish with the cut part next the seasoning. Do the rest in the same way, piling one on top of another; over all put the rest of the crumbs and butter, bake in a moderate oven for half an hour. Slip into a hot dish, and serve.

CODFISH AND POTATOES—BOUILLABAISSE OF COD.

* 2 lbs. Murray Cod—1s. * * 1 lb. Potatoes—1d. * * Slices of Roll * * 1 quart Water * * 1 fagot of Herbs * * 2 Leeks or 1 Onion * * Pinch of Saffron * * 1 1/2 oz. Butter—3 1/2d. * * Total Cost—1s. 41/2 d. * * Time—One Hour. * Put the butter into a saucepan, and when it is hot add the leeks or onion chopped small, and let them get a good colour without burning; then add a quart of water, the fagot of herbs, the saffron tied in a piece of muslin, and the potatoes peeled. Bring up to the boil, and when they are nearly cooked cut the cod into slices and lay it in. Cook slowly for twenty minutes, take up the fish, and put it in a hot dish and lay the potatoes round. Season and flavour the liquor, and boil up. Cut the bread into slices, put it into a hot dish, and strain the liquor over; serve with the fish.

BUTTERED WHITING

* 3 Whiting—1s. * * Pepper and Salt * * 1 1/2 oz. Butter * * 1 Lemon—2d. * * Total Cost—1s. 2d. * * Time—20 Minutes * Wash the whiting, dry them in a cloth, mix a little flour, pepper, and salt together, cover the fish thoroughly with this. Butter a thin dish, lay the whiting in and put the rest of the butter over them in small pieces, and put them into a hot oven; baste constantly with the butter. This must not be allowed to get black; it should be brown. When the whiting are done, which will be in from fifteen to twenty minutes, according to the thickness of the fish, place them in a hot dish and pour the butter in which they have been cooked over them.

BROILED FISH

* 2 Mullet—8d. * * 2 teaspoonful Oil * * Pepper * * Salt—1/2d. * * Total Cost—81/2 d. * * Time—10 Minutes. * Split the mullet open and wash away the black substance from the bones, dry on a cloth, rub with oil and sprinkle them with pepper and salt, and leave them in a cool place for an hour. Rub a gridiron with a piece of suet, and when it is quite hot put on the fish and broil it carefully, turning it two or three times whilst cooking. Lay on a hot dish and rub over with a little butter.