No. 68. Fish Cake.—Remains of cold cooked fish, one onion, one faggot of sweet herbs, salt and pepper to taste, one pint water, equal quantities bread crumbs and cold potatoes, half a teaspoon parsley, one egg. Flake the fish free from bones and place bones, head and fins in saucepan with the water, add pepper and salt, onion and herbs, and stew slowly about two hours. Chop the fish fine and mix well with bread crumbs and cold potatoes, adding the parsley and seasoning. Make the whole into one cake or several, mixing in the beaten eggs, cover with bread crumbs and fry a light brown in butter. Strain the fish liquor, put the cake in saucepan, pour the liquor over it and stew gently fifteen minutes, stirring once or twice. Serve hot with slices of lemon.
No. 69. Fish a la Vinaigrette.—(Serve cold.) This may be made of fish cooked expressly for the dish, or remnants of almost any kind of cooked fish may be used. The very best fish for the purpose is the striped bass, for its flesh is remarkably white, very firm, and possesses a fine flavor. First stick the fish with cloves, then boil it in vinegar and water. Remove the skin and head, if a whole fish, and set aside to cool. When ready to serve, place it on a napkin on a bed of crisp lettuce. Garnish with sprigs of parsley, slices of cucumber, water cresses, sliced lemon, or boiled sliced beats, any of these are suitable. Serve with a sauce tartare ([No. 43].) If remnants of cooked fish are used, they should be heaped in the center of the dish and garnished same as the whole fish, and the sauces may be served separately, or poured over the fish; if the latter way, it should not be garnished until the same is poured over it. A nice hot weather dish.
No. 70. Fish Cakes.—Mix together, cold, cooked fish, mashed potatoes, butter, seasoning and the yolk of a well beaten egg, and if necessary moisten with milk or cream, shape into round flat cakes, dip them in beaten egg, roll in crumbs and fry a light brown, drain and serve on a napkin. A very nice way to use remnants of cooked fish. A teaspoon of chopped parsley is an improvement.
No. 71. Fish and Oyster Cakes.—Substitute oysters for the potato in [No. 70], having equal quantities of fish and oysters, and mixing in crumbs enough to make the mixture hold together.
No. 72. Casserole of Fish.—Flake free from bones and skin one pint cooked fish; mix with it, one cup of stale bread crumbs and two beaten eggs. Season with salt and pepper, add a pinch of mace, a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce and a few drops of lemon juice. Boil in buttered mould and serve with oyster sauce ([No. 38].)
No. 73. Chartreuse of Fish.—Flake and season one cup cold, cooked fish, moisten with a little cream or milk. Use an equal quantity of mashed potato and two hard boiled eggs in slices. Butter a small mould and put in alternate layers of potato, fish and sliced eggs. Season with salt, pepper, onion juice and a speck of cayenne. Steam twenty minutes, turn out on platter and garnish with parsley. Serve with, or without a sauce poured over or separately.
No. 74. Fish Chowder.—No fish chowder should have bones in it; to avoid this, dress, wash and cut up your fish and put it on to boil in cold water, without salt; as soon as it is cooked enough—say ten minutes—for the flesh to be separated from the bones, take it up and remove all bones; put the head, bones, etc., back into the water, and boil until water is wanted. In the meantime you should fry in the bottom of your chowder kettle some small dice-shaped pieces of salt pork, say one quarter pound of pork for every five pounds of fish; when the pork is all tried out and nicely browned, but not burnt, put in some thinly sliced onions in quantity to suit, and cook these until yellow, not brown; now put in one quart of cold water (for five pounds of fish,) strain the bone water and put that in, then some sliced potatoes, season with salt and pepper, and when the potatoes are nearly done put in the fish; boil one quart of milk and add to the chowder; now try it and see if it is seasoned all right; let all come to a boil, pour into a tureen and serve. A common way is to put a layer of crackers on top of the chowder when the milk is put in; but many prefer the crackers served separately. Clam water added to a fish chowder is a great improvement.
No. 75. St. James Fish Chowder.—Put half pound sliced salt pork in bottom of kettle and fry brown, then remove the pork and put in layers of potatoes, onions and fish sliced, seasoning each layer with salt and pepper. Use one quart each, potatoes and onions to three pounds of fish, cover with cold water and bring to a boil gradually and cook slowly for half an hour, then add two pounds sea biscuit soaked for five minutes in warm water, boil five minutes more and serve immediately after adding half a pint of port wine and a bottle of champagne. Milk may be substituted for the wine and it will be quite good enough and far less expensive.
No. 76. Major Henshaws Fish Chowder.—Cut up one and a half, or two pounds, salt pork and put in kettle, covering close, when nearly tried out remove the pieces of pork and put in four tablespoons sliced onions, when browned slightly, put in six pounds fish in slices, one and a half pounds broken crackers, twenty-five large oysters, one quart mashed, boiled potatoes, half a dozen large tomatoes sliced (or an equal quantity tomato catsup,) one bottle port wine or claret, half a grated nutmeg, teaspoon each, summer savory and thyme, a few cloves, blade of mace, allspice, black pepper and slices lemon. Put fish, crackers, etc., all in layers in the order stated, sprinkling in the other ingredients, add water enough to cover and simmer, not boil, until fish on top is done. This chowder too is good enough for a king without the wine.
No. 77. Creamed Fish.—Scald two cups of milk, when hot, stir in one tablespoon butter, braided with one teaspoon flour, when it thickens remove from fire; butter pudding dish and fill with layers of cooked fish, season with salt and pepper and wet with the thickened milk. Sprinkle over the top a few fine cracker crumbs. Bake about twenty minutes.