No. 227. Chicken Halibut aux Fine Herbs.—Chop a little parsley, six mushrooms and a shallot, adding to them a little salt, pepper and nutmeg; place all in a saucepan and simmer five minutes with half a pint of port wine. Pour all these ingredients into a shallow dish and place on top four pounds of chicken halibut. Bake in moderate oven for about thirty minutes, basting with the liquor occasionally. Put half a pint of Spanish sauce ([No. 37]) in another saucepan and reduce for seven or eight minutes, adding juice of a lemon, serve poured around the fish.
No. 228. Smelts Baked.—Dip in beaten egg, roll in cracker crumbs, season with salt, pepper and a little nutmeg, lay on a sheet of buttered paper in a buttered baking pan, put a piece of butter on each fish and bake a delicate brown; serve on a hot dish, garnished with slices of lemon and parsley.
No. 229. Halibut a la Royale.—Six pounds fish in one piece, half a cup of bread crumbs, two slices fat, salt pork, two teaspoons essence anchovy, one quarter cup melted butter, one cup boiling water, juice of one lemon, pepper and salt. Lay the fish in salted water for two hours, wipe and make incisions each side of back bone and put in a dressing ([No. 84].) Pour into bottom of neat baking dish the butter, hot water, lemon juice and anchovy essence. Lay in the fish, cover and bake one hour, basting often, send to table in the dish.
No. 230. Halibut, Sauce Supreme.—Cut four pounds of halibut in square pieces one inch thick, soak one hour in Maderia or sherry wine, turning them over once in fifteen minutes. Then put them into a saucepan with two oz. melted butter, add salt and pepper; simmer five minutes, then send to the oven for twenty minutes. Arrange the fish on a dish and pour over it a sauce supreme. Cook sword fish, flounders or bass in the same way. Striped bass, deep sea flounders, sword fish and other coarse grained fish may be cooked in any way directed for the halibut.
No. 231. Baked Herring.—Split two herring, remove heads, tails and backbone, lay one fish skin side down, mix together one desertspoon finely chopped parsley, one small onion, chopped, and half a teaspoon each thyme and marjoram, powdered, a few bread crumbs, with salt and pepper, and sprinkle over the fish, lay the other fish on top, skin side up, and pour over them melted butter, cover and bake half an hour, watching and basting. Mackerel, alewives and porgies may be cooked in the same way.
No. 232. Grilled Herring.—To grill is to broil on the gridiron. Do not split the fish, but score them slightly at the sides, grease the gridiron with butter, turn the fish often while grilling, brown them evenly all over, dish on a hot platter and pour over them a sauce made of two ounces butter, one teaspoon flour, two of vinegar, four of French mustard, half a gill of water, pepper and salt. Heat all together, smooth, thicken and boil five minutes, garnish with parsley. Alewives, menhaden and small shad can be cooked in the same way.
No. 233. King Fish, Sherry Sauce.—Split in two four medium size fish, take out the backbone and broil over a gentle fire, when done put half a pint of Spanish sauce ([No. 37]) in saucepan, add wineglass of sherry wine, boil fifteen minutes, pour around the fish and serve. A good way to cook butter-fish, tautog, or blackfish.
No. 234. Mackerel to Broil.—This is undoubtedly the best way to cook a fresh mackerel, especially if it is fat, and it should be in the fall. Serve basted with cream or melted butter, seasoned to taste, or with a maitre d’hotel butter ([No. 32],) or a sauce tartare ([No. 44].) Mackerel may also be cooked in any way a shad is cooked. Very small mackerel may be cooked the same as smelts.
No. 235. Perch to Cook.—Perch of all kinds are best fried, but may be cooked in any way recommended for small fish of other kinds. Some varieties are rather tasteless, and these should be served according to some of the rich stews, fricassees, &c., mentioned under the head of fish cookery in general.
No. 236. Pickerel Baked.—Score back and thick parts of sides, baste well with flour, butter, pepper and salt, sprinkle lightly with lemon juice and lay in dripping pan with two tablespoons of water, baste occasionally, adding more water if needed; bake from thirty to fifty minutes, according to size. Make a drawn butter sauce based on the fish gravy, add a pinch of cayenne, pour over fish and serve.