Brook Trout, Boiled.—To boil trout seems an outrage; but when one receives a large quantity of them, and there is danger of their spoiling if not immediately used, put four small trout properly cleaned into a saucepan, cover them with claret, add a slice of lemon, two cloves, four whole peppers, the least bit of mace, and a heaping saltspoonful of salt. Simmer slowly three-quarters of an hour; remove the saucepan from the range, and when cold take out the fish, put them in a dish, and pour the boiled wine over them. Serve at luncheon or collations.
The head, tail, and fins of trout should not be removed before cooking.
MISCELLANEOUS.
Catfish, Fried.—Catfish and waffles is a combination dear to the hearts of Philadelphians, and the road-houses near that city are celebrated for cooking them. Select the fish already cleaned, as it is a troublesome job to clean them, and pick out the white instead of the red catfish; rub a little salt along the backbone on the inside, and let the fish stand over night. Next day dredge them with corn-meal or flour, and fry in a little fat; sprinkle salt and pepper over them before serving.
The Tenderloin Trout.—Large catfish are caught in Southern rivers; and while they are fair eating, they are not popular with the whites in the vicinity of New Orleans. The restaurant people, however, cut the fish into pieces an inch square and about four inches long; these are dipped in egg, rolled in crumbs, and fried and served as tenderloin trout.
Fricasseed Eels.—Cut up three pounds of eels into pieces of three inches in length; put them into a stewpan, and cover them with Rhine wine (or two-thirds water and one-third vinegar); add fifteen oysters, two pieces of lemon, a bouquet of herbs, one onion quartered, six cloves, three stalks celery, a pinch of cayenne, pepper and salt to taste. Stew the eels one hour; remove them from the dish; strain the liquor. Put it back into the stewpan with a gill of cream and an ounce of butter rolled in flour; simmer gently a few minutes, pour over the fish, and serve.
Eel Patties.—Take three medium-sized eels, and cut them up into inch pieces. Put them in a stewpan, add salt, and cover them with cold water. When the water comes to a boil, take them off the fire, wash them in cold water, scrape off any fat that may adhere, return them to the stewpan with just enough hot water to cover them, and add a blade of mace, a bay leaf, a few whole peppers, a few sprigs of parsley, and one lemon cut into slices. Stew gently until the fish will separate from the bone; remove the fish from the broth, pick it into small pieces, and set them aside; reduce the broth a little, strain, and thicken with flour and butter. Return the fish to the broth, simmer a moment, fill your patties, and serve; make patty-shells as directed for oyster patties.
Stewed Eels, Hoboken Turtle Club Style.—Cut into three-inch pieces two pounds of medium-sized cleaned eels. Rub the inside of each piece with salt. Let stand half an hour, then parboil them. Boil an onion in a quart of milk, and remove the onion. Drain the eels from the water, and add them to the milk. Season with half a teaspoonful of chopped parsley, salt and pepper, and the slightest suspicion of mace. Simmer until the flesh falls from the bones.
Fried eels should be slightly salted before cooking them. Do not cover them with batter, but dredge them with just flour enough to absorb all moisture, then cover them with boiling fat, as for doughnut cooking. Many New England families use corn-meal to dredge them with instead of flour.