Mashed Salt (Brandade).—Take some salted codfish that has been soaked for at least 24 hours. Boil in plain water, drain, carefully pick out all the skin and bones, and separate the flesh into small flakes. Put the flakes into a basin, and work them with a fork until every flake is broken into little pieces. Rub a saucepan freely with garlic, put the fish and a small quantity of fine salad oil into it, stir well with a fork. Place the saucepan on a very slow fire, and never cease stirring the contents; pour into it salad oil and milk alternately, in the smallest possible quantities, but continuously, until the mixture assumes the appearance of a thick creamy paste. Season with white pepper, add some lemon juice, and never leave off stirring, for it is upon the thoroughness of this operation that the success of the dish depends. Served piled on a dish, with bread sippets fried in butter.
Rock.—Plain boil the cod, remove all the meat, clear it from skin and bone, then mince it fine; mince also an onion; put it in a stewpan with a piece of butter, and steam it soft; then put in the fish, with salt, white pepper, and finely mashed or grated potatoes; stir all well together, with a piece of butter; make hot; serve it well raised, with crumbs browned in butter, sprinkled over or ornamented with narrow strips of pickled beetroot.
Roe (Laitance).—Soft roes, which are the best, are to be bought at prices ranging from 2d. to 8d. each. This last is very large, and will make a dish amply sufficient for 12 persons. The hard roe is generally sold at 6d., but, as it does not go so far, it is not so cheap as the soft. It has lately come into use, when cured and smoked, as a breakfast delicacy, but, like all other dried fish, is indigestible. When fresh, it requires to be carefully prepared, or it will be tasteless; but properly managed it makes both a good and elegant dish. Besides the recipes given, there are a number of other ways of utilising this roe. It makes an excellent basis for fish soups of any kind, or mulligatawny, and nothing can be better for stewed oysters. It is also very good curried.
Soft Roe Fried.—Take the whole of a small roe or a portion of a large one, about the size of a calf’s sweetbread. Boil ½ pint water with a tablespoonful of vinegar, a large pinch of salt, and a shake of pepper. Put the roe in, and let it boil for 10 minutes; then take up and drain. Beat up half an egg, yolk and white together, in a basin, and pass the rose through it so as to touch every part. Have ready some finely-sifted breadcrumbs mixed with an equal quantity of raspings, and well seasoned with pepper and salt, and dip the roe in them, taking care it is nicely covered. Have ready some good frying fat, and when boiling put in the roe; fry on one side until brown and crisp; then turn and finish on the other. Butter sauce and anchovy may be eaten with it; or butter sauce with a little lemon juice and cayenne pepper added.
Hard Roe.—Get the roe the day before it is wanted. Boil it in salt and water until perfectly firm. When cold, slice it into cutlets ¼ in. thick and lay them in a pickle composed of a pinch of saltpetre and of baysalt, a teaspoonful of common salt, pinch of pepper, ground cloves, nutmeg, and allspice, the whole mixed with 2 teaspoonfuls vinegar. Let the cutlets remain in this pickle until the next day, turning them occasionally. A little before cooking drain and dry them, brush them over with egg, and dip them in finely-sifted breadcrumbs, well seasoned with pepper and salt and a pinch of chopped parsley. Fry the cutlets in butter until a nice brown, and when about to serve pour round them a sauce made as follows: Take 4 spoonfuls good gravy, add a few drops essence of anchovy, thicken with ½ teaspoonful flour, chop a tablespoonful of capers, and boil them, for a minute or two in the gravy.
The preceding recipes for roe are due to the well-known authority, Mary Hooper.
Sauté.—Boil a piece of codfish, but do not over do it. Pick out the flesh in flakes, put them in a saucepan with a piece of butter, pepper and salt to taste, some minced parsley, and the juice of a lemon, with a dust of cayenne. Put it on the fire till quite hot, and serve.
Sound (Nau).—(a) 6 fine salted sounds will make a good dish. Soak in cold milk and water for several hours, and boil until tender in fresh milk and water; then drain and dish on a napkin as any other fish; serve egg sauce with them.
(b) After boiling the sounds, as in (a), cut into neat pieces, not too small; and having made the egg sauce, put the pieces of sounds into the stewpan containing it. Hold the stewpan over the fire, shaking it about during the time until the fish is quite hot; then dish it without a napkin, piling the sounds in pyramid form, and pouring the remainder of the sauce over. Garnish with boiled parsnips round the dish; cut into neat pieces alike in size and shape.
Steaks, with Mock Oyster Sauce.—The most economical way of having cod steaks is to order either the tail of a good-sized cod or a cod’s head and shoulders, so cut that there is sufficient to take off some steaks, and what remains comes in for luncheon or the children’s dinner the following day. Sprinkle the cod with salt, and fry, either with or without breadcrumbs, a golden brown.