Stewed.—With a sharp knife remove the flesh in long slices from 2-3 lb. tail end of a codfish; divide each piece into three or four, dip in flour highly seasoned with pepper and salt, and fry lightly. Boil the bone of the fish with a minced onion, 3 or 4 peppercorns, a small bundle of sweet herbs, and 1 qt. water, for 1 hour. Strain the liquor, which should be about 1 pint. Let boil up, and thicken with 2 tablespoonfuls of flour, mixed smooth in a little cold water; add 2 teaspoonfuls essence of anchovy, and pepper to taste. Put in the pieces of fish, and simmer them in this sauce for ¼ hour. When about to serve, a few drops of vinegar may be added.
Twice Laid.—Take 1 lb. of the remnants of boiled codfish, remove all skin and bone, taking care to leave the fish in nice pieces. Put 2 oz. butter into a saucepan, when melted add ½ tablespoonful flour; stir it on the fire 2-3 minutes, pour in 1 gill milk, add salt and pepper to taste, and a little nutmeg; stir until the sauce boils. Take 2 hard-boiled eggs, cut each into 8 pieces; put them into the sauce with the fish and about 1 lb. mashed potatoes; mix all lightly together, dish up high on a plate, put into the oven to brown, ornament with some slices of hard-boiled egg, and serve.
With Cream.—Pick out carefully in flakes all the flesh from the remnants of some boiled codfish; melt a piece of butter in a saucepan, and add to it a large pinch of flour and 1 gill milk or cream, with pepper, salt, and grated nutmeg to taste, also the least bit of cayenne; stir well, put in the fish, and gently shake it in this sauce till quite warm. If the composition be too dry add a little milk or cream; then add off the fire the yolks of 2 eggs beaten up with a little milk, and serve.
Crab (Écrevisse de mer). Browned.—Take the great shell, clean and butter it; mince all the fish, shred some parsley, mushrooms, truffles, and a little young onion. Brown these in a saucepan with a very little butter; put in the minced crab with the inside bruised, and some cayenne pepper and salt; stir this about, shake in some flour, and add a little corach. Let this simmer up, fill up the shell, strew over crumbs of bread with small piece of butter; brown in a Dutch oven or with a salamander.
Dressed.—To produce a successful dressed crab, boil a large and a small crab in salt and water. When cold, open them, pull off and break the claws, and take out the chine. Clear out the shells completely, and put the soft creamy part into a basin. Now pick out all white meat from large and small claws and chine, and put some of this aside. Add to remainder a dressing of oil, vinegar, pepper, salt, and mustard, and mix well. Replace the mixture in the shell of the large crab, strew over the top the reserve of white meat, pulled into fibres, and adorn it with powdered yolk of hard-boiled egg, lobster spawn, and caviar, disposed in stripes, triangles, or diagonals.
Devilled.—Take 2 boiled crabs, pick out the meat and put it aside. Mince 2 or 3 shallots very finely, and put them into a stewpan with a goodly lump of butter. Fry the shallots to a gold colour, and then put in a little milk, salt, cayenne pepper, a dash of ketchup, a spoonful of chutnee, and a very little parsley finely chopped. Boil till it thickens; put in the minced crab, and let it boil up; then add the yolk of an egg, a little cream, and amalgamate quickly. Fill the shell of the larger crab, egg and breadcrumb it, put into the oven for 10 minutes, pass a salamander over it, and serve.
Crayfish.—The sea crayfish (langouste) may be cooked in every way like lobster, but its flesh is very inferior in texture and richness. Freshwater crayfish (écrevisse) are in this country frequently ignored in consequence of the abundance of lobsters, but are excellent morsels even when simply boiled and eaten cold, and are invaluable as garnish. The famous bisque d’écrevisses is made in the same way as lobster soup, save and except that the shells are pounded and added to the soup at an early stage of its confection. The rich, highly flavoured dish known as écrevisses à la bordelaise is made by first getting ready a mirepois thus: Cut into small dice 3 carrots and 3 onions, and add to them a bay leaf, some thyme, parsley, and lean ham, the whole chopped finely. Put all these into a stewpan with a large piece of butter, and let it stew gently without taking too much colour. Having thoroughly cleaned 24 raw crayfish, put them into the mirepois with half a bottle of sauterne, half a glass of good cognac, a piece of glaze, and a little good stock; throw in a little pepper and salt, and cook over a brisk fire. In aspic: see Prawns.
Dab (Limande): see Flounder.
Dace (Vandoise) Boiled: see Carp. Stewed: see Carp, Trout.
Eels (Anguilles).—When intended for frying or stewing, eels are skinned, but for a broil or “spatchcock,” the skin, after thorough scouring and cleansing, should be left on. In all these processes care should be taken that the eels be not overdone. Nothing, of course, can well be more detestable or more unwholesome than underdone fish, but in the case of eels great nicety is required, as if they are cooked too much all springiness and elasticity are lost. This point is often neglected in a stew or matelote; all individuality of texture is sacrificed, and a soft, tasteless dish is the consequence. Very large eels may be stuffed with truffle or other stuffing, and roasted; and small ones may be made into a pie; but the broil, fry, and stew are the most popular forms.