BOILED CODFISH, WITH CREAM SAUCE—Take out the inside of a cod by the white skin of the belly, taking care to remove all blood. Place the fish in a kettle with salted cold water; boil fast at first, then slowly. When done take out and skin. Pour over it a sauce made as follows: One-fourth pound butter put into a stewpan with one tablespoonful of flour, moistened with one pint of cream or rich milk, and salt and pepper, and also one teaspoonful essence of anchovies. Place the pan over the fire and let thicken, but not boil. BOILED MACKEREL—Prepare and clean some mackerel. Put in water and boil until they are done. When cooked, drain and put the mackerel on a hot dish. Blanch some fennel in salted water. When it is soft drain and chop finely. Put one tablespoonful in half pint of butter sauce. Serve in a sauce boat with the fish. BOILED SALMON WITH SAUCE TARTARE—Scrape the skin of the fish, wipe, and if you have no regular fish kettle with a perforated lid, tie in a piece of cheesecloth and place gently in a kettle of boiling salted water. Push the kettle back on the fire (where it will simmer gently, instead of boiling hard) and cook, allowing about six minutes to the pound. Remove carefully, drain, and chill. If the fish breaks and looks badly take out the bones, flake, pile lightly on the platter and pour the sauce over it. This may be a hot sauce Hollandaise or a cold sauce tartare. BROILED MACKEREL—Draw and wash the mackerel. Cut off heads and rub over with salt and leave for an hour. Rub a gridiron with olive oil, lay the mackerel on it and broil over a charcoal fire. Place some chopped parsley and onions on a hot dish, with the hot fish, squeezing over the mackerel a little lemon juice. Serve hot. BROILED MACKEREL, WITH BLACK BUTTER—Take some mackerel, open and remove bones. Season with butter, pepper, and salt. Place the fish on a gridiron and broil over a clear fire. Put a part of the butter in a saucepan and stir it over the fire until it is richly browned, squeezing into it a little lemon juice. Place the fish on a hot dish, arrange some sprigs of parsley around it, and pour over it the butter sauce, and serve hot. CODFISH CONES—When it is not convenient to make and fry fish balls try this substitute. Pick enough salt codfish into shreds to measure two cups and let stand in cold water for two or more hours, then drain dry. Make a sauce from one cup of hot milk, two level tablespoons each of flour and butter, and cook five minutes. Mash and season enough hot boiled potatoes to measure two cups, add the sauce and the fish and beat well with a fork. Shape in small cones, set on a butter pan, brush with melted butter and scatter fine bread crumbs over. Set in oven to brown. CODFISH HASH—Take a cup of cooked cod, pick in pieces and soak in cold water for twelve hours. Boil some potatoes and add them to the finely chopped fish, a little at a time. Put in a saucepan with some butter and stir. Let it cook gently. FINNAN HADDIE FISH CAKES—The finnan haddie parboiled with an equal quantity of mashed potatoes, season with melted butter, salt and pepper, add a beaten egg, and mold into cakes. FISH, EAST INDIA STYLE—Peel two medium-sized onions, cut into thin slices. Put in a stewpan with a small lump of butter and fry until lightly browned. Pour over them some white stock, judging the quantity by that of the fish; one ounce of butter, little curry powder, salt, lemon juice, a little sugar, and cayenne pepper. Boil the stock for fifteen or twenty minutes, then strain into a stewpan, skim and put in the fish, having it carefully prepared. Boil gently, without breaking the fish. Wash and boil half a cup of rice in water, and when cooked it should be dried and the grains unbroken. Turn the curry out on a hot dish, garnish with croutons of fried bread. Serve hot, with the rice in separate dish. FISH EN CASSEROLE—One of those earthen baking dishes with close-fitting cover of the same ware and fit for placing on the table is especially useful for cooking fish. For instance, take two pounds of the thick part of cod or haddock, both LOUISIANA COD—Melt one-quarter cup of butter and let it begin to color, add two level tablespoons of flour and stir until smooth. Add one cup of water and cook five minutes. Add half a level teaspoon of salt, half as much pepper, and a teaspoon of lemon juice. Chop fine one medium-size onion and one small green pepper, after taking out the seeds. Brown them in two tablespoons of butter, add one cup of strained tomatoes, a bit of bay leaf, and the prepared sauce. Put slices of cod cut an inch thick into a casserole, pour on the sauce, cover closely, and bake in a slow oven three-quarters of an hour. METELOTE OF HADDOCK—Wash and skin the haddock and remove the flesh from the bones in firm pieces suitable for serving. Put the head, bones and trimmings to cook in cold water and add a small sliced onion and salt and pepper. Boil six good-sized onions until tender, then drain and slice and put half of them into a buttered baking dish. Arrange the pieces of fish on these, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then add the remaining onions. Drain the fish from the trimmings, add to it two tablespoons lemon juice and pour it over onions and fish. Cover very closely and cook in the oven until the fish is tender. Then drain off the liquid, heat it to the boiling point, and thicken it with two eggs slightly beaten and diluted with a little of the hot liquid. Arrange the onions on a hot platter and place the fish on top, then pour over the thickened liquid. A MOLD OF SALMON—If where one cannot get fresh fish, the canned salmon makes a delicious mold. Serve very cold on a bed of crisp lettuce or cress. Drain off the juice from a can of salmon, and flake, picking out every fragment of bone and skin. Mix with the fish one egg lightly beaten, the juice of a half lemon, a cup fine dry bread crumbs, and salt and pepper to season. Pack in a buttered mold which has a tight-fitting OYSTERS A LA POULETTE—One quart oysters, four level tablespoons butter, four level tablespoons flour, one-half level teaspoon salt, one-fourth level teaspoon celery salt, one-half cup oysters liquor, one cup each of chicken stock and milk, juice one-half lemon. Look over the oysters, heat quickly to the boiling point, then drain and strain the liquor through cheesecloth. Melt the butter, add the flour, salt and celery salt, and when blended add the oyster liquor, chicken stock and milk, stirring until thick and smooth. Cook for five minutes, then add the oysters and lemon juice, and serve at once. OYSTER FRICASSE—Put one pint of oysters into a double boiler or into the top of the chafing dish. As soon as the edges curl add the slightly beaten yolks of three eggs, a few grains of pepper and half a teaspoon of salt. Set over hot water and as soon as the egg thickens add a teaspoon of lemon juice. Spread on slices of toasted brown bread and garnish with celery tips. Celery salt is a good addition to the seasoning. RECHAUFFE OF FINNAN HADDIE—Cover a finnan haddie with boiling water and let it simmer for twenty minutes, then remove the kettle and flake, discarding the skin and bones. For three cups of fish scald two cups of thin cream and add to the fish. Season with paprika or a dash of cayenne, and when thoroughly heated stir in the yolks of two eggs, diluted with a little hot cream. SCALLOPED CLAMS IN SHELL—Chop the clams very fine and season with salt and cayenne pepper. In another dish mix some powdered crackers, moistened first with warm milk, then with clam liquor, a beaten egg and some melted butter, the quantity varying with the amount of clams used; stir in the chopped clams. Wash clean as many shells as the mixture will fill, wipe and butter them, fill heaping full with the mixture, smoothing with a spoon. Place in rows in a baking pan and bake until well browned. Send to the table hot. SCALLOPED SHRIMPS—Make a sauce with a level tablespoon of cornstarch, a rounding tablespoon of butter and one cup of milk cooked together five minutes. Season with one-quarter level teaspoon of salt and a few grains of cayenne. Add one can of shrimps after removing all bits of shell and mincing them fine. Use, if preferred, the same amount of fresh shrimps. Put into buttered scallop shells, scatter fine bread crumbs over STEWED CODFISH—Take a piece of boiled cod, remove the skin and bones and pick into flakes. Put these in a stewpan, with a little butter, salt, pepper, minced parsley and juice of a lemon. Put on the fire and when the contents of the pan are quite hot the fish is ready to serve. CODFISH CONES—When it is not convenient to make and preparation into shapes, dip them into egg beaten with cream, then in sifted breadcrumbs and let them stand for half an hour or so to dry; then fry them a delicate color after plunging into boiling lard. Take them out, drain, place on a napkin on a dish and serve. The remainder of the chicken stock may be used for making consomme or soup. |