"Fools lade water, and wise men catch the fish." BAKED WHITE FISH.Clean and prepare the fish. Make a stuffing of one cupful of cracker crumbs, one teaspoonful chopped parsley, one teaspoonful chopped onion, two tablespoonfuls chopped suet or bacon or one large tablespoonful butter, one-third teaspoonful salt, two teaspoonfuls chopped pickles, one-quarter teaspoonful pepper. If a moist stuffing is desired, add one-quarter cup milk. Bake fifteen minutes to a pound, allowing ten or fifteen minutes if the fish is unusually large. CODFISH BALLS.Boil and mash as many potatoes as desired, using about one-half pound of soaked and drained codfish to a pound of potatoes. Have fish picked apart, and after soaking and drying mix thoroughly with potatoes, adding, for one-half pound of codfish, one tablespoonful butter, yolks of two eggs, one-half teaspoonful salt and a dash of pepper. Make into balls, dip in beaten egg and bread crumbs and fry in hot fat. FINNAN HADDIE.Boil a three-pound haddock until the skin comes off easily, remove every particle of bone, cut into small pieces, shred; put one-half pint cream into a chafing dish, add three finely-chopped hard-boiled eggs, rub together two rounded tablespoonfuls flour and two of butter, add to the other ingredients. Now light the lamp under the chafing dish. Stir until the mixture begins to thicken, then blend a raw yolk and add it to the haddie. Sprinkle with finely-chopped parsley and serve on toast. Should there not be quite enough sauce, sweet cream may be added. FRIED FISH.Brook trout, perch, catfish and other well-known fish are good fried. Cook in lard, suet or oil. Wash and clean, wipe dry, dip in beaten egg and roll in bread crumbs. Fry in oil, if possible. FRIED OYSTERS.One pint large oysters, one-half cup flour, one-half cup milk, one-half teaspoonful salt, one-half cup fresh tomato catsup. Mix thoroughly the flour, milk, catsup and salt; dip oysters into mixture, then roll in cracker crumbs. Fry in sweet, fresh lard until a dark brown. Serve very hot. HOLLANDAISE SAUCE.Rub one-half cup butter to a cream, add the yolks of two eggs, one at a time, then salt and cayenne pepper. About five minutes before serving add one-half cup boiling water. Thicken in double boiler. Add lemon juice. LOBSTER A LA BUSHMAN.Cut the meat of four-pound lobster into large pieces; melt one tablespoonful butter and one teaspoonful minced onion, let cook until yellow. Add the lobster, salt, cayenne pepper, two tablespoonfuls white wine; simmer for five minutes, then sprinkle one tablespoonful flour over this. When well mixed, add six or eight mushrooms cut fine, one tablespoonful chili sauce, add one cup water or stock. Cook five minutes longer in shells, put a mushroom on each, sprinkle with buttered cracker crumbs. Bake till brown. OYSTER COCKTAIL.Mix one tablespoonful tomato catsup, one-half tablespoonful vinegar or lemon, two drops Tabasco sauce, one-half teaspoonful salt, one teaspoonful finely chopped celery and one-half teaspoonful Worcestershire sauce. Chill these ingredients thoroughly, pour over eight oysters and serve in cocktail glasses. OYSTER NEWBURG.One pint oysters, one-half cup cream, one teaspoonful onion juice, two tablespoonfuls butter, one-half teaspoonful salt, one-eighth teaspoonful paprika, two level tablespoonfuls flour, one teaspoonful lemon juice, yolk of one egg, toasted bread. Melt one tablespoonful butter, add oysters, salt, paprika, onion and lemon juice, cook three minutes, and melt remaining tablespoonful butter, add flour, and when blended add cream, then the yolk of the egg, beaten slightly; cook until it thickens, stirring slowly, add to the oysters, mix and serve on toast. OYSTER OMELET.Make a plain omelet, beat six eggs until light, separately; add two tablespoonfuls milk, one of flour, one-fifth teaspoonful baking powder, put in flour and rub with milk, salt to taste. Fry in melted butter in a hot skillet. Put in oven for a few minutes to brown on top. Turn out on a good-sized meat dish, pour upon it the oyster sauce and serve at once, hot. Sauce.Make the oyster sauce first. Take twenty-five large oysters, put them in a saucepan over a moderate fire, and cook slowly until the gills are curled. Drain, save the liquor, add enough milk to make a pint. Take a tablespoonful flour and one of butter and cream them. Put the liquor in a pan and when it begins to boil stir in the flour and butter. Stir until boiling, add a teaspoonful salt and a dash of paprika. Stand in a warm place until you make the omelet. OYSTER PATTIES.Cook one heaping tablespoonful flour in one heaping tablespoonful butter; add slowly one cup hot milk, season with one teaspoonful salt, one-fourth teaspoonful red pepper; wash over one pint oysters, parboil until plump, skin carefully, drain and add the sauce, fill the patty shells when ready to serve. OYSTER TENDERLOINS.Take out one dozen oysters for the gravy first; then take one pint of oysters (pour off most of the liquor and save to put in the gravy); one pint of cracker crumbs rolled but not fine, pepper and salt to taste; also add a pinch of sage to the crumbs. Roll the oysters in the crumbs and put in butter the size of an egg. Cut the tenderloins in the center, roll until flat, then sew together, making a pocket. Stuff with the oysters and sew up the end. Put butter the size of an egg in a pan and brown. Pour this on top of the tenderloin, sprinkle over it salt, pepper and flour. Roast in a moderate oven one and one-half hour. To make the gravy, pour in the liquor and a little water and thickening. Drop in the oysters a few minutes before taking off the stove. SALMON LOAF.One can salmon. Drain off juice into stewpan, place salmon in a pan and add one-half cup fine cracker crumbs, two eggs, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly, press into a mold, steam one hour. Dressing.One and one-half cup milk, four tablespoonfuls catsup, piece of butter size of an egg; boil; thicken with one tablespoonful cornstarch dissolved in water. Pour over loaf when done. SALMON ON TOAST.Toast bread and butter it. One and one-half pint milk and cream mixed; heat boiling hot; two tablespoonfuls flour, three tablespoonfuls butter. Work butter and flour together at boiling point, stir this in the milk. Strain salmon in colander upon top of stove, to get warm; then put on toast and pour cream dressing over all. Take three hard-boiled eggs and grate the yellows on top of salmon, and slice the white of eggs around edges of toast in the platter. SALT MACKEREL IN CREAM.Wash the mackerel and soak over night in clear, cold water. Lay in a baking pan, and to one mackerel add one-half pint of new milk; put into a moderate oven and bake one-half hour. Just before the fish is done, drop a few pieces of butter onto it. SCALLOPED OYSTERS.Roll the crackers, line the baking dish with butter; put the oysters, with a few cloves, salt and pepper, in a stewpan for say five minutes, but do not let them boil. Put a layer of oysters in the baking dish, then a layer of crackers, and so on, having the crackers on top. Bake twenty minutes. |