Alexis Soyer's Part 14: Shellfish
Welcome to FabulousFusionFood's Alexis Soyer's Part 14 (Shellfish) Page — Here you will find the full text from the fourteenth section: Shellfish of Alexis Soyer's Modern Housewife or Ménagère As well as the full text this page also provides links out to the overall index of the book and links to modern redactions of each and every recipe (where practicable). This site builds a complete library of Eliza Acton recipes, allowing the modern cook to make them at home today. Enjoy...
LETTER No. XVI.
Dear Eloise,—To you who are so fond of lobster, the following receipt will, I am confident, prove most valuable. To make sure of its quality, buy one fresh-boiled, and heavy in proportion to its size ; or, perhaps, entre nous, you would prefer to wait until a friend presented you with one, like that Mrs. ——, your fishmonger's wife, who used regularly to make you a present of one three or four times a week about a year and a half ago, and that the best she had in the shop, but to whom, on the sly, you used to pay a princely price for, and the poor man your husband, got at last so tired of them, that he went and begged of her to stop her shell-fish (selfish) present; and she, unwoman-like, off her guard, let, as the proverb says, "the cat out of the bag." "Well, after all, dearest, it is only Nature that was culpable, and not you.
I have no doubt but what your dear Mr. L—— was tired of them, after they having been so long a constant dish at his table, that he used, as you say, to dream at night that he was hunted by the head constable of the rawor even boiled lobster, which is quite enough to torment any man, and all that for having tried to please you in making almost a turbot or a salmon of himself, by serving him out continually with some of your sauce (lobster, I mean). But I must say that, after all, he has been well repaid for his culinary tantalization. Oh ! by the bye, how is he, my little godson 1 However, knowing that, after family matters, what interests you the most is our domestic journal, I therefore send you the receipts.
SHELL FISH.
LOBSTER.—This fish, which is continually before our eyes, and only looked upon as an article of food, is, without doubt, one of the wonders of the creation. A creature destitute of bones, yet furnished with a stomach capable of digesting the hardest substances, even its own shell, which it doffs once a year, when it is too small for it; without blood circulating through its body, yet strong and active. This is only one of those wonders of the mighty deep that we cannot but regard with awe and veneration, and yet the principal interest they excite in us is when we visit a shell-fish shop to choose the largest and best for the smallest price. They are, without doubt, a very nourishing aliment, and are by many supposed to have a particular season, but which I believe not to be the case, as I have known them in and out of season on the same ground. When out of season, the pea or spawn is very large, and about being hatched; immediately after which it sheds its shell, but not its stomach, as is by many supposed. When in season, and fine flavoured, they should have no spawn, or very little, under the tail; and when its body is squeezed between the fingers it should not give, but be hard; its weight will also be a test, as it is a fish which wastes very much when kept long alive without food. Great care must be observed in the boiling of it. A number should be placed at one time in a basket, and that placed in boiling water, adding half a pound of salt to every gallon of water, with a heavy weight upon it: if over-done, they eat tough and thready; if under-done, unwholesome and unpalatable. One weighing a pound will take fifteen minutes, and so on in proportion.
676. GRATIN OF LOBSTER.—Procure a good-sized lobster, cut it in half, detaching the head from the body; take out all the meat, and save the four shells; cut the meat into slices, then take a teaspoonful of chopped eschalots in a stewpan, with a piece of butter the size of two walnuts, pass them a few minutes over the fire, add a tablespoonful of flour (mix well), and half a pint of milk, stir over the fire, boiling about five minutes, then add the lobster, which season with a little cayenne, salt, chopped parsley, and essence of anchovies; stand it again upon the fire, stirring until boiling, then stir in the yolk of an egg; take off the fire, fill the shells of the lobster, sprinkle breadcrumbs over, with a little butter, put in the oven for twenty minutes; dish on a napkin and serve. To give it a nice colour, use the salamander, or a red-hot shovel.
677. MIROTON SALAD OF LOBSTER.—Prepare and ornament a border of eggs, like for that of game (No. 686), put a thick layer of fresh salad in the centre, and dress over it, in a crown, the lobster interspersed with slices of eggs and gherkins. The lobster must be divided in two across the back, extract the meat carefully out of it, and cut it in a round or slanting direction to the thickness of a crown-piece, break the claws and cut the same way, and place on salad as above, so as to form a thick crown near the border of eggs, then take the interior of the lobster, pound it and pass it through a fine sieve, add to your sauce.
Any other kind of fish, as cod fish, &c, when cold, cut or break them in slices, lay them in a basin, season over with salt, pepper, nutmeg, slices of onion, parsley, a little oil and vinegar; put it in two hours before serving, and proceed as for lobster.
If there is any fish left from the previous day, I always make a salad of it, particularly in summer; there are many who object to so much oil, in which case it may be diminished.
678. SALAD TARTAR.—Make as usual the border of eggs and sauce, lay the salad in the middle and the lobster over, which has been previously cut in slices; pour over some of the same sauce as above, having added a tablespoonful of French mustard to it, or if you have it not, add some English, but it is not so good. Gherkins cut in slices and a few stoned olives.
679.—PLAIN LOBSTER SALAD.—Take a lobster and sixpennyworth of any kind of salad, wash it well, dry in a cloth, cut the lobster up in a salad-bowl, sprinkle over it a teaspoonful of salt, half that of pepper, one of chopped tarragon or chervil, or parsley if nothing better, four tablespoonfuls of oil, and two of common vinegar, but only one and a half if French, add the salad, stir lightly round with a wooden knife and fork, and it is ready.
680. LOBSTER SERVED PLAIN.—Break the tail from the body, cut it in two lengthwise, put the body in the middle of the dish, lay the half tail top and bottom, and the claws on the side; the shell previously broken, but not disfigured, and serve parsley round.
681. LOBSTER SALAD.—Dress a border of hard-boiled eggs, as directed in salad of game (No. 686), fill the centre with some nice fresh salad, then take the flesh from a middling-sized lobster, which cut into as large slices as possible, which put into a basin, and season with a little pepper, salt, oil, and vinegar, after which dress them pyramidically upon the salad, and have ready the following sauce: put the yolks of two fresh eggs in a basin, with the yolk of a hard-boiled one rubbed through a sieve, add half a saltspoonful of salt, and half that quantity of white pepper, and commence stirring round with a wooden spoon with the right hand, holding a bottle of salad oil in the left, dropping it in by degrees and continually stirring; when becoming thickish add a couple of spoonfuls of common vinegar by degrees, still keeping it stirred, then more oil, proceeding thus until you have used three parts of a pint of oil, and a corresponding quantity of vinegar; by continually working, it will form a stiffish cream-looking sauce perfectly smooth; add a little more seasoning if required, and a teaspoonful of chopped parsley, with half that quantity of chopped eschalots; pour over the lobster and serve. Should the sauce curdle in making, the operation must be again performed, putting a yolk of an egg into another basin, working it with a little oil until forming a stiffish paste, then stir in the curdled sauce by degrees until the whole becomes smooth; always choose a cool place to make it in. This requires a little practice.
682. FISH SALADS.—All fish salads are made precisely as in the last, from the remains of fish from a previous dinner, especially turbot and salmon; but for fillets of soles they must be dressed thus:—
When filleted, melt an ounce of butter in a saute-pan, lay the fillets in, season with pepper and salt, and the juice of half a lemon; saute them on a slow fire until done, which may be from four to five minutes, and put by to get cold; cut in middle-sized pieces and use as lobster.
683. NEW MAYONNAISE SAUCE.—Put a quarter of a pint of melted aspic upon ice in a stewpan, which keep whisking until becoming a white froth, then add half a pint of salad oil and six spoonfuls of tarragon vinegar, by degrees; first oil and then vinegar, continually whisking until it forms a white smooth sauce, to all appearance like a cream; season with half a teaspoonful of salt, a quarter ditto of pepper, and a little sugar, whisk it a little more, and it is ready to serve; it is usually dressed pyramidically over the article it is served with. The advantage of this sauce (which is more delicate than any other) is, that you may dress it to any height you like, and it will remain so for a long time; if the temperature is not too hot it will remain hours without melting or appearing greasy.
684. TARTAR SAUCE.—Rub the yolk of a cold hardboiled egg through a hair sieve into a basin, to which add the yolks of two raw eggs, with a little salt and pepper; mix all together with a wooden spoon; have a pint of good salad oil in a bottle, hold it with the left hand over the basin, dropping it in very gradually, and with the right continue stirring it round until it becomes rather thick, then moisten it with a little tarragon vinegar, still keeping it stirred, then more oil, and so on until you have used all the oil, keeping it rather thick; then add a tablespoonful of finely chopped gherkins, half a ditto of chopped capers, half a ditto of chopped eschalots, and the same of chopped parsley, two of French mustard, a little cayenne pepper, sugar, and more salt if required; it is then ready for use. This sauce requires to be rather highly seasoned. Common vinegar may be used.
685. SALMON IN MARINADE.—Have two good slices of salmon cut about four inches and a half in thickness, in a stewpan have three onions cut in slices, as also a turnip, a carrot, a head of celery cut small, a good half handful of parsley, two bay-leaves, and two ounces of butter; pass the whole ten minutes over a sharp fire, then add a pint of vinegar, a blade of mace, half a dozen peppercorns, and one ounce of salt; let simmer, then add three pints of water, put in the salmon, which simmer gently about half an hour, and leave in the marinade until cold; serve with a little of the marinade strained through a hair sieve in the dish. Trout, mackerel, herrings, sprats, and fillets of sole or brill, are also very nice cooked in the same manner. A part of the above marinade may be made at any time, and almost any kind of fish remaining from a previous dinner may be done the same, and eaten cold.
686. SALAD OF GAME.—Boil eight eggs hard, shell them, throw them into cold water, "cut a thin slice off the bottom to facilitate the proper placing of them in the dish, cut each one into four, lengthwise, make a very thin flat border of butter, about one inch from the edge of the dish you are going to serve them on; fix the pieces of egg upright close to each other, the yolk outside, or alternately the white and yolk; you lay in the centre a layer of fresh salad that may be in season, and having previously roasted a young grouse, rather underdone, which you cut into eight or ten pieces, then prepare sauce as follows: put a spoonful of eschalots, finely chopped, in a basin, one ditto of pounded sugar, the yolk of one egg, a teaspoonful of chopped parsley, tarragon, or chervil, and a quarter of an ounce of salt, mix in by degrees with a wooden spoon four spoonfuls of oil and two of Chili vinegar; when all mixed, put it on ice, or in a cold place; when ready to serve up, whip a gill of cream rather thick, which lightly mix with it, then lay the inferior parts of the grouse on the salad, sauce over so as to cover each piece, then lay over the salad and the remainder of the grouse; sauce over, and serve. The eggs may be ornamented with a little dot of radishes on the point, or beetroot. Anchovy and gherkin, cut into small diamonds, may be placed between, or cut gherkins in slices, and lay a border of them round, or in any way your fancy may dictate. Leaves of tarragon or chervil are very pretty round it.
Black Game, Pheasant, Ptarmigan, Partridge, Gray Hen, &c. &c.—When we have any of the remains of these birds, I prefer to use them in this manner, as Mr. B. is very fond of this dish; allow me to inform you it is quite a novel one, and very delicate, and has never appeared in any Cookery Book.
687. SALAD OF FOWL.—Proceed as for that of game, so far as the eggs and the salad are concerned; then have a chicken, which has been previously plain roasted, or in vegetables, and cut it into ten neat pieces, put it into a basin, season with a teaspoonful of salt, quarter ditto of pepper, two tablespoonfuls of oil, one of vinegar, one onion sliced, and a few sprigs of chopped parsley, mix them well, and let them remain for a few hours, if time will permit. Take the pieces of chicken, and place in a dish with salad, as directed for grouse, with the sauce, &C., and serve. Nothing is better for ball-suppers than these kind of dishes; they may be made of all kinds of solid fish, and the sauce is excellent; any kind of cold meat, cut in slices, dressed round with the sauce over, may be served for supper or luncheon. It may be served with the same sauce or dressing as for Lobster Salad (or No. 681), or make the following one, which differs a little:—Put into a middle-sized, round-bottomed basin the yolk of two eggs, half a spoonful of salt, quarter of one of pepper, half a one of sugar, ditto of fine chopped onions, ditto of parsley, tarragon, or chervil, stir with the right hand with a wooden spoon, while you pour some oil out of the bottle by keeping your thumb on its mouth, so that it runs out very slowly; when a few spoonfuls are in it, it will become quite stiff; pour also by degrees a few spoonfuls of vinegar, and so on until you have made enough for your salad; try if the flavour is good and relishing; as. the quality of these two last ingredients vary so much, I must leave it to your palate and correct judgment. If you should fail at first, try again until you succeed, and I am certain you will be delighted with the result; it ought to be made in a cold place, particularly in Summer. Great taste should be observed in the decoration of the border, for which you should see the "Gastronomic Regenerator."
Prawns are best when very red and have no spawn under the tail.
Cray, or Crawfish.—There are two kinds, the sea and fresh water; irt habits they are similar to the lobster. The sea crayfish arrive at times to an amazing size; they are not considered so delicate eating as a lobster. The river fish is much liked for its bitter flavour, but that depends greatly on the river whence it is taken; the tail is the only part which should be eaten, except when the stomach is ordered by a medical man; it seems of late years to have been disused. It appears to have been extensively used by the Romans, who had ponds on purpose for feeding them.
Crabs.—Of these there are innumerable species on the shores of Great Britain; but the only one fit to eat is the oblong crab, and this ought to be large and the claws full; it must not be partaken of largely, as it is exceedingly indigestible. They should be chosen when the joints and the eyes are bright and stiff, and there is an agreeable smell from them.
The Escalop is a fish very little used, but is exceedingly fine ; it is in season at the same time as the oyster. It can be cooked in a variety of ways, but previous to doing which, it should be kept some time in salt water, so that it may free itself from any sand that may be in it; when opened, all the beard should be removed, and only the white, red, and black parts used; it may be cooked in every way like oysters, and is excellent with matelote sauce of any kind of fish.
Razor Shellfish or Solen Fish.—This is the aulo of the Romans, and a beautiful eating fish. It is seldom we get it in London, being used by the fisherman for bait. It should also be cooked like oysters, and makes most excellent and strengthening soup.
Clams are a species of cockle, only found in Devonshire, Cornwall, parts of Wales, and on the west coast of Ireland and Scotland. It is much superior in flavour to the oyster, and if eaten raw, should be about the same size, but if larger, they should be made into soup, or cooked in the same way as the oyster.
Whelks have become plentiful in London, and are an exceedingly wholesome fish. They are cooked also like the oyster.
Muscles are fish I do not much approve of; their quality depends greatly on the rock or places from whence they are taken, and their flavour on the object to which they attach themselves or the plants that grow around them; the weed should be removed, and the small crabs taken out; but as they are excellent bait for whiting, haddocks, &c., I would rather use them for that purpose, and use other shellfish equally as plentiful for my dishes.
OYSTERS.—Of these there are several kinds, but which I will write to you more fully about in a future letter, when we come to the pickling and preserving; those we have to do with at the present moment are the small kind for eating raw, and the large for cooking. Of the former, the native, which we receive from Milton, Colchester, and the vicinity of those places, the Ostend, and this season those imported from Normandy, the celebrated Rocher de Cancale, and Burton Bindons Red Bank. A very singular circumstance, not generally known, is, that the finest oysters we have in England and in Ireland, both come from a place with the same name—namely, Burnham, that in England being in the county of Essex, and that in Ireland being in Clare. Of the latter, all the deep sea oysters unfed are the best, as their flavour is stronger and flesh firmer. No oyster should be eaten under four years old; their age is known by their shell—just the same as the age of a tree is known by its bark, or a fish by its scale, and the small oyster has the finest flavour.
688. ESCALOPED OYSTERS.—Put two dozen of oysters with their liquor into a stewpan, place over a fire, and when a little firm, drain them upon a sieve, catching the liquor in another stewpan; detach the beard from the oysters, and throw them again into their liquor; add half a blade of mace, place again upon the fire, and, when boiling, add a piece of butter the size of a walnut, with which you have mixed a teaspoonful of flour; shake round over the fire until becoming thick, season with a little cayenne, and salt if required; have an escallop shell, well-buttered and bread-crumbed; place the oysters in, sprinkle bread-crumbs over, put it in the oven a quarter of an hour, pass the salamander over, and serve. The yolk of eggs may be added, and less flour.
689. STEWED OYSTERS.—Blanch and beard the oysters as above; when done, put them with their liquor in a stewpan, with four cloves, a blade of mace, and a teaspoonful of essence of anchovies with a little chopped parsley and cayenne; let simmer a minute, stir in two pats of butter with which you have mixed half a teaspoonful of flour, let simmer a little longer, lay the oysters in a dish upon a piece of toast, and sauce over.
690. FRIED OYSTERS.—Open carefully one or two dozen of large oysters, put them in a small stewpan upon the fire, to blanch for a few minutes without boiling, then take out the oysters, put them on a sieve, beard them, save the liquor for sauce; lay them on a cloth separately, to dry a little, break a fresh egg on a plate, beat it well with a fork, then dip each oyster separately into it; have ready about half a pound of breadcrumbs, in which you put a spoonful of chopped parsley, little grated nutmeg, roll them in it, take them out, shape them with the knife, put them in a small wire basket, one minute only, in a few pounds of hot lard or fat. (See Frying, p. 70.) Dish on a small napkin, with fried parsley over it if handy. If no fat to fry in, put a little butter in a tart dish or a plate, put them in the oven for ten minutes, and with a red-hot shovel passed over, give them a nice colour, and serve in a dish. They may be also dipped one after the other in a batter made as for apple fritters (No. 786), fried in hot fat; if oysters are done in batter well made, they will eat very crisp.
691. SHRIMPS.—Of these there are several varieties; of those known in London, we have the red shrimp, caught in the rivers Thames and Medway, and the brown or Lynn shrimp ; a diversity of opinion exists amongst epicures of this little animal which is the best; but in my opinion a great deal depends on the manner of boiling, and their freshness.
The following is the plan I prefer: to one gallon of water put two ounces of salt, one sprig of lemon thyme, and one of mint, a bay leaf, and let it boil; when boiling hard, put one quart of shrimps into an open wire or wicker basket with a handle, and place it in the water; the time they take to boil depends on the size of the fish, but may be known by their changing colour; be particular not to boil them too much, or they will be tasteless and indigestible.
692. TO PICK SHRIMPS.—Although so many millions of these little sand hoppers are continually being eaten, yet there are very few whose body is removed from their shell in the proper way. The head and part of the body should be taken up by the thumb and finger of the right hand, and with the left hand take gently hold of three joints of the tail, bend it back a little, and remove the shell of the tail, which will come off at the third joint; then lay hold of the body, which will come out easily of the remainder of the shell. Most persons lay hold of the head and tail only, in consequence they become divided, and then they have to remove the shell in an awkward manner; but if in any way stale, they will never shell easy.
693. FORCEMEATS OF FISH.—These are much in use in France and other Catholic countries, especially in Lent; they are a very excellent garnish for entrees of fish, and may be made of the flesh of almost all kinds of fish, more particularly the pike, salmon, trout, sole, haddock, and the whiting, which last is the most delicate.
694. FORCEMEAT OF WHITINGS.—Take the fillets of three whitings, take off all the skin, and pound them well, then take them from the mortar, and form them into a ball; have a piece of panada (No. 673) one third the size of the ball, put the panada into the mortar, pound it well, then add two ounces of fresh butter, which mix well with the panada, add the fish, season with pepper, salt, and a little grated nutmeg; mix all well together, and add by degrees three whole eggs and the yolks of two, try it in a little boiling water, as directed for the forcemeat of veal. These are served generally as a meagre dish with a fish sauce, in Catholic families, especially in Lent time
Shellfish.
Dear Eloise,—To you who are so fond of lobster, the following receipt will, I am confident, prove most valuable. To make sure of its quality, buy one fresh-boiled, and heavy in proportion to its size ; or, perhaps, entre nous, you would prefer to wait until a friend presented you with one, like that Mrs. ——, your fishmonger's wife, who used regularly to make you a present of one three or four times a week about a year and a half ago, and that the best she had in the shop, but to whom, on the sly, you used to pay a princely price for, and the poor man your husband, got at last so tired of them, that he went and begged of her to stop her shell-fish (selfish) present; and she, unwoman-like, off her guard, let, as the proverb says, "the cat out of the bag." "Well, after all, dearest, it is only Nature that was culpable, and not you.
I have no doubt but what your dear Mr. L—— was tired of them, after they having been so long a constant dish at his table, that he used, as you say, to dream at night that he was hunted by the head constable of the rawor even boiled lobster, which is quite enough to torment any man, and all that for having tried to please you in making almost a turbot or a salmon of himself, by serving him out continually with some of your sauce (lobster, I mean). But I must say that, after all, he has been well repaid for his culinary tantalization. Oh ! by the bye, how is he, my little godson 1 However, knowing that, after family matters, what interests you the most is our domestic journal, I therefore send you the receipts.
LOBSTER.—This fish, which is continually before our eyes, and only looked upon as an article of food, is, without doubt, one of the wonders of the creation. A creature destitute of bones, yet furnished with a stomach capable of digesting the hardest substances, even its own shell, which it doffs once a year, when it is too small for it; without blood circulating through its body, yet strong and active. This is only one of those wonders of the mighty deep that we cannot but regard with awe and veneration, and yet the principal interest they excite in us is when we visit a shell-fish shop to choose the largest and best for the smallest price. They are, without doubt, a very nourishing aliment, and are by many supposed to have a particular season, but which I believe not to be the case, as I have known them in and out of season on the same ground. When out of season, the pea or spawn is very large, and about being hatched; immediately after which it sheds its shell, but not its stomach, as is by many supposed. When in season, and fine flavoured, they should have no spawn, or very little, under the tail; and when its body is squeezed between the fingers it should not give, but be hard; its weight will also be a test, as it is a fish which wastes very much when kept long alive without food. Great care must be observed in the boiling of it. A number should be placed at one time in a basket, and that placed in boiling water, adding half a pound of salt to every gallon of water, with a heavy weight upon it: if over-done, they eat tough and thready; if under-done, unwholesome and unpalatable. One weighing a pound will take fifteen minutes, and so on in proportion.
676. GRATIN OF LOBSTER.—Procure a good-sized lobster, cut it in half, detaching the head from the body; take out all the meat, and save the four shells; cut the meat into slices, then take a teaspoonful of chopped eschalots in a stewpan, with a piece of butter the size of two walnuts, pass them a few minutes over the fire, add a tablespoonful of flour (mix well), and half a pint of milk, stir over the fire, boiling about five minutes, then add the lobster, which season with a little cayenne, salt, chopped parsley, and essence of anchovies; stand it again upon the fire, stirring until boiling, then stir in the yolk of an egg; take off the fire, fill the shells of the lobster, sprinkle breadcrumbs over, with a little butter, put in the oven for twenty minutes; dish on a napkin and serve. To give it a nice colour, use the salamander, or a red-hot shovel.
677. MIROTON SALAD OF LOBSTER.—Prepare and ornament a border of eggs, like for that of game (No. 686), put a thick layer of fresh salad in the centre, and dress over it, in a crown, the lobster interspersed with slices of eggs and gherkins. The lobster must be divided in two across the back, extract the meat carefully out of it, and cut it in a round or slanting direction to the thickness of a crown-piece, break the claws and cut the same way, and place on salad as above, so as to form a thick crown near the border of eggs, then take the interior of the lobster, pound it and pass it through a fine sieve, add to your sauce.
Any other kind of fish, as cod fish, &c, when cold, cut or break them in slices, lay them in a basin, season over with salt, pepper, nutmeg, slices of onion, parsley, a little oil and vinegar; put it in two hours before serving, and proceed as for lobster.
If there is any fish left from the previous day, I always make a salad of it, particularly in summer; there are many who object to so much oil, in which case it may be diminished.
678. SALAD TARTAR.—Make as usual the border of eggs and sauce, lay the salad in the middle and the lobster over, which has been previously cut in slices; pour over some of the same sauce as above, having added a tablespoonful of French mustard to it, or if you have it not, add some English, but it is not so good. Gherkins cut in slices and a few stoned olives.
679.—PLAIN LOBSTER SALAD.—Take a lobster and sixpennyworth of any kind of salad, wash it well, dry in a cloth, cut the lobster up in a salad-bowl, sprinkle over it a teaspoonful of salt, half that of pepper, one of chopped tarragon or chervil, or parsley if nothing better, four tablespoonfuls of oil, and two of common vinegar, but only one and a half if French, add the salad, stir lightly round with a wooden knife and fork, and it is ready.
680. LOBSTER SERVED PLAIN.—Break the tail from the body, cut it in two lengthwise, put the body in the middle of the dish, lay the half tail top and bottom, and the claws on the side; the shell previously broken, but not disfigured, and serve parsley round.
681. LOBSTER SALAD.—Dress a border of hard-boiled eggs, as directed in salad of game (No. 686), fill the centre with some nice fresh salad, then take the flesh from a middling-sized lobster, which cut into as large slices as possible, which put into a basin, and season with a little pepper, salt, oil, and vinegar, after which dress them pyramidically upon the salad, and have ready the following sauce: put the yolks of two fresh eggs in a basin, with the yolk of a hard-boiled one rubbed through a sieve, add half a saltspoonful of salt, and half that quantity of white pepper, and commence stirring round with a wooden spoon with the right hand, holding a bottle of salad oil in the left, dropping it in by degrees and continually stirring; when becoming thickish add a couple of spoonfuls of common vinegar by degrees, still keeping it stirred, then more oil, proceeding thus until you have used three parts of a pint of oil, and a corresponding quantity of vinegar; by continually working, it will form a stiffish cream-looking sauce perfectly smooth; add a little more seasoning if required, and a teaspoonful of chopped parsley, with half that quantity of chopped eschalots; pour over the lobster and serve. Should the sauce curdle in making, the operation must be again performed, putting a yolk of an egg into another basin, working it with a little oil until forming a stiffish paste, then stir in the curdled sauce by degrees until the whole becomes smooth; always choose a cool place to make it in. This requires a little practice.
682. FISH SALADS.—All fish salads are made precisely as in the last, from the remains of fish from a previous dinner, especially turbot and salmon; but for fillets of soles they must be dressed thus:—
When filleted, melt an ounce of butter in a saute-pan, lay the fillets in, season with pepper and salt, and the juice of half a lemon; saute them on a slow fire until done, which may be from four to five minutes, and put by to get cold; cut in middle-sized pieces and use as lobster.
683. NEW MAYONNAISE SAUCE.—Put a quarter of a pint of melted aspic upon ice in a stewpan, which keep whisking until becoming a white froth, then add half a pint of salad oil and six spoonfuls of tarragon vinegar, by degrees; first oil and then vinegar, continually whisking until it forms a white smooth sauce, to all appearance like a cream; season with half a teaspoonful of salt, a quarter ditto of pepper, and a little sugar, whisk it a little more, and it is ready to serve; it is usually dressed pyramidically over the article it is served with. The advantage of this sauce (which is more delicate than any other) is, that you may dress it to any height you like, and it will remain so for a long time; if the temperature is not too hot it will remain hours without melting or appearing greasy.
684. TARTAR SAUCE.—Rub the yolk of a cold hardboiled egg through a hair sieve into a basin, to which add the yolks of two raw eggs, with a little salt and pepper; mix all together with a wooden spoon; have a pint of good salad oil in a bottle, hold it with the left hand over the basin, dropping it in very gradually, and with the right continue stirring it round until it becomes rather thick, then moisten it with a little tarragon vinegar, still keeping it stirred, then more oil, and so on until you have used all the oil, keeping it rather thick; then add a tablespoonful of finely chopped gherkins, half a ditto of chopped capers, half a ditto of chopped eschalots, and the same of chopped parsley, two of French mustard, a little cayenne pepper, sugar, and more salt if required; it is then ready for use. This sauce requires to be rather highly seasoned. Common vinegar may be used.
685. SALMON IN MARINADE.—Have two good slices of salmon cut about four inches and a half in thickness, in a stewpan have three onions cut in slices, as also a turnip, a carrot, a head of celery cut small, a good half handful of parsley, two bay-leaves, and two ounces of butter; pass the whole ten minutes over a sharp fire, then add a pint of vinegar, a blade of mace, half a dozen peppercorns, and one ounce of salt; let simmer, then add three pints of water, put in the salmon, which simmer gently about half an hour, and leave in the marinade until cold; serve with a little of the marinade strained through a hair sieve in the dish. Trout, mackerel, herrings, sprats, and fillets of sole or brill, are also very nice cooked in the same manner. A part of the above marinade may be made at any time, and almost any kind of fish remaining from a previous dinner may be done the same, and eaten cold.
686. SALAD OF GAME.—Boil eight eggs hard, shell them, throw them into cold water, "cut a thin slice off the bottom to facilitate the proper placing of them in the dish, cut each one into four, lengthwise, make a very thin flat border of butter, about one inch from the edge of the dish you are going to serve them on; fix the pieces of egg upright close to each other, the yolk outside, or alternately the white and yolk; you lay in the centre a layer of fresh salad that may be in season, and having previously roasted a young grouse, rather underdone, which you cut into eight or ten pieces, then prepare sauce as follows: put a spoonful of eschalots, finely chopped, in a basin, one ditto of pounded sugar, the yolk of one egg, a teaspoonful of chopped parsley, tarragon, or chervil, and a quarter of an ounce of salt, mix in by degrees with a wooden spoon four spoonfuls of oil and two of Chili vinegar; when all mixed, put it on ice, or in a cold place; when ready to serve up, whip a gill of cream rather thick, which lightly mix with it, then lay the inferior parts of the grouse on the salad, sauce over so as to cover each piece, then lay over the salad and the remainder of the grouse; sauce over, and serve. The eggs may be ornamented with a little dot of radishes on the point, or beetroot. Anchovy and gherkin, cut into small diamonds, may be placed between, or cut gherkins in slices, and lay a border of them round, or in any way your fancy may dictate. Leaves of tarragon or chervil are very pretty round it.
Black Game, Pheasant, Ptarmigan, Partridge, Gray Hen, &c. &c.—When we have any of the remains of these birds, I prefer to use them in this manner, as Mr. B. is very fond of this dish; allow me to inform you it is quite a novel one, and very delicate, and has never appeared in any Cookery Book.
687. SALAD OF FOWL.—Proceed as for that of game, so far as the eggs and the salad are concerned; then have a chicken, which has been previously plain roasted, or in vegetables, and cut it into ten neat pieces, put it into a basin, season with a teaspoonful of salt, quarter ditto of pepper, two tablespoonfuls of oil, one of vinegar, one onion sliced, and a few sprigs of chopped parsley, mix them well, and let them remain for a few hours, if time will permit. Take the pieces of chicken, and place in a dish with salad, as directed for grouse, with the sauce, &C., and serve. Nothing is better for ball-suppers than these kind of dishes; they may be made of all kinds of solid fish, and the sauce is excellent; any kind of cold meat, cut in slices, dressed round with the sauce over, may be served for supper or luncheon. It may be served with the same sauce or dressing as for Lobster Salad (or No. 681), or make the following one, which differs a little:—Put into a middle-sized, round-bottomed basin the yolk of two eggs, half a spoonful of salt, quarter of one of pepper, half a one of sugar, ditto of fine chopped onions, ditto of parsley, tarragon, or chervil, stir with the right hand with a wooden spoon, while you pour some oil out of the bottle by keeping your thumb on its mouth, so that it runs out very slowly; when a few spoonfuls are in it, it will become quite stiff; pour also by degrees a few spoonfuls of vinegar, and so on until you have made enough for your salad; try if the flavour is good and relishing; as. the quality of these two last ingredients vary so much, I must leave it to your palate and correct judgment. If you should fail at first, try again until you succeed, and I am certain you will be delighted with the result; it ought to be made in a cold place, particularly in Summer. Great taste should be observed in the decoration of the border, for which you should see the "Gastronomic Regenerator."
Prawns are best when very red and have no spawn under the tail.
Cray, or Crawfish.—There are two kinds, the sea and fresh water; irt habits they are similar to the lobster. The sea crayfish arrive at times to an amazing size; they are not considered so delicate eating as a lobster. The river fish is much liked for its bitter flavour, but that depends greatly on the river whence it is taken; the tail is the only part which should be eaten, except when the stomach is ordered by a medical man; it seems of late years to have been disused. It appears to have been extensively used by the Romans, who had ponds on purpose for feeding them.
Crabs.—Of these there are innumerable species on the shores of Great Britain; but the only one fit to eat is the oblong crab, and this ought to be large and the claws full; it must not be partaken of largely, as it is exceedingly indigestible. They should be chosen when the joints and the eyes are bright and stiff, and there is an agreeable smell from them.
The Escalop is a fish very little used, but is exceedingly fine ; it is in season at the same time as the oyster. It can be cooked in a variety of ways, but previous to doing which, it should be kept some time in salt water, so that it may free itself from any sand that may be in it; when opened, all the beard should be removed, and only the white, red, and black parts used; it may be cooked in every way like oysters, and is excellent with matelote sauce of any kind of fish.
Razor Shellfish or Solen Fish.—This is the aulo of the Romans, and a beautiful eating fish. It is seldom we get it in London, being used by the fisherman for bait. It should also be cooked like oysters, and makes most excellent and strengthening soup.
Clams are a species of cockle, only found in Devonshire, Cornwall, parts of Wales, and on the west coast of Ireland and Scotland. It is much superior in flavour to the oyster, and if eaten raw, should be about the same size, but if larger, they should be made into soup, or cooked in the same way as the oyster.
Whelks have become plentiful in London, and are an exceedingly wholesome fish. They are cooked also like the oyster.
Muscles are fish I do not much approve of; their quality depends greatly on the rock or places from whence they are taken, and their flavour on the object to which they attach themselves or the plants that grow around them; the weed should be removed, and the small crabs taken out; but as they are excellent bait for whiting, haddocks, &c., I would rather use them for that purpose, and use other shellfish equally as plentiful for my dishes.
OYSTERS.—Of these there are several kinds, but which I will write to you more fully about in a future letter, when we come to the pickling and preserving; those we have to do with at the present moment are the small kind for eating raw, and the large for cooking. Of the former, the native, which we receive from Milton, Colchester, and the vicinity of those places, the Ostend, and this season those imported from Normandy, the celebrated Rocher de Cancale, and Burton Bindons Red Bank. A very singular circumstance, not generally known, is, that the finest oysters we have in England and in Ireland, both come from a place with the same name—namely, Burnham, that in England being in the county of Essex, and that in Ireland being in Clare. Of the latter, all the deep sea oysters unfed are the best, as their flavour is stronger and flesh firmer. No oyster should be eaten under four years old; their age is known by their shell—just the same as the age of a tree is known by its bark, or a fish by its scale, and the small oyster has the finest flavour.
688. ESCALOPED OYSTERS.—Put two dozen of oysters with their liquor into a stewpan, place over a fire, and when a little firm, drain them upon a sieve, catching the liquor in another stewpan; detach the beard from the oysters, and throw them again into their liquor; add half a blade of mace, place again upon the fire, and, when boiling, add a piece of butter the size of a walnut, with which you have mixed a teaspoonful of flour; shake round over the fire until becoming thick, season with a little cayenne, and salt if required; have an escallop shell, well-buttered and bread-crumbed; place the oysters in, sprinkle bread-crumbs over, put it in the oven a quarter of an hour, pass the salamander over, and serve. The yolk of eggs may be added, and less flour.
689. STEWED OYSTERS.—Blanch and beard the oysters as above; when done, put them with their liquor in a stewpan, with four cloves, a blade of mace, and a teaspoonful of essence of anchovies with a little chopped parsley and cayenne; let simmer a minute, stir in two pats of butter with which you have mixed half a teaspoonful of flour, let simmer a little longer, lay the oysters in a dish upon a piece of toast, and sauce over.
690. FRIED OYSTERS.—Open carefully one or two dozen of large oysters, put them in a small stewpan upon the fire, to blanch for a few minutes without boiling, then take out the oysters, put them on a sieve, beard them, save the liquor for sauce; lay them on a cloth separately, to dry a little, break a fresh egg on a plate, beat it well with a fork, then dip each oyster separately into it; have ready about half a pound of breadcrumbs, in which you put a spoonful of chopped parsley, little grated nutmeg, roll them in it, take them out, shape them with the knife, put them in a small wire basket, one minute only, in a few pounds of hot lard or fat. (See Frying, p. 70.) Dish on a small napkin, with fried parsley over it if handy. If no fat to fry in, put a little butter in a tart dish or a plate, put them in the oven for ten minutes, and with a red-hot shovel passed over, give them a nice colour, and serve in a dish. They may be also dipped one after the other in a batter made as for apple fritters (No. 786), fried in hot fat; if oysters are done in batter well made, they will eat very crisp.
691. SHRIMPS.—Of these there are several varieties; of those known in London, we have the red shrimp, caught in the rivers Thames and Medway, and the brown or Lynn shrimp ; a diversity of opinion exists amongst epicures of this little animal which is the best; but in my opinion a great deal depends on the manner of boiling, and their freshness.
The following is the plan I prefer: to one gallon of water put two ounces of salt, one sprig of lemon thyme, and one of mint, a bay leaf, and let it boil; when boiling hard, put one quart of shrimps into an open wire or wicker basket with a handle, and place it in the water; the time they take to boil depends on the size of the fish, but may be known by their changing colour; be particular not to boil them too much, or they will be tasteless and indigestible.
692. TO PICK SHRIMPS.—Although so many millions of these little sand hoppers are continually being eaten, yet there are very few whose body is removed from their shell in the proper way. The head and part of the body should be taken up by the thumb and finger of the right hand, and with the left hand take gently hold of three joints of the tail, bend it back a little, and remove the shell of the tail, which will come off at the third joint; then lay hold of the body, which will come out easily of the remainder of the shell. Most persons lay hold of the head and tail only, in consequence they become divided, and then they have to remove the shell in an awkward manner; but if in any way stale, they will never shell easy.
693. FORCEMEATS OF FISH.—These are much in use in France and other Catholic countries, especially in Lent; they are a very excellent garnish for entrees of fish, and may be made of the flesh of almost all kinds of fish, more particularly the pike, salmon, trout, sole, haddock, and the whiting, which last is the most delicate.
694. FORCEMEAT OF WHITINGS.—Take the fillets of three whitings, take off all the skin, and pound them well, then take them from the mortar, and form them into a ball; have a piece of panada (No. 673) one third the size of the ball, put the panada into the mortar, pound it well, then add two ounces of fresh butter, which mix well with the panada, add the fish, season with pepper, salt, and a little grated nutmeg; mix all well together, and add by degrees three whole eggs and the yolks of two, try it in a little boiling water, as directed for the forcemeat of veal. These are served generally as a meagre dish with a fish sauce, in Catholic families, especially in Lent time
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