Alexis Soyer's Part 2: Fish
Welcome to FabulousFusionFood's Alexis Soyer's Part 2 (Fish) Page — Here you will find the full text from the second section: Fish; of Alexis Soyer's A Shilling Cookery Book for the People 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...
WHAT I CAN COOK WITH MY GRIDIRON.
Firstly, Fish, nearly all sorts, both dried and fresh, either whole or in pieces. I shall not begin with the king of the ocean, but with one of the most humble of its inhabitants, and which daily gratifies the palates of millions; it is—
The Plain Med Herring.—Though we have agreed to make use of every kind of eatable food, it is still important to point out the best quality first, for I must tell you, that the quality of herrings varies as much, if not more, than any other kind of food; the proper way of curing them being as important to know as the quality of the flesh itself. This unassuming kind of fish, which we may venture to call the poor man's friend, ought to be chosen plump, though not too full of roe, as when they have large roes they are sure to be oily, and cannot have taken the salt properly; they feel softish to the touch, eat stringy, and sometimes decay, and emit a bad smell while cooking; these are unwholesome: but if hard and firm, the flesh reddish, the roe well set, and smell sweet, they are good. The only drawback is that they might be too salt, which cannot be avoided, only by cutting the back up, and soaking them in lukewarm water for a few hours, and when taken out well dried on a cloth, previous to their being cooked. But the way to ascertain if a herring is too salt, is to take the fish in the left hand, and pull out a few of the fins from the back, and taste; you may thus find out the quality and flavour. This plan is adopted by large dealers.
38. Wipe your herring; dry it well in a cloth: you may slightly split the hack, or make a few incisions crossways; rub it with flour, or dress it plainly, by placing the herring on the gridiron about six inches over a clear fire, or before it; turn them often, and in five minutes they may he done, according to size.
Or, when it is done, mix a piece of butter with a little mustard together, and place inside of it, or rub it over. By opening the hack, it will do much quicker; hut to keep the essence in it, it should be done whole.
Or, butter and chopped parsley, and a little vinegar or lemon juice.
Or, butter and chopped fennel and onions, very fine.
Or, cut off the head, open it up the back with a knife, and remove the back hone of the herring; put in about one ounce of butter and chopped parsley, with a slight tint of onion. Fold two herrings together in some paper, so that the fat does not escape; broil gently for nearly twenty minutes, and serve. The butter is to he inclosed between the two herrings.
The same plan with a bloater and a fresh herring dressed together is first-rate.
39. Fresh Herrings.—These should he cleaned and scaled, the head removed, opened on the hack, and the gut taken out. Make three slight incisions on each side, throw some pepper and 6alt over it, broil for ten minutes, and serve plain, or with either plain melted butter or fish sauce.
Or, a little mixed pickle chopped fine, with melted butter, also makes a good sauce for herrings.
40. Haddock.—A fine Finnan haddock should be rubbed with butter, and plain broiled before the fire for ten minutes, or more if rather large, keeping it of a yellowish colour, and turning it occasionally. If very salt, steep it in water for one hour; beat the thick side down, and broil gently.
Another Way.—Cut a middling-sized haddock in six pieces, which wash in cold water, take them out, and place them either in a bason or pan, then pour over about a quart of boiling water, covering your bason or pan over, so that no steam can escape; after your haddock has steamed ten minutes, take it out, place on a dish, rub over with butter, sprinkle a little pepper over, and serve.
Sprats and pickled herrings can also be done this way, as likewise smoked salmon; you may vary the flavour of this simple dish, by adding either a little chives, thyme, winter savory, bayleaf, parsley, eschalots, or onions.
41. Whitings, Fresh, should be merely cleaned, cut on each side, rubbed over with salt, pepper, and flour, and broiled for seven to ten minutes. Serve with melted butter, or without, adding a little vinegar or lemon in the sauce.
42. Mackerel.—Cut off the point of the head, open it at the back, keep it open flat. Pepper and salt, and fennel, if handy; place it between the fish, broil gently for ten minutes, and serve with either melted butter, or parsley and butter, or black butter sauce. (See No. 422.)
43.—Cut as above, open it on the back, chop up a small piece of fat bacon, with some parsley, one eschalot, or a small onion; add a teaspoonful of vinegar; fill the inside with this stuffing. Close it again; tie it round with a string, broil very gently for twelve to fifteen minutes: it depends on the fire and size. Serve plain.
44.—Prepare it as above, and put it into a pie dish, with vinegar, salt, pepper, and slices of onion, for an hour, and broil as before.
45.—Get a tin baking dish, and put into it some chives chopped fine, some parsley, salt, pepper, a little vinegar, and about one ounce of butter or lard: put the mackerel, cut open at the back, and divided in six pieces; place it on the gridiron, turn the pieces, and in about twenty minutes they are done. Serve it on the tin dish. Onions may be used.
46.—It may be put into paper, like the herring, No. 38, and served without any sauce.
Small fresh-water fish, such as tench, pike, perch, barbel, &c., may be done like mackerel.
47. Small Soles and Flounders are very good when nicely broiled in the double gridiron before a clear fire; the time depends on the size and the state of the fire: they should be rubbed with salt, pepper, and flour.
48. Salmon, Salted, should be cut in small slices, of about one quarter of a pound each, slantways, rubbed with either butter or oil, and broiled gently. Serve plain, or can be broiled, wrapped up in oil paper.
49. Eels, Dried.—Steep them in water and vinegar for twelve hours, rub them with butter, cut them into pieces four inches long; broil gently, and serve. These are rather scarce, but very good thus.
50. Eels, Fresh.—Skin and cut them into lengths of four to five inches; broil gently for seven to ten minutes; have some parsley chopped fine, which mix with some butter, and put a little in each piece, and serve very hot. They may also be egged and bread-crummed (see Fried Eels), or with plain sauce.
51. Ling, Fresh.—Take about a pound of ling, cut it into slices of about three-quarters of an inch thick, rub it with pepper and salt, and put it on the gridiron over a clear fire; in about ten minutes it will be done. Serve it plain, or with a little melted butter and chopped parsley, lemon or vinegar, or with a little piece of the liver chopped up and boiled in the sauce.
Turbot, brill, hake, halibut, plaice, or cod, may be cooked the same way, either over or before the fire.
HOW TO BOIL ALL KINDS OF FISH, EITHER WHOLE OR IN SLICES.
GENERAL RECEIPTS.
In all processes of cooking that which appears the simplest is generally the most neglected, or at best hut carelessly done. Many persons, unacquainted with the subject, would imagine that the boiling of fish is so simple, that it merely requires to be put on the fire in a saucepan full of water, and let simmer or boil until it has lost its transparency, to be fit to eat. To those who are careless and extravagant, this process may answer very well; they know no better, and do not care to improve; but to the careful housewife, who wishes to make every penny go as far as possible, by retaining in every article of food she cooks the flavour and succulence it possesses (which is, in fact, the basis of economical and perfect cookery, no matter how simple it may be), the following simple receipt, if carefully followed, will greatly assist:—
First of all, let us remember that all large fish, with the skin whole, must be placed on the fire in cold water; if crimped, or cut in slices or pieces, in boiling water; if whole, it must not be covered with more than two or three inches of water, or the skin will crack, and not only spoil the appearance of the fish, but will diminish the gelatine and gluten it contains, and instead of eating firm and full of flavour, it will be soft and woolly, especially if overboiled.
For all kinds of fish, to every quart of water put two teaspoonfuls of salt; and if the fish be whole, as soon as it begins to boil, remove the cover on one side, and let simmer gently till quite done, calculating the time according to the size and quality, which vary so much, that it would be quite impossible to say, "Take a cod, turbot, or salmon, or any other fish weighing so many pounds, and boil so long;" for according to its quality, the process of cooking will act upon it, and therefore in all the following receipts we must make use of the word about with regard to time, but by all means do it rather over than under. If large fish, I generally try it by gently pushing a wooden skewer through the thickest part; if it goes in easily, it is done.
How to ascertain if Fish, whether boiled, stewed, or fried, is done.—If the bone sticks firm to the flesh, or the flesh to the bone, it is not done; by the same rule, if quite loose, and the flesh of the fish drops off the bone, it is overdone, and you lose some of its qualities. For fish in slices try the bone with your knife; ,f the flesh comes from it, it is done; or by placing the point of a knife between the flesh and the bone, and on raising it, if done, the knife will part it easily.
To boil fish whole, such as turbot, plaice, large soles, salmon, cod, trout, pike, or any such like fish, it is requisite to have a drainer at the bottom of the kettle, or you will be sure to break your fish to pieces; and as the cottage of a working man is seldom furnished with cooking utensils of this nature, let him cut his large fish in pieces, or boil only small ones; but as, no doubt, the middle classes of society will buy largely of this our last work, I think I am in duty bound, Eloise, to give the following receipt, which, without the foregoing explanation, might seem to you out of place.
52. To boil Brill.—Place your fish in the pan, letting it lay on the strainer; rub it over with six teaspoonfuls of salt—it will make it firmer, then add six pints of cold water, or enough to cover the fish; put your pan on the fire, and when it commences to boil, put the lid slightly on one side, and let simmer till done. A brill of about five or six pounds will be done in half an hour after boiling. When sufficiently cooked, lay hold of both ends of the drainer, lift your fish out, and let it lay on the top of the kettle for two or three minutes, then slip it on your dish on a napkin, and garnish round with parsley, if any. If your fish weighs from three to four pounds, it will take from twenty-five to thirty minutes doing on a moderate fire. Anchovy, shrimp, lobster, or lemon sauce, may be used.
53. Turbot.— Make two incisions with a knife across the back—it prevents the white skin on the top cracking; rub it with the juice of a lemon and salt previous to putting the water over; let it lay about three inches under water. A turbot of seven or eight pounds will take about three quarters of an hour doing, after the water commences boiling; one of fifteen pounds, one hour and thirty minutes. Serve with either of the above sauces, or cream sauce No. 424.
54. Salmon.—A salmon weighing ten pounds will take one hour gently simmering when the water commences boiling. Head and shoulders of six pounds, forty minutes; cod fish of the same weight as the salmon, fifteen minutes less; cod's head and shoulders, ten minutes less; conger eels, hake, ling, same time as cod. The liver and roe of any of the above-named fish we very good when boiled and served with them.
Gurnet, pike, barbel, and carp are boiled the same way. If either the turbot, salmon, or cod is crimped, it will take less time to boil, and should be put in boiling water, timing it in proportion to the other fish that has been put in cold water.
55. How to boil Sliced Fish.—To every pint of water put a teaspoonful of salt; when boiling, add your fish, of whatever kind it may be, calculating that a pound of any sort of fish will take from fifteen to twenty minutes; but ascertain if the bone separates easily from the flesh, as described in the preceding directions. Halibut and sturgeon will take longer than any other fish, plaice less than any. Any fish cut in slices will always eat firmer and better if rubbed, previous to boiling, with the quantity of salt you otherwise put in the water; therefore boil the water plain, adding the fish and salt at the same time. Mackerel will take from fifteen to twenty minutes; trout and haddocks of the size of a mackerel, a little longer; herrings, from twelve to fifteen minutes; skate, a trifling time longer; adding a drop of vinegar in the water to any of the above fish is an improvement.
56. New way of boiling Fish.—The addition of a few herbs and vegetables in the water gives a very nice flavour to the fish. Add, according to taste, a little sliced onions, thyme, bayleaf, winter savory, carrots, celery, clove, mace, using whichever of these ingredients you can procure; it greatly improves skate, fresh haddocks, gurnet, &c. Fresh-water fish, which have no particular flavour, are preferable done thus, with the addition of a little vinegar. Choose whatever sauces you please for any of the above fish, from the series at No. 411.
57. Salt Fish, Cod, Ling, and Cod-Sounds.—Soak two pounds of salt fish for six hours, if not previously soaked, or according to the cure; put them in boiling water, in which some parsnips have been previously boiled. Twenty minutes, if the fish is thick, will be sufficient; and serve with egg-sauce No. 411. Proceed the same with cod-sounds.
Fresh-water Fish.—These are not much esteemed amongst the many, although some are excellent eating, and much in use on the continent.
58. Tench and perch must be well scaled and cleaned, and put into the pan with a pint of water and a teaspoonful of salt, one onion, sliced, three sprigs of thyme, bay-leaf, pepper, parsley, celery, all in proportion; a wine-glass of vinegar. If they weigh one pound boil for half an hour, according to size. Serve with any fish-sauce.
59. Eels may he done as above, with a little scraped horseradish, and served with parsley and butter. Pike and carp may be boiled in the same way. If no herbs or vegetables, boil in plain salt and water; but the above is a great improvement.
Fish in Oven, in Tin Dish.—A long square tin dish, like those for baking, may be used for this excellent mode of cooking fish, by which all the flavour and succulence of it is preserved. They may be had of all sizes, and at a very trifling expense.
60. Lesson 1.—Scale and clean a sole, dry it well, chop up half an ounce of onions rather small, put in the dish one ounce of either butter, dripping, or oil, and sprinkle a little chopped parsley and onions at the bottom; lay the sole over, season with pepper and salt; mix the remainder of the chopped onions and parsley with some bread crumbs, and cover the sole with them, adding three or four pieces of butter or fat over, and a wineglassful of either wine, ale, or broth, or even water underneath; put the dish in the oven or before the fire until done: a large sole will take about an hour. In case the oven is not hot enough to brown the top, put the shovel in the fire until it is red-hot, and hold over it. Serve in the tin. The oven is far better than the front of a fire.
Plaice may be done the same way, or cut in slices, only it takes longer doing.
61. Whiting are done the same way, hut require a sharp oven, or they will turn watery. Weaver may be done in the same manner.
Conger Eels.— Cut four slices, half an inch thick, dry well, dip each piece into flour, and proceed precisely as for soles. A little grated horseradish and a little spice will vary the flavour.
62. Lesson 2.—Codfish, Halibut, Ling, Hake, Sturgeon, and Haddock may be done in the same way; and a little stuffing, No. 466, may be used for every one of them, especially cod-liver stuffing.
63. Lesson 3.—The remains of boiled fish may always be done in this way. A few spoonfuls of melted butter added over any of the above fish, before the bread crumbs, makes a change; it eats more delicate, and gives very little more trouble.
64. Another Way.—Place any of the above fish in the dish, omitting the onions, if not liked; add a few herbs or chopped mushrooms instead; and make the following—
65. Sauce.—Put in a pan a quarter of a pound of flour, moisten with a pint and a half of milk or skim-milk, add three parts of a teaspoonful of salt, the same of pepper, mix all smooth, add a little mixed spice, or two cloves, grated nutmeg, one onion cut in four, set on the fire, stir continually, and boil twenty minutes; it must be rather thick; take out the onions and cloves, add to the sauce four ounces of butter, mix it well, pour over the fish, and bake as above: a little parsley, chopped, and thrown over before sending to table, improves the appearance, and a little grated cheese thrown over previous to placing in the oven, gives a nice yellow look, and this will be much liked. The sauce can be made and kept for some days without spoiling. This sauce is nice with every kind of white fish. Bread-crumb may be put over the sauce before cooking. The remains of previously cooked fish may be dressed in this way.
66. Halibut, Conger, Sake, and Ling (receipt for four pounds of fish).—Season either of the above rather strong with two teaspoonfuls of salt, half the same of pepper, the same of ground ginger, and two teaspoonfuls of chopped onions. Put two ounces of fat in a deep tin pan, lay the fish on it, mix two ounces of flour with a pint of milk; when smooth pour over the fish, bake for an hour, and serve.
67. Plaice and large Gurnets.—The flesh cut from the bone maybe done as above. They all require to be well done. Any of the above dishes may be surrounded by a border of either mashed potatoes or boiled rice.
68. In Oven.—Small Fish.—Put in a deep pan four teaspoonfuls of onions chopped, half a pint of melted butter, a gill of vinegar; lay over six pounds of any common fish, season over with two teaspoonfuls of salt, one of pepper; place it in the oven for twenty minutes, then turn it, baste it with the sauce now d then; dish it up, and pour sauce over, or serve in the pan; if the sauce should be too thin, boil on the fire till it gets of a thickish substance.
69. Mackerel in Pie Dish.—Open two or three mackerel on the back, cut off the tail and head, rub the inside and outside with salt, pepper, and chopped parsley; mix in a bason half a pint of melted butter, No. 410, add to it a teaspoonful of chopped fennel and parsley, and a tablespoonful of vinegar; put the fish in the dish, pour the sauce over, and well bread-crumb it; put it in the oven for half an hour or more, and serve. The roe may be left in the fish, or chopped up and mixed with the sauce. Balls of cod-liver may be added.
70. Pickled Mackerel, Plain Way.—Cut two onions in thin slices, mix with salt and pepper and a little mixed spice or peppercorn; then have four mackerel ready, with the gills and gut removed, but not cut; put a little of the onions inside, and rub the outside with them; and then rub them with flour, put them in the dish, put in the remainder of the onions, add half a pint of vinegar and a gill of water; bake in a slow oven for one hour; use cold. They will keep a long time.
71. Fresh Herrings, Sprats, and Smelts may all be done the same way, only they require less time to bake. Any other kind of fish, if in small pieces, may be done this way, and is excellent in summer with salad. The flavour or the pickling may be improved by adding three cloves, two blades of mace, some peppercorns, a little garlic, and some sweet-herbs, according to taste.
FRIED FISH.
The great art in trying fish is, to have it free from grease, and in that state it is one of the most delicate descriptions of food that can be given to the invalid, and at the same time the most nourishing. The sudden immersion in the fat solidifies the albumen in the flesh of the fish, and renders it easy of digestion; the coating of breadcrumbs prevents the fat penetrating into the fish, and when eaten by the invalid, the skin should be removed, and only the white flesh partaken of.
The great point is to have plenty of fat in the pan, for it is not wasted, far from it. If it is kept at a proper degree of heat, in the same pan a sole may he fried, and at the same time an apple fritter; neither will taste of the other, proving that the high degree of heat in the fat prevents the flavour of the object immersed in it escaping.
72. Fried Sole.—Put a pound or two of fat into a deep frying-pan; whilst it is getting hot, take a sole, of course cleaned, cut off the fins and tail, wipe it with a cloth, egg it, and cover with bread-crumbs all over, shake off the loose crumbs, and press it, and lay the sole in the fat, the white part, or belly, downwards; the fat must be at a proper heat, which is ascertained by throwing a pinch of crumb into it; if it hisses, it is ready; if it burns, it is over-done; if of a nice colour it will do. Turn it once while doing. A middle-sized sole will take ten minutes. Take it out, place it on a cloth; if any fat is on it, it will come off. Dish it on a napkin, on which it hardly ought to show a spot of grease. This receipt is applicable to all kinds of fish; but large round fish should not be fried whole, only the fillets, or thin slices. Whitings may be fried whole, like sole, and will take about ten minutes; flounders, about five or six minutes; smelts, gudgeons, four or five minutes. The last should be fried as few as possible at a time, and served crisp.
73. Large soles, plaice, cod, halibut, conger eels, ling, hake, weaver, should all be fried in fillets, or thin slices; the sole should be cut down the back bone; then run the knife under the flesh, close to the bone, and cut it off; thus each sole will make four fillets; or they may be cut across in pieces of three inches, with the bone in.
74. Plaice do in the same way, cut in pieces one inch wide. Cod should be filleted lengthways, or in slices. Hake, haddock, and gurnet, the same; halibut, ling, and conger eel, in very thin slices, that is, not more than half an inch thick. Salt should be sprinkled over them half an hour previous. All these should be egged and bread-crumbed, as described in sole. All fish cooked in this way are excellent cold, as a salad, in summer. Slices should be broken, or cut, for about a pound of fish, and put into a bowl, with two tablespoonfuls of vinegar, four of oil, half do. of chopped parsley, half a teaspoonful of salt, quarter do. of pepper. Toss it up well, that it may mix; it is very cooling, and makes a light supper. A little fresh salad, an lettuce, endive, &c., makes it still more so. Slices of cooked potatoes, lentils, and haricots, may be introduced.
76. Fried Fish, Jewish Fashion.
This is another excellent way of frying fish, which is constantly in use by the children of Israel, and I cannot recommend it too highly; so much so, that various kinds of fish which many people despise, are excellent cooked by this process; in eating them many persons are deceived, and would suppose them to be the most expensive of fish. The process is at once simple, effective, and economical; not that I would recommend it for invalids, as the process imbibes some of the fat, which, however palatable, would not do for the dyspeptic or invalid.
76. Proceed thus:—Cut one or two pounds of halibut in one piece, lay it in a dish, cover the top with a little salt, put some water in the dish, but not to cover the fish; let it remain thus for one hour. The water being below, causes the salt to penetrate into the fish. Take it out and dry it; cut out the bone, and the fins off; it is then in two pieces. Lay the pieces on the side, and divide them into slices half an inch thick; put into a frying pan, with a quarter of a pound of fat, lard, or dripping (the Jews use oil); then put two ounces of flour into a soup-plate, or basin, which mix with water, to form a smooth batter, not too thick. Dip the fish in it, that the pieces are well covered, then have the fat, not too hot, put the pieces in it, and fry till a nice colour, turning them over. When done, take it out with a slice, let it drain, dish up, and serve. Any kind of sauce that is liked may be used with it; but plain, with a little salt and lemon, is excellent. This fish is often only threepence to fourpence per pound; it containing but little bone renders it very economical. It is excellent cold, and can be eaten with oil, vinegar, and cucumbers, in summer time, and is exceedingly cooling. An egg is an improvement in the batter.
The same fish as before mentioned as fit for frying, may be fried in this manner. Eels are excellent done so; the batter absorbs the oil which is in them.
Flounders may also be done in this way. A little salt should be sprinkled over before serving.
77. In some Jewish families all this kind of fish is fried in oil, and dipped in batter, as described above. In some families they dip the fish first in flour, and then in egg, and fry in oil. This plan is superior to that fried in fat or dripping, but more expensive.
Many of the above-mentioned families have stated days on which they fry, or stew their fish, which will keep good several days in summer, and I may almost say, weeks in winter; and being generally eaten cold, it saves them a deal of cooking. Still I must say that there is nothing like a hot dinner.
GRIDIRON.
With this primitive utensil a great deal may be done in the way of cooking, but it requires care, or otherwise great loss of food and money will be sustained; a few minutes' constant attention, when the article is on the gridiron, will save at least twenty per cent., and the palate will feel more gratified.
I use two kinds of gridirons, each costing very little; one is of cast iron, to go on the fire, and the other is of iron wire, made double, to hang from the bar of the grate before the fire, made so as not to too much press the object cooked within it. The principal care in this, as in all kitchen utensils, is never to put them away dirty; always wiping the gridiron after it has been used, and again before you use it, and a place kept where it should be hung.
Firstly, Fish, nearly all sorts, both dried and fresh, either whole or in pieces. I shall not begin with the king of the ocean, but with one of the most humble of its inhabitants, and which daily gratifies the palates of millions; it is—
The Plain Med Herring.—Though we have agreed to make use of every kind of eatable food, it is still important to point out the best quality first, for I must tell you, that the quality of herrings varies as much, if not more, than any other kind of food; the proper way of curing them being as important to know as the quality of the flesh itself. This unassuming kind of fish, which we may venture to call the poor man's friend, ought to be chosen plump, though not too full of roe, as when they have large roes they are sure to be oily, and cannot have taken the salt properly; they feel softish to the touch, eat stringy, and sometimes decay, and emit a bad smell while cooking; these are unwholesome: but if hard and firm, the flesh reddish, the roe well set, and smell sweet, they are good. The only drawback is that they might be too salt, which cannot be avoided, only by cutting the back up, and soaking them in lukewarm water for a few hours, and when taken out well dried on a cloth, previous to their being cooked. But the way to ascertain if a herring is too salt, is to take the fish in the left hand, and pull out a few of the fins from the back, and taste; you may thus find out the quality and flavour. This plan is adopted by large dealers.
38. Wipe your herring; dry it well in a cloth: you may slightly split the hack, or make a few incisions crossways; rub it with flour, or dress it plainly, by placing the herring on the gridiron about six inches over a clear fire, or before it; turn them often, and in five minutes they may he done, according to size.
Or, when it is done, mix a piece of butter with a little mustard together, and place inside of it, or rub it over. By opening the hack, it will do much quicker; hut to keep the essence in it, it should be done whole.
Or, butter and chopped parsley, and a little vinegar or lemon juice.
Or, butter and chopped fennel and onions, very fine.
Or, cut off the head, open it up the back with a knife, and remove the back hone of the herring; put in about one ounce of butter and chopped parsley, with a slight tint of onion. Fold two herrings together in some paper, so that the fat does not escape; broil gently for nearly twenty minutes, and serve. The butter is to he inclosed between the two herrings.
The same plan with a bloater and a fresh herring dressed together is first-rate.
39. Fresh Herrings.—These should he cleaned and scaled, the head removed, opened on the hack, and the gut taken out. Make three slight incisions on each side, throw some pepper and 6alt over it, broil for ten minutes, and serve plain, or with either plain melted butter or fish sauce.
Or, a little mixed pickle chopped fine, with melted butter, also makes a good sauce for herrings.
40. Haddock.—A fine Finnan haddock should be rubbed with butter, and plain broiled before the fire for ten minutes, or more if rather large, keeping it of a yellowish colour, and turning it occasionally. If very salt, steep it in water for one hour; beat the thick side down, and broil gently.
Another Way.—Cut a middling-sized haddock in six pieces, which wash in cold water, take them out, and place them either in a bason or pan, then pour over about a quart of boiling water, covering your bason or pan over, so that no steam can escape; after your haddock has steamed ten minutes, take it out, place on a dish, rub over with butter, sprinkle a little pepper over, and serve.
Sprats and pickled herrings can also be done this way, as likewise smoked salmon; you may vary the flavour of this simple dish, by adding either a little chives, thyme, winter savory, bayleaf, parsley, eschalots, or onions.
41. Whitings, Fresh, should be merely cleaned, cut on each side, rubbed over with salt, pepper, and flour, and broiled for seven to ten minutes. Serve with melted butter, or without, adding a little vinegar or lemon in the sauce.
42. Mackerel.—Cut off the point of the head, open it at the back, keep it open flat. Pepper and salt, and fennel, if handy; place it between the fish, broil gently for ten minutes, and serve with either melted butter, or parsley and butter, or black butter sauce. (See No. 422.)
43.—Cut as above, open it on the back, chop up a small piece of fat bacon, with some parsley, one eschalot, or a small onion; add a teaspoonful of vinegar; fill the inside with this stuffing. Close it again; tie it round with a string, broil very gently for twelve to fifteen minutes: it depends on the fire and size. Serve plain.
44.—Prepare it as above, and put it into a pie dish, with vinegar, salt, pepper, and slices of onion, for an hour, and broil as before.
45.—Get a tin baking dish, and put into it some chives chopped fine, some parsley, salt, pepper, a little vinegar, and about one ounce of butter or lard: put the mackerel, cut open at the back, and divided in six pieces; place it on the gridiron, turn the pieces, and in about twenty minutes they are done. Serve it on the tin dish. Onions may be used.
46.—It may be put into paper, like the herring, No. 38, and served without any sauce.
Small fresh-water fish, such as tench, pike, perch, barbel, &c., may be done like mackerel.
47. Small Soles and Flounders are very good when nicely broiled in the double gridiron before a clear fire; the time depends on the size and the state of the fire: they should be rubbed with salt, pepper, and flour.
48. Salmon, Salted, should be cut in small slices, of about one quarter of a pound each, slantways, rubbed with either butter or oil, and broiled gently. Serve plain, or can be broiled, wrapped up in oil paper.
49. Eels, Dried.—Steep them in water and vinegar for twelve hours, rub them with butter, cut them into pieces four inches long; broil gently, and serve. These are rather scarce, but very good thus.
50. Eels, Fresh.—Skin and cut them into lengths of four to five inches; broil gently for seven to ten minutes; have some parsley chopped fine, which mix with some butter, and put a little in each piece, and serve very hot. They may also be egged and bread-crummed (see Fried Eels), or with plain sauce.
51. Ling, Fresh.—Take about a pound of ling, cut it into slices of about three-quarters of an inch thick, rub it with pepper and salt, and put it on the gridiron over a clear fire; in about ten minutes it will be done. Serve it plain, or with a little melted butter and chopped parsley, lemon or vinegar, or with a little piece of the liver chopped up and boiled in the sauce.
Turbot, brill, hake, halibut, plaice, or cod, may be cooked the same way, either over or before the fire.
GENERAL RECEIPTS.
First of all, let us remember that all large fish, with the skin whole, must be placed on the fire in cold water; if crimped, or cut in slices or pieces, in boiling water; if whole, it must not be covered with more than two or three inches of water, or the skin will crack, and not only spoil the appearance of the fish, but will diminish the gelatine and gluten it contains, and instead of eating firm and full of flavour, it will be soft and woolly, especially if overboiled.
For all kinds of fish, to every quart of water put two teaspoonfuls of salt; and if the fish be whole, as soon as it begins to boil, remove the cover on one side, and let simmer gently till quite done, calculating the time according to the size and quality, which vary so much, that it would be quite impossible to say, "Take a cod, turbot, or salmon, or any other fish weighing so many pounds, and boil so long;" for according to its quality, the process of cooking will act upon it, and therefore in all the following receipts we must make use of the word about with regard to time, but by all means do it rather over than under. If large fish, I generally try it by gently pushing a wooden skewer through the thickest part; if it goes in easily, it is done.
How to ascertain if Fish, whether boiled, stewed, or fried, is done.—If the bone sticks firm to the flesh, or the flesh to the bone, it is not done; by the same rule, if quite loose, and the flesh of the fish drops off the bone, it is overdone, and you lose some of its qualities. For fish in slices try the bone with your knife; ,f the flesh comes from it, it is done; or by placing the point of a knife between the flesh and the bone, and on raising it, if done, the knife will part it easily.
To boil fish whole, such as turbot, plaice, large soles, salmon, cod, trout, pike, or any such like fish, it is requisite to have a drainer at the bottom of the kettle, or you will be sure to break your fish to pieces; and as the cottage of a working man is seldom furnished with cooking utensils of this nature, let him cut his large fish in pieces, or boil only small ones; but as, no doubt, the middle classes of society will buy largely of this our last work, I think I am in duty bound, Eloise, to give the following receipt, which, without the foregoing explanation, might seem to you out of place.
52. To boil Brill.—Place your fish in the pan, letting it lay on the strainer; rub it over with six teaspoonfuls of salt—it will make it firmer, then add six pints of cold water, or enough to cover the fish; put your pan on the fire, and when it commences to boil, put the lid slightly on one side, and let simmer till done. A brill of about five or six pounds will be done in half an hour after boiling. When sufficiently cooked, lay hold of both ends of the drainer, lift your fish out, and let it lay on the top of the kettle for two or three minutes, then slip it on your dish on a napkin, and garnish round with parsley, if any. If your fish weighs from three to four pounds, it will take from twenty-five to thirty minutes doing on a moderate fire. Anchovy, shrimp, lobster, or lemon sauce, may be used.
53. Turbot.— Make two incisions with a knife across the back—it prevents the white skin on the top cracking; rub it with the juice of a lemon and salt previous to putting the water over; let it lay about three inches under water. A turbot of seven or eight pounds will take about three quarters of an hour doing, after the water commences boiling; one of fifteen pounds, one hour and thirty minutes. Serve with either of the above sauces, or cream sauce No. 424.
54. Salmon.—A salmon weighing ten pounds will take one hour gently simmering when the water commences boiling. Head and shoulders of six pounds, forty minutes; cod fish of the same weight as the salmon, fifteen minutes less; cod's head and shoulders, ten minutes less; conger eels, hake, ling, same time as cod. The liver and roe of any of the above-named fish we very good when boiled and served with them.
Gurnet, pike, barbel, and carp are boiled the same way. If either the turbot, salmon, or cod is crimped, it will take less time to boil, and should be put in boiling water, timing it in proportion to the other fish that has been put in cold water.
55. How to boil Sliced Fish.—To every pint of water put a teaspoonful of salt; when boiling, add your fish, of whatever kind it may be, calculating that a pound of any sort of fish will take from fifteen to twenty minutes; but ascertain if the bone separates easily from the flesh, as described in the preceding directions. Halibut and sturgeon will take longer than any other fish, plaice less than any. Any fish cut in slices will always eat firmer and better if rubbed, previous to boiling, with the quantity of salt you otherwise put in the water; therefore boil the water plain, adding the fish and salt at the same time. Mackerel will take from fifteen to twenty minutes; trout and haddocks of the size of a mackerel, a little longer; herrings, from twelve to fifteen minutes; skate, a trifling time longer; adding a drop of vinegar in the water to any of the above fish is an improvement.
56. New way of boiling Fish.—The addition of a few herbs and vegetables in the water gives a very nice flavour to the fish. Add, according to taste, a little sliced onions, thyme, bayleaf, winter savory, carrots, celery, clove, mace, using whichever of these ingredients you can procure; it greatly improves skate, fresh haddocks, gurnet, &c. Fresh-water fish, which have no particular flavour, are preferable done thus, with the addition of a little vinegar. Choose whatever sauces you please for any of the above fish, from the series at No. 411.
57. Salt Fish, Cod, Ling, and Cod-Sounds.—Soak two pounds of salt fish for six hours, if not previously soaked, or according to the cure; put them in boiling water, in which some parsnips have been previously boiled. Twenty minutes, if the fish is thick, will be sufficient; and serve with egg-sauce No. 411. Proceed the same with cod-sounds.
Fresh-water Fish.—These are not much esteemed amongst the many, although some are excellent eating, and much in use on the continent.
58. Tench and perch must be well scaled and cleaned, and put into the pan with a pint of water and a teaspoonful of salt, one onion, sliced, three sprigs of thyme, bay-leaf, pepper, parsley, celery, all in proportion; a wine-glass of vinegar. If they weigh one pound boil for half an hour, according to size. Serve with any fish-sauce.
59. Eels may he done as above, with a little scraped horseradish, and served with parsley and butter. Pike and carp may be boiled in the same way. If no herbs or vegetables, boil in plain salt and water; but the above is a great improvement.
Fish in Oven, in Tin Dish.—A long square tin dish, like those for baking, may be used for this excellent mode of cooking fish, by which all the flavour and succulence of it is preserved. They may be had of all sizes, and at a very trifling expense.
60. Lesson 1.—Scale and clean a sole, dry it well, chop up half an ounce of onions rather small, put in the dish one ounce of either butter, dripping, or oil, and sprinkle a little chopped parsley and onions at the bottom; lay the sole over, season with pepper and salt; mix the remainder of the chopped onions and parsley with some bread crumbs, and cover the sole with them, adding three or four pieces of butter or fat over, and a wineglassful of either wine, ale, or broth, or even water underneath; put the dish in the oven or before the fire until done: a large sole will take about an hour. In case the oven is not hot enough to brown the top, put the shovel in the fire until it is red-hot, and hold over it. Serve in the tin. The oven is far better than the front of a fire.
Plaice may be done the same way, or cut in slices, only it takes longer doing.
61. Whiting are done the same way, hut require a sharp oven, or they will turn watery. Weaver may be done in the same manner.
Conger Eels.— Cut four slices, half an inch thick, dry well, dip each piece into flour, and proceed precisely as for soles. A little grated horseradish and a little spice will vary the flavour.
62. Lesson 2.—Codfish, Halibut, Ling, Hake, Sturgeon, and Haddock may be done in the same way; and a little stuffing, No. 466, may be used for every one of them, especially cod-liver stuffing.
63. Lesson 3.—The remains of boiled fish may always be done in this way. A few spoonfuls of melted butter added over any of the above fish, before the bread crumbs, makes a change; it eats more delicate, and gives very little more trouble.
64. Another Way.—Place any of the above fish in the dish, omitting the onions, if not liked; add a few herbs or chopped mushrooms instead; and make the following—
65. Sauce.—Put in a pan a quarter of a pound of flour, moisten with a pint and a half of milk or skim-milk, add three parts of a teaspoonful of salt, the same of pepper, mix all smooth, add a little mixed spice, or two cloves, grated nutmeg, one onion cut in four, set on the fire, stir continually, and boil twenty minutes; it must be rather thick; take out the onions and cloves, add to the sauce four ounces of butter, mix it well, pour over the fish, and bake as above: a little parsley, chopped, and thrown over before sending to table, improves the appearance, and a little grated cheese thrown over previous to placing in the oven, gives a nice yellow look, and this will be much liked. The sauce can be made and kept for some days without spoiling. This sauce is nice with every kind of white fish. Bread-crumb may be put over the sauce before cooking. The remains of previously cooked fish may be dressed in this way.
66. Halibut, Conger, Sake, and Ling (receipt for four pounds of fish).—Season either of the above rather strong with two teaspoonfuls of salt, half the same of pepper, the same of ground ginger, and two teaspoonfuls of chopped onions. Put two ounces of fat in a deep tin pan, lay the fish on it, mix two ounces of flour with a pint of milk; when smooth pour over the fish, bake for an hour, and serve.
67. Plaice and large Gurnets.—The flesh cut from the bone maybe done as above. They all require to be well done. Any of the above dishes may be surrounded by a border of either mashed potatoes or boiled rice.
68. In Oven.—Small Fish.—Put in a deep pan four teaspoonfuls of onions chopped, half a pint of melted butter, a gill of vinegar; lay over six pounds of any common fish, season over with two teaspoonfuls of salt, one of pepper; place it in the oven for twenty minutes, then turn it, baste it with the sauce now d then; dish it up, and pour sauce over, or serve in the pan; if the sauce should be too thin, boil on the fire till it gets of a thickish substance.
69. Mackerel in Pie Dish.—Open two or three mackerel on the back, cut off the tail and head, rub the inside and outside with salt, pepper, and chopped parsley; mix in a bason half a pint of melted butter, No. 410, add to it a teaspoonful of chopped fennel and parsley, and a tablespoonful of vinegar; put the fish in the dish, pour the sauce over, and well bread-crumb it; put it in the oven for half an hour or more, and serve. The roe may be left in the fish, or chopped up and mixed with the sauce. Balls of cod-liver may be added.
70. Pickled Mackerel, Plain Way.—Cut two onions in thin slices, mix with salt and pepper and a little mixed spice or peppercorn; then have four mackerel ready, with the gills and gut removed, but not cut; put a little of the onions inside, and rub the outside with them; and then rub them with flour, put them in the dish, put in the remainder of the onions, add half a pint of vinegar and a gill of water; bake in a slow oven for one hour; use cold. They will keep a long time.
71. Fresh Herrings, Sprats, and Smelts may all be done the same way, only they require less time to bake. Any other kind of fish, if in small pieces, may be done this way, and is excellent in summer with salad. The flavour or the pickling may be improved by adding three cloves, two blades of mace, some peppercorns, a little garlic, and some sweet-herbs, according to taste.
The great art in trying fish is, to have it free from grease, and in that state it is one of the most delicate descriptions of food that can be given to the invalid, and at the same time the most nourishing. The sudden immersion in the fat solidifies the albumen in the flesh of the fish, and renders it easy of digestion; the coating of breadcrumbs prevents the fat penetrating into the fish, and when eaten by the invalid, the skin should be removed, and only the white flesh partaken of.
The great point is to have plenty of fat in the pan, for it is not wasted, far from it. If it is kept at a proper degree of heat, in the same pan a sole may he fried, and at the same time an apple fritter; neither will taste of the other, proving that the high degree of heat in the fat prevents the flavour of the object immersed in it escaping.
72. Fried Sole.—Put a pound or two of fat into a deep frying-pan; whilst it is getting hot, take a sole, of course cleaned, cut off the fins and tail, wipe it with a cloth, egg it, and cover with bread-crumbs all over, shake off the loose crumbs, and press it, and lay the sole in the fat, the white part, or belly, downwards; the fat must be at a proper heat, which is ascertained by throwing a pinch of crumb into it; if it hisses, it is ready; if it burns, it is over-done; if of a nice colour it will do. Turn it once while doing. A middle-sized sole will take ten minutes. Take it out, place it on a cloth; if any fat is on it, it will come off. Dish it on a napkin, on which it hardly ought to show a spot of grease. This receipt is applicable to all kinds of fish; but large round fish should not be fried whole, only the fillets, or thin slices. Whitings may be fried whole, like sole, and will take about ten minutes; flounders, about five or six minutes; smelts, gudgeons, four or five minutes. The last should be fried as few as possible at a time, and served crisp.
73. Large soles, plaice, cod, halibut, conger eels, ling, hake, weaver, should all be fried in fillets, or thin slices; the sole should be cut down the back bone; then run the knife under the flesh, close to the bone, and cut it off; thus each sole will make four fillets; or they may be cut across in pieces of three inches, with the bone in.
74. Plaice do in the same way, cut in pieces one inch wide. Cod should be filleted lengthways, or in slices. Hake, haddock, and gurnet, the same; halibut, ling, and conger eel, in very thin slices, that is, not more than half an inch thick. Salt should be sprinkled over them half an hour previous. All these should be egged and bread-crumbed, as described in sole. All fish cooked in this way are excellent cold, as a salad, in summer. Slices should be broken, or cut, for about a pound of fish, and put into a bowl, with two tablespoonfuls of vinegar, four of oil, half do. of chopped parsley, half a teaspoonful of salt, quarter do. of pepper. Toss it up well, that it may mix; it is very cooling, and makes a light supper. A little fresh salad, an lettuce, endive, &c., makes it still more so. Slices of cooked potatoes, lentils, and haricots, may be introduced.
This is another excellent way of frying fish, which is constantly in use by the children of Israel, and I cannot recommend it too highly; so much so, that various kinds of fish which many people despise, are excellent cooked by this process; in eating them many persons are deceived, and would suppose them to be the most expensive of fish. The process is at once simple, effective, and economical; not that I would recommend it for invalids, as the process imbibes some of the fat, which, however palatable, would not do for the dyspeptic or invalid.
76. Proceed thus:—Cut one or two pounds of halibut in one piece, lay it in a dish, cover the top with a little salt, put some water in the dish, but not to cover the fish; let it remain thus for one hour. The water being below, causes the salt to penetrate into the fish. Take it out and dry it; cut out the bone, and the fins off; it is then in two pieces. Lay the pieces on the side, and divide them into slices half an inch thick; put into a frying pan, with a quarter of a pound of fat, lard, or dripping (the Jews use oil); then put two ounces of flour into a soup-plate, or basin, which mix with water, to form a smooth batter, not too thick. Dip the fish in it, that the pieces are well covered, then have the fat, not too hot, put the pieces in it, and fry till a nice colour, turning them over. When done, take it out with a slice, let it drain, dish up, and serve. Any kind of sauce that is liked may be used with it; but plain, with a little salt and lemon, is excellent. This fish is often only threepence to fourpence per pound; it containing but little bone renders it very economical. It is excellent cold, and can be eaten with oil, vinegar, and cucumbers, in summer time, and is exceedingly cooling. An egg is an improvement in the batter.
The same fish as before mentioned as fit for frying, may be fried in this manner. Eels are excellent done so; the batter absorbs the oil which is in them.
Flounders may also be done in this way. A little salt should be sprinkled over before serving.
77. In some Jewish families all this kind of fish is fried in oil, and dipped in batter, as described above. In some families they dip the fish first in flour, and then in egg, and fry in oil. This plan is superior to that fried in fat or dripping, but more expensive.
Many of the above-mentioned families have stated days on which they fry, or stew their fish, which will keep good several days in summer, and I may almost say, weeks in winter; and being generally eaten cold, it saves them a deal of cooking. Still I must say that there is nothing like a hot dinner.
Notes: