Baked Fish

Clean, wash, and dry the fish. Do not remove the head or tail. Rub all over with salt, stuff, and sew up. Put two strips of cotton cloth in pan (if you have not a fish sheet), to help remove the fish when baked. Lay the fish in the pan and skewer into the shape of a letter S. Cut gashes on top and lay strips of salt pork in them and around the pan. Sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper, and dredge with flour. Put in a hot oven. When the flour begins to brown, baste with the fat in the pan and boiling water. The fish is done when the flesh separates easily from the bone. Bake about 1 hour.

Lift carefully on a hot platter, draw out skewers or strings, and serve with drawn butter or egg sauce.

Boiled Fish

Add the juice of \ lemon or \ c. vinegar to the water in which the fish is to be boiled. Put fish on a plate and tie all in a piece of cheesecloth. Put fish in boiling water and let simmer until the flesh separates easily from the bones. Add 1 tb. salt to water when fish is nearly cooked. Remove from plate and put on a folded napkin on a platter. Serve a sauce separately. Or, omit napkin and pour sauce over and around the fish.

Drawn Butter

1 pt. hot water or stock 6 tb. butter

4 tb. flour

1/2 ts. salt

1/2 ssp. pepper Put 4 tb. butter in the pan; when bubbling, but not brown, add the flour. Add hot water a little at a time. When thick and perfectly smooth add seasoning and remainder of the butter. Stir till the latter is absorbed. Chopped hard-boiled eggs may be added.

Fried Fish

Clean fish and wipe as dry as possible. Roll in seasoned crumbs, dip in egg slightly beaten with 1 tb. water, and roll again in crumbs; or if preferred, dip in corn meal. Cook in a frying pan, in hot fat, till brown on both sides.

Large fish should be boned and cut in pieces for serving. To fry in deep fat see page 145.

Turbot

Steam a whitefish till tender. Remove bones and skin, and flake the fish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Make a white sauce with 1 pt. milk, 6 tb. flour and 4 tb. butter. Season with salt and pepper. When cool add 1 or 2 beaten eggs, 1 tb. each minced onion and parsley. Put layers of fish and sauce in a baking dish. Sprinkle top with buttered crumbs and bake till brown.

Creamed Codfish

Pick salt codfish in small pieces, cover with cold water, heat, and let simmer till tender. Drain and cover with milk. When boiling thicken with flour and butter rubbed together in the proportion of 2 tb. of each to every cup of milk. Just before serving add 1 beaten yolk of egg. Cook 1 m.

Fish Balls

1 c. raw salt fish 1 pt. potatoes 1 ts. butter

1 egg well beaten 1/4 ssp. pepper More salt if needed

Shred the fish. Pare and quarter potatoes. Put fish and potatoes in stewpan and cover with boiling water. Boil 25 m. or till potatoes are soft. Do not boil too long or they will be soggy.

Drain well. Mash and beat till very light. Add butter and pepper, and when slightly cool, the beaten egg. Shape in a tb. and drop in a kettle of smoking hot fat. Fry only a few at a time, or they will cool the fat. Drain on brown paper. Or, shape into flat cakes, roll in flour, and sauter in hot fat.

Salmon In Mold

1 can salmon

3 eggs, beaten light

4 tb. melted butter 1/2 c. fine bread crumbs

Salt, cayenne, parsley

Remove oil, bones and skin from fish. Mince fish fine. Rub in the butter till smooth. Add crumbs to beaten egg. Season the fish, Add eggs and crumbs. Put into a buttered mold, cover the mold, and steam 1 h. Serve with sauce.

Sauce For Salmon

Make a sauce with 1 c. boiling milk, 1 tb. flour, and 2 tb. butter. Add liquor from the salmon. Season with salt, cayenne, 1 ts. tomato catsup. Just before taking from fire add 1 beaten egg.

Sardines On Toast

Drain sardines. Cook in a chafing-dish till heated, turning often. Place on small oblong pieces of toast and serve with lemon butter. Or, lay sardines on toast and heat in a moderate oven.

Lobster Farci

1 pt. can lobster 1 pt. milk

4 tb. butter 6 tb. flour

Salt and cayenne

Melt the butter, add flour, and when bubbling add milk gradually. When thick and smooth add lobster, which has been picked fine. Season. Put in buttered shells. Cover with buttered crumbs and bake till brown.

Escalloped Oysters

1 pt. oysters

4 tb. oyster liquor

6 tb. milk or cream

1 1/2 c. crumbs

1/3 c. butter melted

Salt and pepper

Stir the melted butter into the crumbs. Put a thin layer in bottom of a buttered baking dish, cover with oysters, and sprinkle with salt and pepper, add part of the milk and oyster liquor. Repeat, and cover the top with crumbs. Bake 40 m. in hot oven. Two layers of oysters are sufficient; if more be used, the center layer will be underdone.

Creamed Oysters

Wash, by pouring over them 1/4 c. water, and look over 1 c. oysters. Parboil them in the oyster liquor and the water in which they were washed, until the edges curl and the oysters are plump. Drain.

Make a white sauce with

3 tb. butter 3 tb. flour 3/4 c. milk

1/4 c. oyster liquor

1/2 ts. saiL

1/2 ssp. pepper

Add the parboiled oysters and cook till hot. Serve on toast, in toast boxes, or patty shells.

Toast Boxes

Cut stale bread into 2 inch cubes, trim the crust, take out the center, leaving the bread in the form of a box. Brush with melted butter and bake in a quick oven until a light brown.

Fill with any creamed mixture.