Filleted Soles (White)

Ingredients

1 pair moderate-sized soles, lemon-juice, a little butter. For the Sauce: 1/2 oz. butter, 1/2 oz. flour, 1 tablespoonful of cream or milk, finely-chopped parsley.

Method

Butter a plate, and lay on the fillets, which should be sprinkled with a few drops of lemon-juice; butter a piece of thin white paper, lay this over the fish, and put them into the oven for ten or fifteen minutes, according to size. Take them out, place them in the centre of a dish, and pour over "Maître d'Hôtel" sauce, made in the following manner: - 1/2 ounce of butter, 1/2 oz. flour, stirred over a gentle heat, with a tablespoonful of cream or milk, and a little fish liquid - made from the bones and skin of the sole - and finely chopped parsley.

Fish Balls

Ingredients

Remains of any cold boiled fish - turbot, brill, or cod - potatoes, butter, a little milk.

Method

Break the fish to pieces with a fork, removing every vestige of skin and bone, and shredding very fine. When this is done, add an equal bulk of mashed potatoes, work into a stiff batter, with a piece of butter and some milk, and, if you wish to have them very nice, a beaten egg. Flour your hands, and make the mixture into balls or ovates, and fry in boiling lard or dripping to a light brown.

Plainer fish cakes may be made of the cod and potatoes alone, moulded round like biscuits.

Fish Croquettes

Ingredients

Remains of cold fish - boiled, baked, or fried - one-third as much mashed potatoes, a little melted butter or white sauce, 1 beaten egg, chopped parsley, salt and pepper, seasoning of walnut ketchup or anchovy sauce.

Method

Pick the fish carefully from the bones, and chop it fine; beat the potatoes to a cream with melted butter, add the parsley, pepper, salt, and sauce, and mix all well together. Make the mixture into balls or eggs, roll them in the beaten egg, strew over with fine breadcrumbs, and fry quickly in boiling fat. Serve very hot, with sliced lemon.

Fish Fritters

Ingredients

Remains of any cold boiled fish, about the same quantity of mashed potatoes, 1 small onion, pepper and salt, lard for frying, 1 egg.

Method

Pick the fish from the bones and skin, and pound it in a mortar with the onion, season with pepper and salt, then well mix with it the mashed potatoes, and bind together with a well-beaten egg. Flatten the mixture out upon a dish or pastry board, cut into small rounds or squares and fry in boiling lard to a light brown. Pile it in a napkin on a very hot dish, garnish with parsley and serve with any kind of fish sauce.

Fish Pâtés

Ingredients

Pastry, remains of cold boiled salmon or cod, quarter as much mashed potato as fish, a little rich white sauce, pepper and salt to taste, a little parsley, yolks of one or two hard-boiled eggs - according to the number of pâtés - a spoonful of butter.

Method

Roll out the pastry, which should be good and light, and cut into rounds about a quarter of an inch thick, and make twice as many as you wish to have pates. Lay half of them on a floured tin, with a small cutter take the centre part from the others, and lay the rings one on to each whole one, leaving a neat little round well in the middle; bake quickly, and glaze with beaten egg. For filling: Rub the sauce gradually into the mashed potato till both are free from lumps, and when mixed, beat to a cream; season and stir in the fish (which should be picked very fine), and in so doing heap it up, not beat it down. Do this quickly and lightly, fill the pastry shells, and set in the oven to heat through. Make a smooth paste with the yolk of the egg and butter, and when the pates are quite hot, spread a little over each; close the oven door for two minutes to set the paste, and serve.

Note. - Tinned lobster and salmon may be prepared in this manner. If the pâtés are well made, they form a very ornamental dish.

Fish Pie

Ingredients

Remains of cold boiled fish, 3 or 4 potatoes - boiled and mashed - a cup of melted butter, well seasoned with anchovy or other fish sauce, 1 teaspoonful of minced parsley, pepper and salt to taste.

Method

Pull the pieces of fish apart with a fork, carefully removing all the bones, add to this the melted-butter sauce and parsley; when mixed, put it in a pie-dish, and cover with a layer of mashed potatoes, well seasoned with pepper and salt, and a small piece of butter. Cover the dish, and set in a moderate oven till it smokes and bubbles, then remove the cover, and brown before serving.

Mayonnaise Of Fish

Ingredients

1 lb. or rather more of cold boiled fish, 3 hard-boiled eggs, 2 tablespoonfuls of best oil, 2 teaspoonfuls of sugar, 6 tablespoonfuls of vinegar, 1 teaspoonful of salt, 1/2 teaspoonful each of pepper and made mustard, 2 heads of blanched lettuce.

Method

Rub the yolks of the eggs smooth with the oil, add the sugar, salt, mustard, and pepper, and when these are well mixed, the vinegar, a few drops at a time. Set it by, covered, while you cut - not chop - the fish into strips about an inch long and shred the lettuce. Mix these in a salad bowl, pour over the dressing and garnish with rings of the whites of the eggs. Serve as soon as it is ready or the lettuce will become limp.

Note. - If preferred, the lettuce may be laid round the fish after the dressing is poured on, instead of being mixed with it.