(1261). Sheepshead, Cardinal Sauce (Sheepshead A La Sauce Cardinal)

Clean and prepare a sheepshead, tying down the head, then place it on the grate; plunge this into cold salted water in a fish kettle; place on the fire, and at the first boil, cover the kettle and remove it to one side so that the liquid only quivers; keep it thus for forty-five to sixty minutes, then drain and rub the surface over with a piece of butter; dress the sheepshead and garnish it around with very green parsley branches and olive-shaped potatoes boiled in salted water. Serve at the same time a cardinal sauce (No. 442) in a separate sauce-boat.

(1262). Sheepshead With Thickened Court Bouillon (Sheepshead Au Court Bouillon Lie)

Clean well a very fresh sheepshead weighing about six pounds, and place it on a grate of a fish kettle; pour over just sufficient court bouillon (No.38) to cover. Set the fish kettle on the fire and let the liquid come to a boil while skimming, then remove it at once to the side of the range to keep quivering without boiling for half an hour. Melt some butter in a pan, add to it a finely chopped shallot and fry it colorless, also eight ounces of minced mushrooms; moisten with some of the court bouillon and let reduce. Lay the sheepshead on a buttered dish; season with salt and mignonette and pour the sauce over; cover with another dish and finish cooking in the oven for fifteen to twenty minutes. Just when ready to serve, dress the fish, reduce the stock and thicken it with some velouto sauce (No. 415) and a little tomato sauce (No. 549); pour it over the fish after removing the skin from both ends. This sauce should be rather light than otherwise. Sprinkle chopped parsley over all.

(2589). Sliced Sheepshead With Jelly (Tranches De Sheepshead A La Gelee)

Cut off two fine slices of raw sheepshead, salt over and leave to macerate for one hour. Fry in batter or oil a root and a minced onion; add root mirepoix with aromatics, parsley and a clove of garlic; moisten with white wine court-bouillon (No. 89), having plenty of it so as to cover the fish well, and boil the liquid for an hour, then strain. Put the slices of sheepshead into a deep earthen dish, suitable to be placed in the oven, cover over with the marinade stock and then with a strong paper; allow the liquid to boil up once before pushing the dish into a slack oven to cook the fish slowly for twenty minutes. After taking it out drain off the slices, remove the skin and lay them in a deep serving dish; strain the stock, lift off all the fat from the surface and mix in with it the same amount of very thick aspic jelly (No. 103) and a dash of good vinegar; pour this into the dish containing the fish and decorate the top with thin slices of lemon. After the jelly has become hard serve the fish accompanied by a sauce-boat of grated horseradish, mixed with a little good cream.