Pike Au Court Bouillon

Take a large pike, which empty, without scaling it. Then wash it clean, and drain it. Next boil some vinegar, and when boiling, pour it over the scales of the pike, which will turn blue, and the scales will curl up if the vinegar is hot enough. Wrap the pike up in a towel, and let it boil in the court bouillon, which is prepared as follows: * (No. 27.)

* If you should be in the country, where there is plenty of pike, you may make fillets of them, for they are as good as any other fish for that.

Court Bouillon For Fish Au Bleu

Take two of each of the following roots: carrots, onions, roots of parsley, leaves of ditto, thyme, bay-leaves, mace, cloves, spices, which fry in butter without their getting too much colour. Then pour into it two bottles of white and a bottle of red wine with salt, etc. This marinade being stewed properly, will serve several times for stewing the fish, but remember each time you use it, it requires a little water; besides, it would become too strong in the course of time. Take some of that liquor to make the sauce matelotte, Genevoise, etc. etc.

Trout A La Genevoise

This fish is the most delicate that can be prepared a la Genevoise. The marinade to be made the same as in No. 6, for salmon, page 82; or above, No. 27.

Roast Sturgeon

Spit the sturgeon: make a marinade with white wine, with which baste the sturgeon. Next take some of the marinade that you reduce with four large spoonfuls of good Espagnole sauce. When the sauce is of a good consist* ency, put about half a pound of fresh butter kneaded with a little flour, salt, and Cayenne pepper, the juice of a lemon, and a spoonful of essence of anchovies. If you have no Espagnole, make a little roux, with flour and butter, and moisten with the marinade; add to it a little glaze must be dressed in the same way as fillets of soles or whitings, a la maitre d' hotel, or ravigotte, or a la orlies.

Baked Sturgeon

Make a marinade the same as above, and bake the fish with that marinade. The sauce as above.

Sturgeon Plain Boiled

Boil the sturgeon as you would any other fish. Send up with Dutch sauce; mind that this fish is very firm, and requires more time to boil.

How to Cook Carp Soup

Carp Au Bleu, Without Sauce

Take a fine carp, which empty without injuring the belly. Take off the gills, and after you have washed it clean, pour over it some boiling vinegar, by which means the scales will curl up, and the fish get a blue colour. Then wrap the carp up in a towel, and stew it in the court bouillon. (See No. 27, page 89.)

Carp, Sauce A Matelotte

Take a fine carp, scale and empty it. Then let it stew in wine enough to cover it. After having drained it well, take that wine to make the sauces, and send it up covered with sauce a matelotte. (See Sauces.)

Broiled Carp, With Caper Sauce

Scale and empty the carp. Wash it, and wipe it quite dry. Then marinade it in oil, salt, and pepper; broil it and send it up with caper sauce as follows:

Caper Sauce For Fish

Take some melted butter, into which throw a small bit of glaze, and when the sauce is in a state of readiness, throw into it some choice capers, salt and pepper, and a spoonful of essence of anchovies.

Tench

Tench, in England, are eaten boiled, with a Dutch sauce, yet they are far better en matelotte.

Perch

These likewise are sent up boiled, with Dutch sauce; but you will find a different way to dress them in the following entree.

Perch Au Water-Suchet

Scale and clean the perch as much as possible ; then cut some parsley roots into small fillets; put them to boil with some parsley tied up in a bundle, and some salt, in a quantity of water sufficient to boil the perch. When the roots are done, put in the perch; ten minutes are sufficient. Have some parsley leaves blanched very green in salt and water, drain the perch from all the liquid, and put it into a tureen; put the roots and parsley leaves to it, and throw the liquor over it through a silk sieve. Send up slices of bread and butter in a separate plate.

Carp Farci, Baked

Take a fine carp, scale and empty it. Then detach one side of the fillets, without injuring the head. Take this flesh, and that of another carp of a smaller size, and makes a farce in the following manner: take the crumb of two penny loaves, soak it in cream or milk, then squeeze it, and put it into a mortar, with an equal quantity of the flesh of the carp, nearly as much fresh butter, with a little chopped parsley, a few mushrooms fried in a little butter, salt, pepper, and spice. When all these ingredients have been pounded in a mortar, add a couple of eggs, and continue pounding for a long time, then take a little, which throw into boiling water, and taste. If it be too delicate, which means too thin, add one egg more, pound it again, and then rub it through the sieve a quenelles; and fill up the cavities in the fillets of the carp, giving it the shape of a fish. Take care however to give it a good shape; Next let it be done thoroughly in the oven, and serve it with caper sauce under it.

Pike A La Polonoise

Wash the pike clean as above, then cut it into slices as if you wanted to make a matelotte; then fry in a quarter of a pound of butter the following herbs: a few carrots cut into dice, a few roots of parsley, a bunch of parsley and green onions, seasoned with mace, cloves, thyme, and bay-leaves, and a little ham. When fried, moisten the whole with a sufficient quantity of boiling water, and let it boil for one hour. When the marinade is well stewed, drain it through a silk sieve over the slices of pike, and let them stew, but not too long, for they would break. When the fish is done enough, take the liquor in which it has boiled, to moisten a bechamelle maigre, which you make in the following manner: take a few bits of ham, some mushrooms, a bunch of parsley, and green onions, a small white onion, which fry white in butter, then put to it a large handful of flour, let it fry a little, and moisten with the liquor in which the pike has been boiling. Stir this with a wooden spoon.; let it boil till the flour is well done, throw in a pint of thick cream, that, has already been boiled, and reduce the whole, till the sauce is thick enough to cover the fish. Next take some turnips, cut into dice, that have been stewed in some of the broth and sugar; drain them and throw them into the sauce, after the latter have been drained through a tammy. Drain the pike also, and cover it with the sauce, and the turnips.

N. B. - This sauce requires a little sugar, on account of the turnips. Mind the sauce is well seasoned.