Baked Bass, Plain

Scale, wash and thoroughly clean a bass, leaving the head intact, if to be sent to table whole; then make a stuffing of two cupfuls of breadcrumbs, one teacupful of butter, the rind of a quarter of a lemon minced fine, and two or three sprigs of parsley, green thyme and marjoram. Season this mixture with pepper and salt. Beat up a couple of eggs, a very little water, and mix the stuffing with it. Fill into the fish and sew up when stuffed. Score both sides with a sharp knife by cutting down to the bone, and put a slice of salt pork, cut thin, into each incision; then bake in a pan and baste with stock and seasoning. Place a little tomato puree or tomato sauce into the pan with the gravy, after removing the fish, and allow it to come to a boil; then skim and strain and serve in a tureen with the fish. Care should be taken not to break the fish when transferring it from the pan to the dish. Some consider a glass of white wine added to each half pint of sauce an improvement.

Boiled Bass

Dress a bass, wash well and drain it, and place in a saucepan of warm water, salted, and set over the fire. When the water boils remove to one side, and simmer gently for twenty minutes, by which time the fish should be quite done. Let it remain in the liquor until wanted, then take out, drain and place on a napkin spread over a dish, garnish with boiled potatoes and sprigs of parsley and serve.

Broiled Bass

Clean a bass, split it lengthwise in halves, cutting each half again into two or three pieces; sprinkle over with flour and place on a gridiron over a slow fire, broiling them very gently, brush over continually with butter to prevent burning. When of a light brown color, place the pieces of fish on a napkin spread over a dish and serve.

Fried Bass With Bacon

Wash, scale and carefully clean the bass, season well with pepper and salt, roll them in flour and let them lie in it until ready to be cooked, then drop into a pan of very hot lard and fry until nicely browned. Then fry in a separate pan four slices of streaky bacon; one piece for each piece of the fish and lay the slices of bacon one on each piece of fish. Garnish with parsley and serve with mashed potatoes.

Fried Black Bass

Scale and clean the requisite number of black bass, roll well in flour, put in a fry-ingpan with hot fat to about half their height and fry until done. Place on a dish, garnish with potatoes, slices of lemon, parsley, and serve.