Cleaning Codfish

It is usual first to remove the gills by cutting their connection with the rest of the head and shoulders and pulling them out. Lay the fish on his back, open the belly by cutting down the center, remove the inside, carefully preserving the liver and roe, and leaving the sounds uninjured. If the fish is to be cooked whole it should be "scored " to the bone transversely at intervals of two inches; but if it is to be cooked in pieces, cut it in slices three inches thick and soak the fish in water for a quarter of an hour. Cod is crimped by being cut up and notched with a knife while partly alive; but some cooks object to this. The following recipes for cooking cod are carefully selected as likely to give sufficient variety to suit all tastes and to all purposes. The fish is usually divided, by the fishmonger, into "head and shoulders," "middle " and "tail;" but although preference may be given to the middle cut, the tail is quite as good, although not so fleshy, and the head yields in quantity the gelatine that makes excellent soup. Codlings are for the most part amenable to the same treatment.

Fillets Of Codfish, Hollandaise

Take any number of fillets of cod, put in a buttered stewpan, add one gill of stock, season, sprinkle a little fine parsley over, and set in the oven, or on the stove, with a buttered paper over. When done put them upon a dish, bordered with mashed potatoes.

Fried Cod

Cut a cod in slices, dust with pepper and salt and let remain for two hours. Wipe the slices dry, dip in yolk of egg and then in breadcrumbs, mix with flour, season and put in pan with plenty of fat and fry quickly. The tail is best for frying, and after removing the skin and bones, cut in slices and press with a cutlet bat.

Fried Codfish, Maitre D'Hotel

Trim a few fillets of cod and dip them in flour. Rub some breadcrumbs through a wire sieve, whisk two whole eggs, season, and dip the fillets in the eggs, roll in the breadcrumbs and fry to a light brown. Serve with maitre d'hotel sauce in a boat.

Hashed Codfish

Take a cupful of cooked cod, pick in pieces and soak in cold water for twelve hours. Boil some potatoes and add them to the finely chopped fish, a little at a time, put in a pan and stir. Heat some butter, put the hash in it and let it cook gently.

Matelote Of Codfish

Remove the head and bones of a fish, fill the insides with stuffings made from half a pint of oysters, one pint of breadcrumbs, a little pepper, a little salt, two tablespoonfuls of butter, one egg, half an onion and half a tablespoonful of chopped parsley. Take six slices of bacon, put three on the bottom and three on the top of the fish and bake for an hour, basting with butter and gravy made from the bones boiled in water.

Stewed Codfish

Take a piece of boiled fish, remove the skin and bones, and pick into flakes; put these into a stew pan with a little butter, pepper, salt, minced parsley, cayenne, and the juice of a lemon. Put on the fire, and when the contents of the pan are quite hot the fish is quite ready to serve.