GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS.

To economize space and avoid much unnecessary repetition, we herewith append such directions for the treatment of fish preparatory to cooking as admit of general application.

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☞ Notice.—No repetition of the foregoing directions for dressing and cleaning fish will occur in connection with any recipes to which they are applicable. When other treatment is requisite special directions will accompany the recipe.

☞ The secret of success in all kinds of fish cookery is to so cook and serve it that it shall be attractive in appearance and satisfying in flavor; that is, the flavor when especially agreeable or desirable must be retained or enhanced. When the flavor of a fish is insipid or unpleasant it must be cooked with a view to imparting an unnatural but at the same time pleasant flavor instead. This is the secret of success in fish cookery, and these points have been especially considered in the selection of the accompanying recipes.

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No. 35. Sauce a la Aurore.—Coral of one lobster, one oz. butter, half a pint bechamel sauce (No. 31,) juice of half a lemon, liberal seasoning of salt and pepper. Bruise the coral in a mortar with the butter until quite smooth, then rub it through a hair sieve; put the bechamel sauce into stewpan, add the coral paste, lemon juice and seasoning, and let it simmer but not boil—else the red color will be spoiled—pour over the fish, and serve. A small teaspoon of anchovy essence can be added at pleasure. Nice for trout, soles, etc.

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No. 45. Sauce Piquante.—Two ounces butter, one small carrot, six shallots, one small bunch savory herbs, including parsley, half a bay leaf, two slices lean ham, two cloves, six peppercorns, one blade mace, three allspice, four tablespoons vinegar, half a pint stock (No. 14,) half teaspoon sugar, little cayenne, and salt to taste. Put the butter into saucepan with the carrot and shallots cut into small pieces, add the herbs, bay leaf, spices and ham minced fine; let these ingredients simmer slowly until the bottom is covered a brown glaze, keep stirring and put in remaining ingredients, simmer gently fifteen minutes, skim off every particle of fat, strain through sieve and serve very hot, when a sharp but not too acid sauce is required.

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To prepare the cream, take one quart of milk, or half milk and half cream, two tablespoons of flour, one of butter, one small onion, sliced, a little chopped parsley, salt and pepper; mix half a cup of the milk with the flour, boil the remainder with the onion and parsley, then add the cold milk and flour; cook eight or ten minutes, add the butter, and season highly; strain and pour over the fish as directed. Grated cheese may be added to the crumbs, if liked. The cusk is oftener used for this dish than any other; but it is a good way to serve any of our flavorless fish, as the cod, haddock, pollock, hake, whiting, &c. On the richness of the sauce depends the merit of the dish.

No. 58. Fish a la Creme.—No. 2. Fish weighing four or five pounds, butter size of an egg, three tablespoons of flour, one quart of rich milk, three sprigs of parsley, half an onion, cayenne and salt. Boil the fish in salted water, flake and remove skin and bone. Boil milk, mix butter with flour, stir smooth in the milk, add parsley, chopped fine, chopped onion, cayenne and salt. Butter a dish, put first a layer of fish, then dressing, and continue until dish is full, with dressing on top. Cover with sifted bread crumbs; bake until brown; garnish with parsley.

No. 59. Fish a la Creme.—No. 3. Two pounds fish, one oz. flour, one cup bread crumbs, one quart milk, a little nutmeg, two onions, teaspoon salt, half teaspoon pepper, quarter pound butter. Boil fish and set aside. Put flour into stewpan, add milk gradually, mix smooth, cut onions fine, grate nutmeg, add the salt and pepper, heat and stir until rather thick, add butter, put a layer of this mixture on the serving dish. Flake the fish free from bones and put a layer of this next, then more of the mixture, fish, and so on, until fish is all used. Cover with bread crumbs and bake fifteen or twenty minutes.

No. 60. Fish a la Creme.—No. 4. (Remnants.) Remove skin and bones from cold boiled fish. Boil bones and skin in one pint of milk with a blade of mace and a small onion; strain and thicken with one tablespoon of flour rubbed into an equal quantity of butter; season and let it boil up once. Put as much fish as you have sauce into a deep dish, sprinkle with bread crumbs and bake half an hour.

No. 63. A la Maitre d’ Hotel Fish.—Remains of any boiled fish, heat over gentle fire until warmed through; then spread over it a sauce, made by rubbing one tablespoon of butter to a cream, seasoning with pepper, salt, one teaspoon chopped parsley and juice of one lemon. Set it in the oven a moment that butter may penetrate the fish.

No. 67. Au Gratin.—Another way is to take three pounds of fillets of fish, season with salt and pepper and lay on a serving dish, sprinkling thickly with sifted cracker crumbs and a little grated Parmesan, or other dry cheese, putting a few bits of butter on top; brown in quick oven and serve at once. A delicate, savory and inexpensive dish.

No. 85. Fish Dressing.—(For a fish of five pounds.) Half a pound of dry, stale bread, two beaten eggs, teaspoon salt, half teaspoon pepper, few drops onion juice, one teaspoon each powdered marjoram, summer savory and parsley, two tablespoons butter. Moisten the bread first with boiling water, then add eggs, butter, seasoning and herbs and mix well together, moistening with milk as needed.

Fish Dressing.—(For a fish of six pounds.) Roll fine six butter crackers and add to them half a teaspoon chopped parsley, one tablespoon chopped salt pork, salt and pepper to taste, mix well, moistening with cold water or milk.

No. 104. Fish Pie.—Take the remains of any cooked fish, white-meated being preferable, remove bones, skin, etc., season with pepper, salt and mace. To each pound of fish add one dozen oysters. Put a layer of fish in the baking dish, then oysters, then more fish, and so on to the top. Pour in half a cup of stock or water, put bits of butter on top, cover with puff paste and bake half an hour. Make a cream sauce and pour into the pie before serving.

No. 115. Scalloped Fish.—Take remnants of cold, boiled fish, remove bones, skin, etc., and reduce to flakes. Make a sauce with equal quantities of milk and cream, stirring flour into the cold milk and adding it to the boiling cream. Cook five or six minutes, season well, and put a layer of the sauce into bottom of baking dish, then a layer of fish, and so on to the top; season each layer and cover all with bread crumbs. Bake half an hour.

No. 116. Fish Scalloped.—Mix together two cups mashed potato, one and a half cups cold boiled fish, two cups milk, one egg, and one-quarter cup of butter; put in pudding dish and bake a light brown.

No. 119. Fish Scallops.—Add one cup soft clams chopped, to No. 114, and cook in shells.

No. 120. Fish Scallops.—Remnants of cooked fish, one egg, wine glass of wine, one blade pounded mace, one tablespoon flour, one tablespoon tomato ketchup, pepper, salt, bread crumbs, butter. Pick the fish from bones and skin, moisten with wine and beaten egg, add the other ingredients, put in scallop shells, cover with bread crumbs, dot with bits of butter, brown and serve.

No. 126. Clam Chowder No. 2.—Take the same quantity of clams as for the previous chowder and prepare as for clam soup. Put a layer of clams in the bottom of kettle then a layer of hard crackers, split, buttered and peppered, then more clams and crackers until the clams are all used, the top layer being crackers; add clam liquor and water enough to cover, cook slowly at first, then let it boil briskly fifteen minutes if the clams are raw. Have ready a pint of boiling milk, add to the chowder, boil up once. Sliced onions can be used in this chowder, but should be boiled until nearly done before adding them. Place some of them on each layer of clams. Sliced tomatoes may be used instead of the crackers. Season to taste.

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No. 138. Scalloped Clams.—For this prepare 25 clams, one-half pint cracker 20 crumbs, one-half cup warm milk, one-fourth cup of clam liquor, two beaten eggs, one heaping teaspoonful melted butter, salt and pepper, 12 clam shells; season the clams highly; mix in another dish crackers moistened first with milk, then with the clam liquor; add eggs and melted butter, and the clams chopped; fill each clam shell heaping, sprinkle with bread crumbs and brown.

No. 155. Scalloped Crabs.—No. 2. Pick fine one pint boiled crab meat and mix with a cream sauce (No. 18,) salt and pepper, fill the crab shells, cover with buttered cracker crumbs and bake brown.

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No. 174. Lobster Cutlets.—Pick the meat from a large lobster and two small ones and pound it in a mortar with a part of the coral and a seasoning of pepper and salt, a blade of pounded mace, a little nutmeg and cayenne pepper; add the yolks of two well beaten eggs, the white of one and a spoonful of anchovy sauce; mix the above thoroughly and roll it out as you would pastry, with a little flour, nearly two inches thick; cut it into cutlets, brush them over with the yolk of egg, dip them into bread crumbs and fry a nice brown in butter, a spoonful of anchovy sauce and the remainder of coral; pour it into the centre of a hot dish, arrange the cutlets around it as you would cutlets of meat. Garnish each cutlet with an lobster leg.

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No. 180. Lobster Croquettes, No. 2.—Chop fine one pint boiled lobster meat, season with salt, mustard and cayenne, moisten with cream sauce (No. 18.) When the mixture is cool enough shape into croquettes, roll in crumbs, dip in beaten egg, roll again in crumbs and fry in hot fat, drain on paper, serve on a napkin, garnish with parsley.

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No. 213. Eels to Stew.—Take two pounds skinned eels, cut in short pieces and soak in strong salted water one hour; dry them and fry them brown. Put one pint stock (No. 14) in saucepan with one gill port wine, one teaspoon anchovy essence, juice of half a lemon, salt, cayenne and powdered mace; when hot put in the eels and stew gently for half an hour. Serve with the gravy poured over them.

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No. 249. Trout a la Genevoise.—Cut the heads off four little trout and put the fish in an earthen pot for four hours, with a little thyme, four bay leaves, two shallots cut in pieces, five branches of parsley, little pepper and salt and the juice of two lemons; then take out the fish and put them in a saucepan with a chopped onion, a clove of garlic and enough red wine to cover the fish; boil gently for twenty minutes; then strain the liquid in stone pot and add one half of it to half a pint of Spanish sauce (No. 37) and boil for one hour; then add four chopped mushrooms and truffles and a little parsley. Dish the trout, garnish with parsley and serve the sauce separately.

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1. Fish Balls.—3 pints of potatoes (measured after being pared and cut into pieces), 1 package of Favorite brand Picked codfish, 1 small onion (cut into pieces), 1 tablespoonful of butter, 1 large or two small eggs. Boil the potatoes and onion until soft, drain off all the water and mash until free from lumps. Turn the fish into a napkin and pour through it about one pint of cold water and squeeze. Mix with the potato, using a fork as it makes it lighter, add the butter and the beaten egg; now taste and if not salt enough add a little. Take up by the spoonful and drop into deep fat which is hot enough to brown a piece of bread in 40 seconds, fry until a golden brown (about 1 minute,) drain on soft paper. This makes twenty medium size fish balls. The onion can be omitted if the flavor is not liked.

2. Fish Balls.—Take one pint bowl of Diamond Wedge brand codfish picked very fine, 2 pint bowls whole raw potatoes sliced thickly, put them together in plenty of cold water and boil until potatoes are thoroughly cooked; remove from the fire and drain off all the water, mash them with a potato masher, add piece of butter size of an egg, one well beaten egg, and three teaspoonfuls of cream or rich milk. Flour your hands and make into balls or cakes. Put an ounce of butter and lard into a frying pan, when hot put in the balls and fry a nice brown. Do not freshen the fish before boiling with the potatoes. Many cooks fry them in a quantity of lard similar to boiled doughnuts.

3. “Diamond Wedge” Fish Balls.—One pint of raw potatoes, cut in pieces; one cup of “Diamond Wedge” Codfish. Boil together until potatoes are tender, then draw off the water and mash, beating well together; add one tablespoonful of butter, one egg and a little pepper. Shape into small balls and fry in hot lard.

4. Fish Balls.—To one-half pound package “Gold Wedge Brand” Fibered Codfish add double quantity mashed potatoes. Saturate the codfish with cold water slightly, and strain through a cloth (requires no soaking.) Mix thoroughly with the potatoes; add one tablespoonful of butter and a little pepper. Shape into small balls and fry in hot lard.

The addition of an egg to the above receipt improves it very much.

For Creamed Codfish.—Saturate as above; to a gill or cup of fish add two of milk and one tablespoonful of butter. Let it come to a boil; then add one teaspoonful cornstarch and one egg well beaten. Served on toast it makes a delicious dish.

Fish Sauce.—Rub smooth 2 tablespoons of butter with 1 of flour, stir into a pint of boiling milk, let it simmer a few minutes; have ready in the sauce dish a hard boiled egg, cut fine; pour the sauce over it.

A Nice Relish for Breakfast or Tea, Broiled Smoked Halibut.—Remove the skin and soak over night with the skin side downward. Broil and garnish with butter and serve hot.

Stewed Codfish (Salt).—Take a thick white piece of Diamond Wedge salt codfish, lay it in cold water for a few minutes to soften it a little, enough to make it more easily to be picked up. Shred it in very small bits, put it over the fire in a stewpan with cold water; let it come to a boil, turn off this water carefully, and add a pint of milk to the fish, or more according to quantity. Set it over the fire again and let it boil slowly about three minutes, now add a good sized piece of butter, a shake of pepper and a thickening of a tablespoonful of flour in enough cold milk to make a cream. Stew five minutes longer, and just before serving stir in two well beaten eggs. The eggs are an addition that can be dispensed with, however, as it is very good without them. An excellent breakfast dish.

Codfish a la Mode.—Pick up a teacup full of Diamond Wedge salt codfish very fine, and freshen—the dessicated is nice to use; two cups of mashed potatoes, one pint cream or milk, two well beaten eggs, half cup of butter, salt and pepper; mix, bake in an earthen baking dish from twenty to twenty-five minutes; serve in the same dish placed on a small platter, covered with a napkin.

Fillet of Sole Baked.—Cut a fish of four pounds into fillets, about five inches long by four inches wide, each end tapering to a point. Put these in buttered pan, cover with sauce allemande (No. 34) and sprinkle with bread crumbs and dot with bits of butter. Bake until well browned. Add a wine glass of sherry to half a pint of sauce allemande, boil ten minutes and pour around the fish and serve.

For Escalloped Codfish.—Freshen one-half pound package of Shute & Merchant’s Fibered Codfish by soaking three minutes in cold water, then add one pint of cracker crumbs, one tablespoonful of butter and four eggs, beaten light. Season to taste, bake until brown, serve hot.