A handbook of fish cookery

a few crayfish are obtainable they add greatly to the beauty of the dish. A sprinkling of lobster coral on the white surface is very pretty. Whatever sauce accompanies boiled turbot, it should be brought to table in a tureen. A pretty way of garnishing boiled turbot in summer time is to surround it with a border of nasturtium flowers. Turbot, with Anchovy Cream. — Boil a medium sized turbot according to the last recipe — by the way, a turbot ought to be thick and of a creamy white colour ; if thin and bluish looking it is not a good one. Lay the fish on a hot dish without a napkin, cover to keep it hot. Then into half a pint of plain melted butter, stir in a good teaspoonful of essence of anchovies, and a quarter of a pint of rich cream ; let it nearly boil, then pour over the turbot. Chop small a few pickled gherkins and capers, strew them over the surface. Before bringing to table, make a border round this of new kidney potatoes, well boiled but not broken ; garnish the outer edge with parsley. Turbot a la Bechamel. — This is one of the best ways of dressing cold turbot. Make a pint of Bechamel sauce by boiling together equal quantities of good white stock and cream in an enamelled saucepan, also a strip of fresh lemon rind and two or three shallots. Add a mixed teaspoonful of salt and pepper, thicken with a spoonful of arrowroot, and let it boil well. Remove the lemon rind and shallots, and put in the pieces of turbot to heat through, all skin and bone removed. When quite hot, pour all together on to a hot dish ; if liked, a few oysters may be added to the sauce just before turning it out. Some potato croquettes are a nice addition to this dish. Turbot Salad. — The remains of cold turbot will make an excellent salad. Free it from all skin and bone, and divide into pieces about an inch square. Sprinkle the pieces with salt and pepper and a little vinegar. Take two large fresh lettuces, let them be quite clean and dry. Make a dressing for the salad of the beaten yolks of two eggs, a teaspoonful of made mustard, salt and pepper, four spoonsful of oil, and one of tarragon vinegar. Arrange the salad in a bowl or dish by making a layer of shred lettuce leaves, then one of fish, and a few spoonsful of the dressing, and continue thus until the material is used up. Garnish the top with sliced beetroot, hard-boiled eggs, &c., and let the salad stand in a cold place for half an hour. Turbot may be cooked an gratin if of a small size, allowing white wine or cider to it. French cooks generally prefer to parboil it in "court-bouillon," then to take it out and finish cooking it in white sauce. Whitebait. — Whitebait are genuine Cockney fish, being found alone in the Thames in perfection. They make their appearance early in the year, but the season par excellence is the month of May. They cannot be had too fresh ; if not used instantly they are brought in, they should lie in ice-water until required. It is generally thought that only a " professional " can cook whitebait, but if due care be given there is no reason why they should be beyond the skill of the amateur. The principal thing to observe is the drying of the fish. After well draining them they should be thrown on to a floured cloth — a cloth containing flour and