Cookery for every household

Brill may be boiled like turbot and served with a good sauce, or it is very good filleted and served according to any of the directions given for filleted sole. 182. Fillets of Brill au Peeheur (Barbue au Pecheur) 2 lbs. brill. A little flour. Seasoning. 2 oz. butter. Chopped parsley. Garnish. 3 or 4 potatoes. \ lb. mushrooms. 2 oz. butter. Seasoning. To Prepare the Garnish. — Parboil the potatoes and cut them in small square pieces. Prepare the mushrooms and cut them also in small pieces. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the potatoes, and let them cook slowly with the lid on the pan until nearly ready. Then add the mushrooms, season to taste, and let the two cook together until ready. To Prepare the Fish. — Have the brill cut in slices, remove the bone and skin and cut the fish in neat pieces or fillets. Season these with pepper and salt and coat them lightly with flour. Melt 2 oz. of butter in a frying or saute pan, when quite hot put in the fish and fry i; a light brown on both sides, cooking it thoroughly. To Serve. — Arrange the pieces of fish on a hot dish, and put the potato and mushroom garnish in little heaps round the sides. Add a little lemon juice to the butter in which the fish was cooked, let it become brown, strain over the fish, and sprinkle with some very finely chopped parsley. Time to cook, about \ hour. Sufficient for 4 or 5 persons. Cod (Cabillaud). This is one of our best known and most useful kinds of fish. It is generally moderate in price, and is obtainable all the year round, although it is best from October to May. A short, plump cod is best, with the head and tail small in proportion to the size of the body. Almost every part of the cod seems to be of use. The roe is generally sold separately, and it makes a very light and easily digested dish. The liver supplies us with the famous cod liver oil. The tongue, either fresh or salted, is considered quite a delicacy by epicures. The sounds are generally salted, and they make a nice appetiser. The flesh of the cod is also salted in large quantities, and is much used during Lent. Cod is a fish which lends itself to many different ways of cooking : the following recipes will serve as a guide to a few, and perhaps suggest many others. 183. Cod, To Boil or Steam A thick middle cut, or the head and shoulders, are the best parts of cod for boiling and steaming. The tail end is too insipid, and is best cut in slices and cooked some other way. It is almost im- possible to cook a cod whole, as the tail would become overcooked before the rest of the fish was ready. Wash and cleanse the fish thoroughly, rub it all over with salt and lemon juice, and, if time permits, let it lie an hour or two before cooking, as this will improve the flavour. Then boil or steam according to general directions given on pp. 78-80. When ready, drain well and serve on a hot dish, with a folded serviette or dish paper and a fish drainer under it. Garnish with cut lemon and parsley. Hard-boiled eggs cut in quarters, scraped horseradish, capers, lobster coral, &c., are also suitable for garnishing. Serve parsley, anchovy, egg, oyster, or any other suitable sauce separately, also boiled potatoes if wished.