Choose fairly large fish. Wash and cleanse them, handling them as lightly as possible. As a rule they are not drawn, but this is really a matter of taste. When the gills are removed the small in- testine part can be drawn away with them. The fiver, which is a delicacy, should, in any case, be left in the fish. Chop the shallot and mushrooms, and mix them with the parsley, a little grated lemon rind, pepper and salt. Grease a fireproof diah and sprinkle over it half of these chopped ingredients. Score the fish across once or twice with a knife, and lay them on the top, placing them head to tail, sprinkle the remainder of the chopped ingredients over, and cover with browned bread- crumbs. Mix the wine, ketchup, and anchovy sauce together, and pour them round the sides. Lay on the remainder of the butter in small pieces, and bake in a moderate oven until the fish is ready. Wipe the dish, and garnish with parsley before serving. Time to bake, about 20 minutes. Sufficient for 3 oe 4 persons. FISH 95 Salmon (Saumon) This is the most esteemed of all fish, and has been justly entitled the “ king of fish.” Although gener- ally caught in rivers it is both a salt and a fresh water fish, spending its winter in the sea and its summer in the river. The salmon is of such great commercial value that special laws have been passed to regulate the salmon fishing (see p. 29) and thus rotect the fish. It is illegal to sell fresh salmon uring the close season, although Dutch and other imported salmon may be had all the year round. When choosing salmon, select one with a small head and tail and broad shoulders. The scales should be bright and silvery. To be in perfection salmon should be cooked as soon as possible after it is caught, although it will keep, and be quite good for several days, if put in a very cool place. The more simply fresh salmon is cooked the better ; no other flavour must be permitted to predominate over the fine flavour of the fish itself. Melted butter, when well made, is the best sauce. This does not, however, apply to Dutch or preserved salmon, which is none the worse for being accompanied by a tasty sauce of some kind. Grilse is the name given to young salmon. 242. Salmon, To Boil (Saumon Bouilli) The best parts of salmon for boiling are the head and shoulders or a good middle cut. If not too large it is often boiled whole, but great care is then required in the cooking of it, as the tail end is very apt to become overdone and broken before the thicker parts are ready. Some people say that salmon should be cooked as soon as possible after it is taken from the water, while others declare that it should be kept for some days before being used. Certainly the salmon that is cooked within an hour or two of its being caught possesses a firmness of texture with a creamy curd between the flakes, that is never afterwards obtainable. Boil the salmon according to directions given for Boiling Fish (see p. 78). It must be thoroughly cooked, 10 minutes to the pound and 10 minutes over will be the average time required. The home- grown salmon should be boiled in water and salt only, but the imported salmon will sometimes taste better if it is cooked in a court bouillon, to which a little white wine has been added. No vinegar must be used as it is apt to destroy the colour.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Choose fairly large fish. Wash and cleanse them, handling them as lightly as possible. As a rule they are not drawn, but this is really a matter of taste. When the gills are removed the small intestine part can be drawn away with them. The liver, which is a delicacy, should, in any case, be left in the fish. Chop the shallot and mushrooms, and mix them with the parsley, a little grated lemon rind, pepper and salt. Grease a fireproof dish and sprinkle over it half of these chopped ingredients. Score the fish across once or twice with a knife, and lay them on the top, placing them head to tail, sprinkle the remainder of the chopped ingredients over, and cover with browned breadcrumbs. Mix the wine, ketchup, and anchovy sauce together, and pour them round the sides. Lay on the remainder of the butter in small pieces, and bake in a moderate oven until the fish is ready. Wipe the dish, and garnish with parsley before serving. Time to bake, about 20 minutes. Sufficient for 3 or 4 persons. Salmon (Saumon) This is the most esteemed of all fish, and has been justly entitled the “ king of fish.” Although generally caught in rivers it is both a salt and a fresh water fish, spending its winter in the sea and its summer in the river. The salmon is of such great commercial value that special laws have been passed to regulate the salmon fishing (see p. 29) and thus protect the fish. It is illegal to sell fresh salmon during the close season, although Dutch and other imported salmon may be had all the year round. When choosing salmon, select one with a small head and tail and broad shoulders. The scales should be bright and silvery. To be in perfection salmon should be cooked as soon as possible after it is caught, although it will keep, and be quite good for several days, if put in a very cool place. The more simply fresh salmon is cooked the better ; no other flavour must be permitted to predominate over the fine flavour of the fish itself. Melted butter, when well made, is the best sauce. This does not, however, apply to Dutch or preserved salmon, which is none the worse for being accompanied by a tasty sauce of some kind. Grilse is the name given to young salmon. 242. Salmon, To Boil (Saumon Bouilli) The best parts of salmon for boiling are the head and shoulders or a good middle cut. If not too large it is often boiled whole, but great care is then required in the cooking of it, as the tail end is very apt to become overdone and broken before the thicker parts are ready. Some people say that salmon should be cooked as soon as possible after it is taken from the water, while others declare that it should be kept for some days before being used. Certainly the salmon that is cooked within an hour or two of its being caught possesses a firmness of texture with a creamy curd between the flakes, that is never afterwards obtainable. Boil the salmon according to directions given for Boiling Fish (see p. 78). It must be thoroughly cooked, 10 minutes to the pound and 10 minutes over will be the average time required. The homegrown salmon should be boiled in water and salt only, but the imported salmon will sometimes taste better if it is cooked in a court bouillon, to which a little white wine has been added. No vinegar must be used as it is apt to destroy the colour.

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