Cookery for every household

Choose a piece from the tail end of the sturgeon. Wash it, skin it, and then carefully remove the back bone. Prepare some veal stuffing according to Recipe 1282, and put it in, in place of the bone, and keeping the fish as much its original shape as possible. Now rub it all over with lemon juice, and wrap it up in a piece of well-greased paper. Place it in a roasting tin with about 2 oz. butter or good dripping, and roast it in exactly the same way as a piece of meat (see p. 207), basting it frequently with the fat. When ready, place the fish on a hot dish, removing the paper, and keep it warm whilst making the gravy. Pour away the fat from the roasting tin, and put in a cupful of good stock, a glass of sherry, and a squeeze of lemon Turbot epicure. Turbot is usually boiled and served with a good sauce, its name varying with the sauce which accompanies it. Small turbots are called chicken turbots (Fr. turbotin ) ; they may be cooked according to any of the recipes for cooking a sole. 263. Turbot, To Boil (Turbot Bouilli) The turbot grows to such a large size that a good slice or cut is usually sufficient for the ordinary household. Wash and clean the fish without cutting off the fins, as these are considered a delicacy. Rub the turbot all over with lemon juice to keep the flesh firm and white, and score the black skin across two or three times to prevent it cracking. Then cook it in fish stock or court bouillon according to directions given for boiling fish on p. 78. The fish should be put into the fish kettle with the white skin uppermost. When ready, lift out, drain well, and serve on a folded serviette. Garnish with tufts of fresh parsley, cut lemon, and lobster coral, or with quarters or slices of hard-boiled egg, tarragon, and scraped horse-radish. Prawns also make an effective garnish. Serve boiled potatoes and a good sauce, such as Dutch, oyster, lobster, &c., separately. The fish will take its name on the menu according to the sauce which accompanies it. Note. — If only a small piece of turbot is being cooked, steaming is preferable to boiling. See To Steam Fish, p. 80. 264. Water Souehe 2 lbs. fish. Hpts. water. A few parsley roots. A blade of mace. 6 peppercorns. I tea-sp. chopped parsley. Salt. Almost any kind of fish may be used for this ; plaice, flounder, perch, sole, eels, &c., are all suitable. Have the fish well cleaned, trimmed, and cut in small neat pieces. Put the trimmings into a saucepan with the water, peppercorns, mace, parsley roots, and salt to taste. Simmer slowly for at least one hour, strain and return the liquid to the stewpan. Put the pieces of fish into this liquor, and cook them slowly until tender. Lift them out on a hot dish, add the chopped parsley to the liquor in the pan, and pour it over the fish. Serve hot, and hand brown bread and butter separately. Note. — A little grated horse-radish is sometimes added to the fish liquor before putting in the fish. Time to cook, 1J to 2 hours. Sufficient for 3 or 4 persons. Whitebait (Blanchailles)