Cookery for every household

Wash and clean the fish thoroughly. Put into a saucepan the vegetables cut in slices, herbs, and vinegar, and season with pepper and salt. Lay the fish on the top and pour in enough cold water to cover them. Put the lid on the pan, bring the contents to the boil, and then simmer slowly by the side of the fire. Remove the gurnets when they are ready, and allow the liquid in the saucepan to reduce rapidly. Take the flesh in neat pieces from the fish, freeing it from all skin and bone, and heap it up in the form of a pyramid on a dish that can be sent to table. Then keep it warm over a saucepan of hot water. To Make the Sauce. — Strain the liquid in the saucepan. Beat up the eggs in a basin with the strained juice of a lemon, add pepper and salt to taste and 1 tea-cupful of the fish liquor. Stand the basin in a saucepan of hot water, and stir or whisk over the fire until the sauce thickens like a custard. Pour this over the fish, masking it well. This dish may be served either hot or cold. If hot, it may be garnished with potato puree, put through a forcing bag, or simply with cut lemon and sprigs of parsley. If served cold, garnish with cut lemon and cucumber, or with pieces of ripe tomato and bunches of small cress. Time to cook, 20 to 30 minutes. Sufficient for 3 or 4 persons. 367. Fillets of Mackerel a la Venitienne (Filets de Maquereau a la Venitienne) 2 mackerel. 2 shallots. Seasoning. 1 glass white wine. A little butter. Sauce Venitienne. Fillet the mackerel and if large cut each fillet in two. Place them on a well-greased tin or fireproof dish, and sprinkle with pepper, salt, and the shallots finely chopped. Pour the wine round, cover with greased paper, and cook in a moderate oven. When ready, lift the fillets on to a clean cloth and remove the skin quickly. Then arrange them neatly on a dish and pour the sauce over. Boiled potatoes may be used as a garnish. Note.— Fillets of other kinds of fish may be prepared in the same way. When cooking white fish the liquid in the baking dish may be strained into the sauce, but not with mackerel, as the taste is too strong. Time to cook, 10 to 12 minutes. Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons. 368. Pike a la Bordelaise (Brochet a la Bordelaise) 1 pike. 1 oz. butter. 1 glass white vine. Seasoning. | pt. Bordelaise sauce. Small potato balls. Remove the fillets from a medium-sized pike, and cut them into small neat pieces. Melt the butter and dip the pieces of fish into it, season them with pepper and salt, and place them in a baking dish. Pour the wine over and round, cover with greased paper, and bake in a moderate oven until the fish is done. Then arrange the fillets on a hot dish, strain the liquid from the fish into 1 pint good Bordelaise sauce (Recipe 711) and pour all over the fish, masking it well. Garnish with small potato balls. Time to bake, about 20 minutes. Sufficient for 4 or 5 persons. 369. Pike a la Pompadour (Brochet a la Pompadour) 1 pike. Egg and bread-crumbs. Fried parsley. Potato balls. Marinade. 1 table-sp. salad oil or melted butter. 1 table-sp. vinegar or lemon juice. 1 tea-sp. finely chopped onion. 1 tea-sp. finely chopped parsley. Pepper and salt.