The spirit of cookery

Turbot is more frequently plain-boiled than steamed. Vincent de Lachapelle gives a recipe for trimming and boiling, of which the peculiar part is the direction to cut a piece out of the middle of the fish, or split it open on the black side from head to tail, probably in order to admit the heat better to the thickest part. For the thinner parts are liable to be overdone while the thickest ones are yet under or just done. He also directs the cook to add a pint or two of milk to the salt water in which the fish is to be boiled ; the mixture is to be flavoured with lemon zest, but the pulp, /.(?., juice, of course, is to be excluded, as it would curdle the milk. When the mixture and fish are heated up to boiling, the coction is to be completed by mere simmering. The fish, after removal on its perforated tray, is to be trimmed with scissors of fins and tail, and to be garnished with parsley ; the trimming is better done on the raw fish. The white side is kept white by being rubbed with lemon-juice before immersion ; it should be turned upwards during boiling, and served in the same position on the dish. The sauce for turbot should always be sent to table in a separate boat. It may be a white sauce with capers, or sauce piquante, as sung by Berchoux, or one made with rich coulis, or fish bouillon, or Dutch sauce; others prefer oyster or tomato sauce. In this country lobster sauce is most commonly served with boiled turbot ; its place may suitably be taken by shrimp sauce. Those who think much of ornamental garnishes may place the empty shell of the lobster on the white surface of the turbot, and further encumber it with crayfish, truffles, and silver skewers. Turbot may be boned in so far as its spine admits of removal ; it may then be stuffed, braised, sauced, crumbed, and baked. This is a Parisian complicated form. Turbot may be broiled, being scored for that purpose ; it is best cut in slices, at right angles to the spine, and marinaded before being broiled. Eub the gridiron with chalk, unless it be made of silver, to prevent the fish being marked ; braise the slices in a sauce, in oven and hot closet, and send allemande sauce with it. Variations of this and the Parisian form are Turbot à la Carême, Turbot à la Vatel, Turbot in Cream Sauce, gratinated ; variations with béchamel. A writer on this combination is so enthusiastic on this sauce and its combination with Parma cheese that he says : ‘ The sauces really deserve that the turbot should be boiled for the express purpose of setting them off.’ The Turbot à la Matelote Normande is a savoury stew, and flavoured with cider. We find in literature a great number of recipes for preparations of turbot which have no practical application — a Danish hot pasty of turhot, some braises, with bottles of champagne and other wines, and profusion of garnishes of shellfish and quenelles. There are further numerous recipes for the preparation of fillets of turhot, one yielding curried fillets, or d VIndienne ; some are half fried, half simmered, and accommodated with the sauce termed à la ravigote. Many recipes are without specificity, and mere repetitions of recipes for the preparation of salmon.