The encyclopaedia of practical cookery

(2) Cut off the heads of a dozen Mackerel ; clean and cut them open, taking care not to cut through the tender flesh, sprinkle over the insides a little grated nutmeg, pounded mace, finely-chopped parsley, salt, and pepper, tie each one separately in a cloth, and boil gently for twenty minutes in salted water in which a little vinegar has been mixed. Take the fish out at the expiration of that time, put them just as they are in a deep dish, pour some of the liquor over them, and leave till the next day. When wanted for serving, take the cloths off the fish, put them back in the dish with the liquor, add a little more vinegar, garnish with a few sprigs of fennel, and serve. Devilled Mackerel. — Divide the Mackerel into fillets, making two fillets of each side, remove the bones, trim them, season with salt and pepper, squeeze a few drops of lemon-juice over, and cover with a thin layer of freshly-mixed mustard. Lay the fillets on a dish, and keep them in a cool larder for two or three hours. Next brush over Fig. 1120. Devilled Mackerel. the fillets with a paste-brush dipped in warm butter, put them side by side on a gridiron, and broil over a clear fire. Thicken 1/2 pint of rich gravy with flour and butter kneaded together, flavour with walnut or mushroom ketchup, add a few chopped capers, season to taste with salt and pepper, squeeze in the juice of half a lemon, and let it simmer for a few minutes at the edge of the fire. When the Mackerel — continued. fillets are cooked, place them on a hot dish, pour the sauce over, garnish with parsley and quarters of lemon (see Fig. 1120), and serve. Fillets of Mackerel au Gratin. — Cut off the fillets from three fish, remove the belly part, skin them, and dust with salt. Sprinkle a little finely-chopped onion over a wellbuttered oval gratin-dish, dust over a little dried parsley and 2 or 3 table-spoonfuls of finely-chopped mushrooms, and pour in 4 table-spoonfuls each of white wine and brown sauce. Put in the fillets, dust over with a little fine herbs and breadcrumbs, baste well with melted butter, and bake in a moderate oven for fifteen minutes, basting frequently. When done, serve in the dish in which they were cooked. Fillets of Mackerel à l'Indienne. — Cut off both sides or fillets from a Mackerel, then cut each of these in halves, wash, and dry them thoroughly ; dust over with salt, pepper, and finely-chopped parsley, put them into a fryingpan with a little butter, and fry. Serve hot with hot Indian sauce. Fillets of Mackerel à l'Italienne. — (1) Clean the Mackerel, cut off their heads and tails, split them lengthwise down the back, remove the bones, divide each Mackerel into half-a-dozen fillets, trim the skin off each, and dust them over with salt and pepper. Butter a baking-tin, put the fillets into it, and cover them with a sheet of buttered paper. Put the bones and trimmings of the fish into a stewpan with an onion, a carrot, a bunch of sweet herbs, including a few sprigs of parsley, and a few cloves. Season to taste with salt and pepper, cover with cold water, and let the whole simmer gently for an hour. Strain the liquor from the bones when sufficiently boiled, and put the fillets in the oven. Finely mince some shallots together with an equal quantity of mushrooms, put them in a stewpan with a small quantity of olive oil, and fry them.