Raise carefully from the bones the flesh of a cold turbot, and clear
it from the dark skin ; cut it into small squares, and put it into an
exceedingly clean stewpan or saucepan ; then make and pour upon it
the cream sauce of Chapter V., or make as much as may be required
for the fish by the same receipt, with equal proportions of milk and
cream and a little additional flour✪ Turbot à la Crème. Heat the turbot slowly in the sauce,
but do not allow it to boil, and send it very hot to table. The white
skin of the fish is not usually added to this dish, and it is of better ap-
pearance without it ; but for a family dinner, it may be left on the
flesh, when it is much liked. No acid must be stirred to the sauce
until the whole is ready for table.
TURBOT AU BECHAMEL, OR, IN BECHAMEL SAUCE.
Prepare the cold turbot as for the preceding receipt, but leave no
portion of the skin with it. Heat it in a rich bechamel sauce, and
serve it in a vol-au-vent , or in a deep dish with a border of fried bread
cut in an elegant form, and made with one dark and one light sippet9
placed alternately. The surface may be covered with a half-incii
layei of delicately fried bread-crumbs, perfectly well drained ana
dried ; or they may be spread over the fish without being fried,
then moistened with clarified butter✪ Turbot au Béchamel, and browned with a sala-
mander.
Foi Mould o v Cold Turbot with Shrimp Chatney, see Ckaptei
VL
58
MODERN COOKERY.
[chap. II.
TO BOIL A JOHN DORY.
[Ia best season from Michaelmas to Christmas, but good all the year.]
The John Dory, though of uninvit-
ing appearance, is considered by some
persons as the most delicious fish that
appears at table ; in the general esti-
mation, however, it ranks next to the
turbot, but it is far less abundant in
our markets, and is not commonly
to be procured of sufficient size for
a handsome dish, except in some few
parts of our coast which are cele-
brated for it. It may easily he
known by its yellow gray colour, its one large dark spot on either
side, the long filaments on the back, a general thickness of form, and
its very ugly head. It is dressed in the same manner, and served
usually with the same sauces as a turbot, but requires less time to
boil it. The fins should be cut off before it is cooked.
SMALL JOHN DORIES BAKED.
( Author’s Receipt — good.)
IVe have found these fish when they were too small to be worth
cooking in the usual way, excellent when quite simply baked in the
following manner, the flesh being remarkably sweet and tender, much
more so than it becomes by frying or broiling. After they have
been cleaned, dry them in a cloth, season the insides slightly with
fine salt, dredge a little flour on the fish, and stick a few very small
bits of butter✪ To Boil a John Dory on them, hut only just sufficient to prevent their
becoming dry in the oven ; lay them singly on a flat dish, and bake
them very gently from fourteen to sixteen minutes. Serve them
with the same sauce as baked soles.
When extremely fresh, as it usually is in the markets of the coast,
fish thus simply dressed au four is preferable to that more elaborately
prepared by adding various condiments to it after it is placed in a
deep dish, and covering it with a thick layer of bread crumbs, mois-
tened with clarified butter.
The appearance of the John Dories is improved by taking off the
heads, and cutting away not only the fins but the filaments of the
back.
Page 80 · 3 recipe records on this page
Presented as published in 1884. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Raise carefully from the bones the flesh of a cold turbot, and clear it from the dark skin ; cut it into small squares, and put it into an exceedingly clean stewpan or saucepan ; then make and pour upon it the cream sauce of Chapter V., or make as much as may be required for the fish by the same receipt, with equal proportions of milk and cream and a little additional flour. Heat the turbot slowly in the sauce, but do not allow it to boil, and send it very hot to table. The white skin of the fish is not usually added to this dish, and it is of better appearance without it ; but for a family dinner, it may be left on the flesh, when it is much liked. No acid must be stirred to the sauce until the whole is ready for table.
TURBOT AU BECHAMEL, OR, IN BECHAMEL SAUCE.
Prepare the cold turbot as for the preceding receipt, but leave no portion of the skin with it. Heat it in a rich bechamel sauce, and serve it in a vol-au-vent , or in a deep dish with a border of fried bread cut in an elegant form, and made with one dark and one light sippet9 placed alternately. The surface may be covered with a half-incii layei of delicately fried bread-crumbs, perfectly well drained ana dried ; or they may be spread over the fish without being fried, then moistened with clarified butter, and browned with a salamander.
For Mould of Cold Turbot with Shrimp Chutney, see Chapter
[chap. II.
TO BOIL A JOHN DORY.
[Ia best season from Michaelmas to Christmas, but good all the year.]
The John Dory, though of uninviting appearance, is considered by some persons as the most delicious fish that appears at table ; in the general estimation, however, it ranks next to the turbot, but it is far less abundant in our markets, and is not commonly to be procured of sufficient size for a handsome dish, except in some few parts of our coast which are celebrated for it. It may easily he known by its yellow gray colour, its one large dark spot on either side, the long filaments on the back, a general thickness of form, and its very ugly head. It is dressed in the same manner, and served usually with the same sauces as a turbot, but requires less time to boil it. The fins should be cut off before it is cooked.
SMALL JOHN DORIES BAKED.
( Author’s Receipt — good.)
IVe have found these fish when they were too small to be worth cooking in the usual way, excellent when quite simply baked in the following manner, the flesh being remarkably sweet and tender, much more so than it becomes by frying or broiling. After they have been cleaned, dry them in a cloth, season the insides slightly with fine salt, dredge a little flour on the fish, and stick a few very small bits of butter on them, hut only just sufficient to prevent their becoming dry in the oven ; lay them singly on a flat dish, and bake them very gently from fourteen to sixteen minutes. Serve them with the same sauce as baked soles.
When extremely fresh, as it usually is in the markets of the coast, fish thus simply dressed au four is preferable to that more elaborately prepared by adding various condiments to it after it is placed in a deep dish, and covering it with a thick layer of bread crumbs, moistened with clarified butter.
The appearance of the John Dories is improved by taking off the heads, and cutting away not only the fins but the filaments of the back.
Records on this page
Turbot à la CrèmeTurbot au BéchamelTo Boil a John Dory