Cookery for busy lives and small incomes

Fish Cooked in a Dutch Oven This method is recommended by an eminent London doctor. It makes the flesh very savoury, and is convenient for those who have no ovens. Baste it with dripping or fasten pieces of bacon on it. Parboiled potatoes may be placed round the fish and browned while the fish is cooking. To Fry Fish (English way) Small flat fish, such as soles, plaice, flounders, &c., may be fried whole ; larger fish in cutlets or fillets. Put a little dripping or other suitable fat into a frying-pan. When hot put in the fish and fry, first on one side and then on the other, removing the pan to a little distance from the fire after the first three minutes, if the fish is thick, that it may cook through to the middle without drying up. To PREPARE FISH FOR FRYING. — Well dry it after it is washed, flouring it a little. It may be fried without further preparations, or covered with beaten egg and bread crumbs. The use of egg and bread crumbs improves the appearance but adds to the expense of the dish. Cod, Ling, Hake, and Halibut These are all good, whether boiled or baked, but best baked. They may be stuffed with veal stuffing and cooked without paper, but with slices of bacon over them and potatoes round them. Cutlets of all these fish are good fried. Conger Eel This fish is very good, either boiled or baked. It is very good cooked as directed for cod, hake, &c., with bacon and potatoes, or tomatoes. Conger Eel Pie Ingredients. — Conger eel, flour, pepper and salt, a little powdered thyme, a little chopped parsley, a dessert-spoonful of vinegar. Method. — Cut the conger eel into neat pieces, flour them and fry them brown in a frying-pan (they may be used without frying, but the pie will not be so savoury), put them into a pie dish with a little dried and powdered thyme and some chopped parsley ; pour in some water and add the vinegar, pepper and salt ; cover with a pie crust and bake for an hour and a half. A few bits of fried bacon in the pie improve the flavour. Conger Eel Stewed Ingredients. — Conger eel, onions, flour, dripping, 2 or 3 cloves. Method. — Cut the eel into pieces, flour them, and fry them in a frying-pan ; put them into a saucepan or stewing- jar with the onions sliced and two or three cloves, cover with water and simmer gently for an hour and a half. A little ketchup will improve the gravy. A little lean ham or bacon cooked with the eel is a great improvement to the flavour of this dish. Skate Skate may be boiled, baked, or it may be stewed according to directions in the preceding recipe. Boiled, it is particularly nice with caper sauce. Skate makes excellent soup (see directions for fish soup). Herrings These are a very nutritious fish and may be boiled, baked, broiled, or fried. Serve them with parsley, or any suitable fish sauce. When broiled or fried use mustard sauce. Potted Herrings Required. — 24 herrings, 6 bay leaves, 14 cloves, vinegar, pepper and salt Method. — Well wash the herrings and dry them, sprinkle them with pepper and salt, lay them in a pie dish, with the bay leaves and cloves in between them, cover them with vinegar and bake in a slow oven for two hours. Use when cold. Fried Herrings and Onions Clean and dry the herrings, removing the