Mrs. Roundell's Practical cookery book

Trout.— Trout, when taken from the water, die sooner than any other fish. The best way of cooking a cleaned fresh Trout is to split it, spread it open, and then grill it over a clear fire. Have the gridiron well buttered, and see that the fire, though hot, is not fierce. Set a little pat of maitre d’hotel butter on the Trout just as you serve it, and butter the Trout before it is grilled, or it will burn. Boiled Trout. — Izaak Walton preferred trout boiled in what we should now call a Court Bouillon (see page 102), with the addition of a handful of sliced horseradish root, the rind of a lemon, and “ a handsome little faggot of rosemary, thyme, and winter savoury.” Trout Cooked Highland Fashion. — Clean, scale, wash, and dry each fish. Dust each with salt, but use no pepper. Roll each Trout in fine dry oatmeal, and broil them one by one on the hot gridiron. Drain the Trout on clean white blotting- paper, and serve side by side in a hot dish. The bars of the gridiron must be well buttered or oiled. Or the Trout can be fried singly in boiling suet, allowing from six to eight minutes for each, according to size. Sea Trout. — Never boil a Sea Trout. Grill it, dusted with pepper and salt, as above. Or cook it in the Dutch oven, according to Sir Henry Thompson’s method. If sauce is liked, use mayonnaise. Grayling. — The Grayling is found in the same rivers as the Trout, but it is a smaller fish. Grayling should be cooked like Trout, except that the scales must be removed, which is not done with Trout. Izaak Walton thought most highly of the Grayling, considering it to be “ very medicinable.” He says that “ the Salmon, the Grayling, and the Trout, and all “ fish that live in clear and shai’p streams, are made by their “ mother Nature of such exact shape and pleasant colours “ purposely to invite us to a joy and contentedness in feasting “ with her.” Gudgeons. — Gudgeons do not live, like Trout and Grayling, on flies, but find their food among the stones at the bottom of clear rivers. Izaak Walton commends Gudgeons as being “ of excellent taste and nourishment, and very wholesome.” Gudgeons are best when rather small. They should be GUDGEONS iox lightly rolled in flour or oatmeal, and fried. Before flouring, dip each Gudgeon in milk. Or Gudgeons can be split open, buttered, seasoned with pepper and salt, and either broiled on the gridiron or cooked in the Dutch oven. Fried Gudgeons were a special dish at the celebrated York House Hotel at Bath, and at the Pavilion Henri Quatre at St. Germain, near Paris. Lampreys and Lamperns. — The best Lamperns are caught in the Severn at "Worcester, and do not exceed fifteen inches in length. Lampreys are much larger, sometimes twenty-eight inches long, and are found in the sea as well as in rivers. Both fish are most indigestible, but some people con- sider them great delicacies. They should be thoroughly cleaned in boiling salted water, dried, and gently rubbed over with mixed white spices. Let the fish lie for twenty-four hours. Then put them to simmer very gently in the liquor which has run from them. If this is not enough, add some strong fish broth. When the fish are nearly done add a glass of port wine to the broth. Lamperns are served whole. Lampreys are cut up like eels. They are bluish in colour, and very rich. Henry the First died after eating freely of Lam- pems.