Shad, flounders, sunfish or any other "flat" fish
may be " planked." Cut off the head and tail, split
open the back, but do not cut clear through the belly,
leaving the fish so that it may be opened wide like a
book and tacked on a plank or piece of bark. Tack
some thin slices of bacon or pork to the end of the
fish that will be uppermost when before the fire, and,
if you like, a few slices of raw onion sprinkled with
pepper and salt✪ Planked Fish. Sharpen one end of the plank and
drive it into the ground, before a bed of hot coals.
Catch the drippings in a tin cup or large spoon and
baste the fish continually till it smells so good you
can't wait another instant to eat it. It is then done.
I
22 Canoe and Camp Cookery.
Skewered Trout.
Sharpen a small, straight stick, and on it skewer
small trout and thin slices of bacon or pork✪ Skewered Trout in alterna-
tion. Hold over a bed of hot coals and keep con-
stantly turning, so that the juices will not be lost in the
fire. A very few minutes will suffice to cook the trout.
BoUed Fish.
Tie or pin the fish (which should not weigh less
than three pounds) in a clean cloth. If the pot is too
small for the fish, skewer the tail into the mouth.
Put into enough boiling water to cover it about an
inch, and simmer steadily until done. Some fish ooil
quicker than others ; as a general rule those of white
flesh requiring less time than those of a darker tinge.
If a couple of tablespoonfuls of salt and four ditto of
vinegar are put into the water the fish will cook sooner.
About twenty-five minutes are necessary for a three-
pound fish, and over that six minutes extra to every
pound. An underdone fish is not fit to eat, and one
boiled too long is insipid. When the meat separates
easily from the backbone it is cooked just right. Take
it up, remove the cloth carefully, and pour over it the
following hot
Fish Sauoe.
Put two tablespoonfuls of butter and two ditto of
flour into a hot frying pan over the fire and mix them
together with a spoon into a smooth paste. Pour
over very gradually about a pint of the water in which
Fish. 23
the fish was boiled, stirring it well in. Boil up once
and season with pepper and salt. If an acid taste is
desired, add a few drops of vinegar.
Boiled Fish✪ Boiled Fish Boe.
Wash and wipe the roes with a soft cloth. Wrap in
a cloth and boil the same as fish. Or, they maybe
tied inside the fish with a string and boiled with it
Fried Fish Boe.
Prepare as above, dredge in meal or flour, and fry
exactly as fish.
Soft Crabs.
Have enough boiling hot grease in a pan over a
hot fire to cover the crabs. Throw them in as soon
as possible after they are taken, with a little salt✪ Soft Crabs. Let
them brown and turn them once. When done cut off
the gills or " dead men's fingers," and serve on toast.
Hard Shell Crabs.
These are best steamed. Boil two cups of water in
your largest pail. Put in two or three large handfuls
of grass✪ Hard Shell Crabs and then the crabs, as soon as possible after
they are caught. Over them put more grass, and,
covering the pail, let them steam thoroughly over the
fire for twenty minutes. When done, eat all except
the shell, the gills and the stomach, which last is in an
easily distinguished sack. Be sure to have sufficient
water in the pail to keep up the steam for the requisite
time.
24 Canoe and Camp Cookery,
Eried Oysters. ✪ Fried Oysters
Page 7 · 8 recipe records on this page
Presented as published in 1885. 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
Shad, flounders, sunfish or any other "flat" fish may be " planked." Cut off the head and tail, split open the back, but do not cut clear through the belly, leaving the fish so that it may be opened wide like a book and tacked on a plank or piece of bark. Tack some thin slices of bacon or pork to the end of the fish that will be uppermost when before the fire, and, if you like, a few slices of raw onion sprinkled with pepper and salt. Sharpen one end of the plank and drive it into the ground, before a bed of hot coals. Catch the drippings in a tin cup or large spoon and baste the fish continually till it smells so good you can't wait another instant to eat it. It is then done.
22 Canoe and Camp Cookery.
Skewered Trout.
Sharpen a small, straight stick, and on it skewer small trout and thin slices of bacon or pork in alternation. Hold over a bed of hot coals and keep constantly turning, so that the juices will not be lost in the fire. A very few minutes will suffice to cook the trout.
Boiled Fish.
Tie or pin the fish (which should not weigh less than three pounds) in a clean cloth. If the pot is too small for the fish, skewer the tail into the mouth. Put into enough boiling water to cover it about an inch, and simmer steadily until done. Some fish boil quicker than others ; as a general rule those of white flesh requiring less time than those of a darker tinge. If a couple of tablespoonfuls of salt and four ditto of vinegar are put into the water the fish will cook sooner. About twenty-five minutes are necessary for a threepound fish, and over that six minutes extra to every pound. An underdone fish is not fit to eat, and one boiled too long is insipid. When the meat separates easily from the backbone it is cooked just right. Take it up, remove the cloth carefully, and pour over it the following hot
Fish Sauoe.
Put two tablespoonfuls of butter and two ditto of flour into a hot frying pan over the fire and mix them together with a spoon into a smooth paste. Pour over very gradually about a pint of the water in which
Fish. 23
the fish was boiled, stirring it well in. Boil up once and season with pepper and salt. If an acid taste is desired, add a few drops of vinegar.
Boiled Fish Boe.
Wash and wipe the roes with a soft cloth. Wrap in a cloth and boil the same as fish. Or, they maybe tied inside the fish with a string and boiled with it
Fried Fish Boe.
Prepare as above, dredge in meal or flour, and fry exactly as fish.
Soft Crabs.
Have enough boiling hot grease in a pan over a hot fire to cover the crabs. Throw them in as soon as possible after they are taken, with a little salt. Let them brown and turn them once. When done cut off the gills or " dead men's fingers," and serve on toast.
Hard Shell Crabs.
These are best steamed. Boil two cups of water in your largest pail. Put in two or three large handfuls of grass and then the crabs, as soon as possible after they are caught. Over them put more grass, and, covering the pail, let them steam thoroughly over the fire for twenty minutes. When done, eat all except the shell, the gills and the stomach, which last is in an easily distinguished sack. Be sure to have sufficient water in the pail to keep up the steam for the requisite time.
24 Canoe and Camp Cookery,
Eried Oysters.
Records on this page
Fish SaucePlanked FishSkewered TroutBoiled FishFish SauceSoft CrabsHard Shell CrabsFried Oysters