Cassell's dictionary of cookery

with the yolk of an egg, stir it over the fire for eight or ten minutes, but on no account allow it to boil, and serve very hot. When the soup is finished in the latter of these two ways, it is well to boil all the skate in the stock, and thus dispense with the fillets. Time, two hours and a half. Probable cost. Is. 4d. per pint. Suflicient for six or eight persons. Skate Soup (a meagre soup). — Take four pounds of skate, and boil them in four quarts of water till the water is reduced one-half ; then add six onions, some turnips, celery, carrots, sweet herbs, and parsley. When boiled enough, strain, and thicken with butter rolled in flour. Fry the inside of a roll, chop up some of the fish with a little parsley and butter, and add these to the soup before serving. Two or three anchovies, some anchovy sauce, or a red herring may be boiled in this soup without destroying its meagre character. Skate, stewed. — Skin the skate on both sides, and cut it into neat pieces ; fry these slowly in hot fat till they are brown ; take them up, drain them, and lay them aside. Put the head, skin, and trimmings into a saucepan with two pints of water, an onion, and a little pepper and salt. Let the gravy simmer gently till it is strong, then strain it; put it back into the saucepan, thicken with brown thickening, and add half a dozen chives or a moderate-sized onion finely minced, two table-spoonfuls of finely-chopped parsley, a table-spoonful of chilli vinegar, a table-spoonful of mushroom ketchup, and a table-spoonful of Harvey's Sauce. Let the sauce boil till it is thick enough to coat the spoon ; heat the fish in it, and serve. Time, five or six minutes to heat the fish. Skate, Teazed. — Take the dried wing of a moderate-sized skate, skin it, and cut it into slips about the size of a finger. Put it into water which has been boiled with a little salt and vinegar, and let it boil until done enough. Take it up, put it into a moderately-heated oven, and let it remain until it is quite tender. Draw out the bones, put the flesh into a soft cloth, and rub it between the palms of the hands until it is broken up and looks like wool. Dissolve six ounces of fresh butter in a saucepan, put in the skate, add pepper and salt, and stir the fish over a gentle fire till it is heated throughout. Send egg sauce, parsnips, and mashed potatoes to table with it. Time altogether, about an hour. Sufficient for four or five persons. Skate, To Clean and Prepare.— Wash the fish, and rub them over with salt. Rinse them, cut off the tails, and pare the fins all round. Hang them in a cool airy situation. They will keep three or four days in cool weather. Skate "With Black Butter.— Fry some parsley very green. Dish the skate according to taste. For a first-course dish you must either cut it into the shape of kites or rounds. Put the fried parsley in the middle of the dish, and the butter under the fish. Beurre noire is made in an omelet-pan. Put a quarter of a pound of butter into the pan, and let it become very brown without burning ; skim off the froth ; add to it salt, pepper, and vinegar, and pour this over the fish, and the fried parsley into the centre. This dish does not look well, but it is relishing when well done. — Ude. Skate with Black Butter Sauce