It would be almost impossible to give any general directions as to the length
of time fish takes to boil. The time is generally best calculated after the water has
boiled. For instance, a good large turbot will be sufficiently cooked by allowing
the water to boil for half an hour. Experience alone, however, will enable the
cook to form a correct estimate. The fact of the flesh separating easily from the
bone is quite enough to prove that the fish is amply done.
When a very large cod or salmon is boiled whole, recollect that it will not do to
judge by the tail whether the whole fish is done or not, as of course the tail being
thinner than the shoulder it will cook through much quicker. Boiled fish should
always be served up on a strainer covered with a nice clean napkin, and care should
be taken to allow the water to run off the fish-kettle strainer before the fish is
moved or rather slipped off on to the napkin. Boiled fish should be ornamented witli
slices of cut lemon and green pai'sley, and of course a garnish of prawns or little tiny
crayfish forms a great improvement to the appearance. In the case of large flal
CASSELL S DICTIONARY OF COOKERY.
fish, like a turbot or good-sized brill, a little lobster coral spiinkled sparingly over
the surface of the fish is the best method of making it ornamental. When lobster
sauce is served with the fish tliis can generally be done ; when there is no lobster,
and the fish is served simply plain with melted butter, a little parsley not chopped
■up too finely will, with the cut lemon, form an admirable garnish which will in
appearance be little inferior to the lobster coi'al.
But we must again refer to a point previously mentioned, and that is the
whiteness of the fish. A fat turbot looks infinitely more tempting when it is of a
snowy whiteness than one that is sent to table presenting a dirty appearance. Now
this white appearance is much increased by the simple means of rubbing the fish
over with a little lemon-juice — the efiect of acid lemon-juice is to slightly dissolve the
outside impurities of the fish, which are then thrown up in boiling, and removed by
skimming. In choosing a large turbot, avoid one with the backbone that looks
red, as these fish rarely present that white appearance when boiled as those whose
backbones when raw are white and colourless.
We will now discuss or rather remind our readers of the general principles to be
remembered in frying fish which we considered at some length in the early pages of
this work. The principles are mainly these ; — Let the fat be boiling. Let the fat
cover the fish. In preparing fish for frying when eggs and bread-crumbs are used,
take care first to dry the fish, secondly to flour it, then dip it in the well-beaten egg
and sprinkle it with the dry bread-crumbs. Bread-raspings are very useful, but if
the fat be deep and boUing are not really necessary. A few are, however, very useful
to sprinkle over an accidental patch that may have unfortunately been made in
removing the fish from the frying-pan. The almost universal fault with fried fish in
private houses is that it is dried up and over-cooked. Indeed, many a supposed cook
might go and receive an admirable lesson iii that poor man's solace — a fried-fish
shop.
Page 48
Presented as published in 1892. 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
It would be almost impossible to give any general directions as to the length of time fish takes to boil. The time is generally best calculated after the water has boiled. For instance, a good large turbot will be sufficiently cooked by allowing the water to boil for half an hour. Experience alone, however, will enable the cook to form a correct estimate. The fact of the flesh separating easily from the bone is quite enough to prove that the fish is amply done.
When a very large cod or salmon is boiled whole, recollect that it will not do to judge by the tail whether the whole fish is done or not, as of course the tail being thinner than the shoulder it will cook through much quicker. Boiled fish should always be served up on a strainer covered with a nice clean napkin, and care should be taken to allow the water to run off the fish-kettle strainer before the fish is moved or rather slipped off on to the napkin. Boiled fish should be ornamented with slices of cut lemon and green parsley, and of course a garnish of prawns or little tiny crayfish forms a great improvement to the appearance. In the case of large flal
fish, like a turbot or good-sized brill, a little lobster coral sprinkled sparingly over the surface of the fish is the best method of making it ornamental. When lobster sauce is served with the fish this can generally be done ; when there is no lobster, and the fish is served simply plain with melted butter, a little parsley not chopped ■up too finely will, with the cut lemon, form an admirable garnish which will in appearance be little inferior to the lobster coral.
But we must again refer to a point previously mentioned, and that is the whiteness of the fish. A fat turbot looks infinitely more tempting when it is of a snowy whiteness than one that is sent to table presenting a dirty appearance. Now this white appearance is much increased by the simple means of rubbing the fish over with a little lemon-juice — the efiect of acid lemon-juice is to slightly dissolve the outside impurities of the fish, which are then thrown up in boiling, and removed by skimming. In choosing a large turbot, avoid one with the backbone that looks red, as these fish rarely present that white appearance when boiled as those whose backbones when raw are white and colourless.
We will now discuss or rather remind our readers of the general principles to be remembered in frying fish which we considered at some length in the early pages of this work. The principles are mainly these ; — Let the fat be boiling. Let the fat cover the fish. In preparing fish for frying when eggs and bread-crumbs are used, take care first to dry the fish, secondly to flour it, then dip it in the well-beaten egg and sprinkle it with the dry bread-crumbs. Bread-raspings are very useful, but if the fat be deep and boUing are not really necessary. A few are, however, very useful to sprinkle over an accidental patch that may have unfortunately been made in removing the fish from the frying-pan. The almost universal fault with fried fish in private houses is that it is dried up and over-cooked. Indeed, many a supposed cook might go and receive an admirable lesson iii that poor man's solace — a fried-fish shop.