The Cook Book, by "Oscar" of the Waldorf

Clean some mackerel, wash in plenty of water, split them open down the back, cut them across, making four pieces of each fish, and lay them in a pie dish in layers, placing between each layer a few bay leaves, cloves, peppercorns, and a few sliced shallots. Mix this with half a pint of stock free from fat, and a wineglassful each of «4 FISH. white wine and vinegar, half a wineglassful each of anchovy and Harvey sauce and mushroom catsup, and a third of a tablespoonful each of Worcestershire sauce and soy. Pour this mixture over the fish, put in a flat dish and bake in a moderate oven. When it is cooked lay the fish on a hot dish, strain the sauce through a fine sieve over them, and leave until quite cold. When they are ready to serve arrange a few sprigs of parsley around the dish. Boiled Mackerel. Prepare and clean some mackerel, put them in salted water, and boil until they are done. When they are cooked, drain the mackerel and put them on a hot dish. Blanch some fennel in salted water, and when it is soft drain and chop it finely ; put one tablespoonful in half a pint of butter sauce, and serve in a sauceboat with the fish. Boiled Marinaded Mackerel. Put enough weak broth in a fishkettle fitted with a drainer to cover a dozen mackerel, add three small onions, a bunch of sweet herbs, half a teacupful of vinegar, eight cloves with pepper and salt to taste, boil all together for one hour ; then put them in the fish and cook. When it is done take the fish out carefully on the drainer, being careful not to break them and put one by one on a hot dish. Strain the liquor in which they were cooked, put in some parsley and hard boiled eggs to thicken it, mix in some white gravy sauce, turn it into a sauceboat and serve with the fish. Broiled Mackerel. Draw and wash the mackerel, cut off their heads, rub over with salt and leave for an hour. Rub a gridiron with olive oil, lay the mackerel on it and broil over a charcoal fire. Place some chopped parsley and onions on a hot dish, and when the fish is cooked, squeeze over lemon juice and serve it while it is hot. Broiled Mackerel, Normandy Sauce. Clean and marinade some mackerel in oil, a slice of onion and a few sprigs of parsley. The roes must not be take out. Fill them up with as much maitre d'hotel butter as they will hold, wrap them around with sheets of oiled paper, securing the ends with thread, place them on a gridiron over a clear fire which must be a slow one, broil for forty minutes. When they arc done remove the paper, place the fish on a dish, mask them with Normandy sauce and serve with fried bread for garnish. Broiled Mackerel with Black Butter. Take some mackerel, open and remove the bones, spread a little butter and sprinkle some pepper and salt over them. Place the fish on a gridiron and broil over FISH. 6s a clear fire. Put a pat of butter in a saucepan and stir it over the fire until it is richly browned, then squeeze in some lemon juice. Place the fish on a hot dish, arrange some sprigs of parsley around, pour over the butter and serve while it is very hot. Broiled Spanish Mackerel. Cut a fish down the middle to take out all the bones and then cut again in halves ; dry the pieces on a cloth, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place two yolks of eggs in a basin and mix them with an equal bulk of olive oil, dip the pieces of fish into this and then into breadcrumbs and broil over a clear fire. Boiled Perch. Clean and scale the fish, leaving the roe and liver inside. Pour a small quantity of water in a fishkettle with a bunch of parsley, a little salt and pepper, and boil till the parsley is soft ; then put in the fish with a lump of butter and boil slowly for ten or twelve minutes. When cooked, remove carefully, lay it on a hot dish, strain the cooking liquor over, and serve with a Dutch sauce. Broiled Perch.