My mother's cook book

Begin this by reversing the usual rule for cleaning fish, skin the sole first and then filet it. To do this the skin must be loosened at the tail, the fish being held firmly to the table with a dry towel, and with the disengaged hand the skin quickly torn off. This process must be repeated as the sole has two distinct sides to be relieved of skin Make then an incision straight down the back with a sharp knife, and pressing the knife as closely as possible to the backbone, separate the flesh from it, removing the four filets. Roll each filet separately, in the fashion of a rolled jelly-cake, place them side by side in a slightly greased tin, squeeze over each a little of the lemon-juice, to preserve their color, cover them with a piece of greased kitchen-paper and bake in a brisk oven ten minutes. While the filets are baking, cover the heads and skins of the fish with cold water, and boil for five minutes ; then melt in a small saucepan the butter, add to it the flour and one gill of the liquor, obtained by boiling the heads and -skins, boil all for two minutes, stirring meantime, when it must be taken from the fire and the cream, pepper and salt added. Put the filets now into a flat dish, pour this sauce around them, and sprinkle over each filet a little of the chopped parsley. And serve. [illustration: SOLE A IV GRATIN 37] Note — Laige flounder may also be prepared after this recipe with the same result. Boiled Codfish. — Provide: four pounds of cod, middle cut, one large tablespoonful of vinegar, one-half tablespoonful of salt. The codfish should be purchased the day before it is desired to serve, and permited to lie over night in salt. When ready to boil, fill the fish kettle two thirds full of boiling water, add to ihis the vinegar and salt, place the fish into the drainer, and plunge it into the boiling water, where it must remain for thirty minutes, boiling rapidly. Serve upon a dry napkin, garnished with parsley and with it * oysters or egg sauce. Notes. — If the cod should be of more than ordinary thickness, it must boil a few minutes longer, that it may become done through. This recipe may be used in boiling all large fish, except salmon. Salmon must be treated with this difference. It should be put to boil in tepid instead of boiling water, and thoroughly skimmed as it boils up. For boiling small and fresh water fish, use cold water, and the instant the boiling point is reached, remove the fish. In this way small fish may be prevented breaking in the kettle. . If not provided with a fish kettle which has the plunging drainer, it is better to wrap the large fish in a single layer of course toweling. Sole au gratiu. — This requires: one small sole, two heaped tablespoonfuls, of bread crumbs, one tablespoonful of chopped parsley, two small mushrooms, one ounce of butter, a piece of shallot the size of a bean, two tablespoonfuls of second stock, one saltspoonful of salt, one saltspoonful of pepper. First the bread crumbs must be put into a dry tin, and * See sauces, page 163. 28 FISff. browned to a pale brown in the oven. Sprinkle half of them, when prepared, upon a small baking tin, also having chopped one of the mushrooms, and half of the shallot finely, scatter this with half of the parsley over the breadcrumbs. Skin now the sole,* and ciit away the head fins and tail. Place the fish over the preparation in the baking tin, sprinkle over it the remaining bread crumbs, chopped mushroom, shallot and parsley, also the pepper and salt, put over all the butter in small pieces, and bake in a quick oven ten minutes. Serve on a hot dish, with the stock heated and poured around. Note. — If the shallot or small French onion is not to be procured, a bit of the common onion may be substituted. Broiled Shad. — Prepare: one shad, two ounces butter, one-half teaspoonful of pepper, one-half teaspoonful of salt.