French dishes for American tables

164. Soft-Shell Crabs. Take eight soft-shell crabs, remove the gills and the sand. Wash them, then dry them with a cloth, dip them in a little milk, and roll them in flour. Put plenty of lard in a frying-pan, in which, when very hot, fry your crabs. Five minutes will suffice. Serve with them some fried parsley. You may also dip the crabs in beaten eggs, and sprinkle with bread-crumbs before frying. 165. Farcied Crabs. Remove the meat from four dozen boiled hard-shelled crabs and chop up fine. Put in a saucepan an onion cut in pieces, and an ounce of butter. When beginning to color slightly, add a dozen chopped mushrooms, a tablespoonful of chopped parsley, and four ounces of bread-crumbs, which you have previously soaked in consomme, and then pressed almost dry ; a pinch of salt and pepper, a little cayenne, and half a gill of tomato sauce (Art. 90). Mix all well together on the fire, and cook for five minutes. Wash your shells and fill them with the foregoing, cover them with bread-crumbs, and a very little melted butter on top ; send to the oven and color a light brown. 166. Deviled Crabs. Proceed as for the foregoing, putting a tablespoonful of mustard in the above mixture, and a layer of mustard on top of each crab before covering with bread-crumbs. 167. Clam Fritters. Take fifteen clams, which chop very fine, and put in a bowl with two ounces of flour, two eggs, a pinch of salt and pepper, and a tablespoonful of parsley, which chop fine. Mix all thoroughly together. Put some lard in a frying-pan, into which, when very hot, throw a tablespoonful of your mixture at a time, until you have used the entire quantity ; fry on both sides, and serve. 168. Oyster Fritters. Prepare as the foregoing. 169. Fish-Balis. Wash and peel six potatoes, boil them in a pint of water, with salt, drain them, mash them thoroughly ; add an ounce of butter, a pinch of salt and pepper, and an egg; mix all well together, adding six ounces of boiled codfish from which you have removed the bones ; mix your fish well with your other ingredients, form into balls about the size of a very small apple, roll them lightly and evenly in flour ; fry them on both sides in about half their height of very hot lard, drain off the grease, and serve them very hot. 170. Codfish au Gratin. Take two pounds of boiled codfish, from which you have removed the bones, put in a dish with half a pint of bechamel sauce (Art. 83), in which you have mixed four ounces of American cheese. Sprinkle it on top with bread-crumbs and a little melted butter, and send to the oven until colored a bright yellow. Serve. You may, instead of the cheese, mix some chopped mushrooms with your fish. Other boiled fish may be prepared in the same manner.