The hearthstone; or, Life at home

be under-dressed, as then nothing is more unwholesome. Neither let it remain in the kettle after it is sufficiently cooked, as that would render it insipid, watery and colorless. Drain it, and if not wanted for a few minutes, keep it warm by means of warm cloths laid over it. Serve on a hot napkin, garnish with cut lemon and parsley, and send lobster or shrimp sauce, and plain, melted butter to table with it. A dish of dressed cucumber usually accompanies this dish. It will require eight minutes time to cook each pound, for large, thick salmon, and six minutes for thin fish. Cut lemon should be put on the table with this fish, and a little of the juice squeezed over it is considered by many persons a most agreeable addition. Salmon and Caper-sauce. — Two slices of salmon, one-quarter pound of butter, one-half teaspoonful of chopped parsley, one shallot, salt, pepper and grated nutmeg to taste. Lay the salmon in a baking-dish, place pieces of butter over it, and add the other ingredients, rubbing a little of the seasoning into the fish ; when done, take it out and drain for a minute or two, lay it in a dish, pour caper-sauce over it and serve. Salmon dressed in this way, with tomato sauce, is very delicious. Cook about three-quarters of an hour. Pickled Salmon. — Salmon, one-half ounce of whole pepper, onehalf ounce of whole allspice, one teaspoonful of salt, two bay leaves, equal quantities of vinegar and the liquor in which the fish was boiled. After the fish comes from the table, lay it in a nice dish with a cover to it, as it should be excluded from the air, and take away the bone; boil the liquor and vinegar with the other ingredients for ten minutes, and let it stand to get cold ; pour it over the salmon, and in twelve hours this will be fit for the table. Stuffed and Baked Fish. — Soak bread in cold water until soft ; drain off the water, mash the bread fine ; mix it with a tablespoonful of melted butter, a little pepper and salt. Cut, smother, add spices if preferred. A couple of raw eggs make the dressing. Sew up the fish after putting in the dressing, and lay the fish in a bakingpan, where a teacup of water and a small piece of butter had been previously put. Bake it from forty to fifty minutes. Fresh cod, bass and shad are suitable fish for baking. To Fry Fish. — The secret of frying fish well consists in having enough put in the spider. Let them fry slowly over a moderate and steady heat. All fish should be fried in the purest oil. This can be used over and over again by clarification ; and, all things considered, oil is quite as economical as lard or drippings. Clean your pan, put therein sufficient oil to thoroughly and deeply immerse the fish. Permit this to boil, and it will attain so high a temperature that when a finger of bread is dipped into it and instantly drawn out, the bread has acquired a brown surface, or a piece of white paper dipped into it comes out dry, then — and not until then — your fish, already egged and bread-crumbed, is launched lightly on the surface of the oil, the boiling power of which will keep it afloat, and then, according to the thickness of the fish, from two to three minutes should be given to it; then turn it gently with flat tongs.