Fish to be prime must be thick and firm, with bright scales and stiff fins; the gills a
very lively red, the eye full and prominent. In the summer they should be cleaned at
once and kept on ice till you are ready to cook them; do not attempt to keep fresh fish
till next day. Mackerel cannot be cooked too soon, as they spoil more readily than any
other fish.
BAKED FISH.
A general rule, that will cover all kinds of baked fish, is herewith given: A fish weigh-
ing about five pounds; three large, or five small crackers, or an equivalent in dry bread-
crumbs, quarter of a pound of salt pork, two tablespoons of salt, quarter of a teaspoon of
pepper, half a tablespoon of chopped parsley, two tablespoons of flour✪ Baked Fish.
If the fish has not already been scraped free of scales, scrape and wash clean; then rub
into it one tablespoon of salt. Roll the crackers or bread-crumbs very fine, and add to
them the parsley, one tablespoon of chopped pork, half the pepper, half a tablespoon of salt,
and cold water to moisten well. Put this into the body of the fish, and fasten together
with a skewer. Butter a tin sheet and put it into a baking pan. Cut gashes across the
fish, about half an inch ' deep and two inches long. Cut the remainder of the pork into
strips, and put these into the gashes. Now put the fish into the baking pan, and dredge
well with flour, salt and pepper. Cover the bottom of the pan with hot water, and put
into a rather hot oven. Bake one hour, basting often with the gravy in the pan, and
dredging each time with flour, salt and pepper. The water in the pan must often be
renewed, as the bottom is simply to be covered with it each time. The fish should be
basted every fifteen minutes. When it is cooked, lift from the pan on to the tin sheet,
and slide it carefully into the centre of the dish on which it is to be served. Pour around
it Hollandaise sauce, tomato sauce, or any kind you like. Garnish with parsley.
BOILED FISH, SAUCE HOLLANDAISE.
Any kind of fish can be used, only it should not be split. Fish-men are possessed
with the insane idea that they must give it a slash down the middle, which, in nine cases
out of ten, makes trouble for the housekeeper, because, if the fish is to be stuffed and
baked, the slash has to be sewed up again; if to be boiled, it is almost impossible to keep
the fish in shape, as it breaks so easily; and if to be fried, it spoils the shape of the slices.
It is just as easy to dress a fish by cutting it at the gills. If fish-men would concentrate
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FISH. 83
Page 72 · 1 recipe record on this page
Presented as published in 1891. 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
Fish to be prime must be thick and firm, with bright scales and stiff fins; the gills a very lively red, the eye full and prominent. In the summer they should be cleaned at once and kept on ice till you are ready to cook them; do not attempt to keep fresh fish till next day. Mackerel cannot be cooked too soon, as they spoil more readily than any other fish.
BAKED FISH.
A general rule, that will cover all kinds of baked fish, is herewith given: A fish weighing about five pounds; three large, or five small crackers, or an equivalent in dry breadcrumbs, quarter of a pound of salt pork, two tablespoons of salt, quarter of a teaspoon of pepper, half a tablespoon of chopped parsley, two tablespoons of flour.
If the fish has not already been scraped free of scales, scrape and wash clean; then rub into it one tablespoon of salt. Roll the crackers or bread-crumbs very fine, and add to them the parsley, one tablespoon of chopped pork, half the pepper, half a tablespoon of salt, and cold water to moisten well. Put this into the body of the fish, and fasten together with a skewer. Butter a tin sheet and put it into a baking pan. Cut gashes across the fish, about half an inch ' deep and two inches long. Cut the remainder of the pork into strips, and put these into the gashes. Now put the fish into the baking pan, and dredge well with flour, salt and pepper. Cover the bottom of the pan with hot water, and put into a rather hot oven. Bake one hour, basting often with the gravy in the pan, and dredging each time with flour, salt and pepper. The water in the pan must often be renewed, as the bottom is simply to be covered with it each time. The fish should be basted every fifteen minutes. When it is cooked, lift from the pan on to the tin sheet, and slide it carefully into the centre of the dish on which it is to be served. Pour around it Hollandaise sauce, tomato sauce, or any kind you like. Garnish with parsley.
BOILED FISH, SAUCE HOLLANDAISE.
Any kind of fish can be used, only it should not be split. Fish-men are possessed with the insane idea that they must give it a slash down the middle, which, in nine cases out of ten, makes trouble for the housekeeper, because, if the fish is to be stuffed and baked, the slash has to be sewed up again; if to be boiled, it is almost impossible to keep the fish in shape, as it breaks so easily; and if to be fried, it spoils the shape of the slices. It is just as easy to dress a fish by cutting it at the gills. If fish-men would concentrate
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Baked Fish