The housekeeper's companion

Baked Cod. — Clean a good sized fish, weighing four or five pounds; wash it and dry it well in a cloth; rub it inside and out with a mixture of pepper and salt; cut a slice from a loaf of bread, spread it thickly with butter; moisten it with hot water, and fill the body of the fish; tie a thread around it to keep the dressing in, then put bits of butter, the size of a hickory nut, all over the surface; dredge flour over it until it looks white; then lay a trivet on some muffin rings in a dripping-pan, and lay the fish on; put in a pint of water to baste with, then put it in a hot oven, and baste frequently; in one hour it will be done. Take it up on a hot dish, add a gill of vinegar to the gravy, or a lemon cut in very thin slices; dredge in a little flour; let it boil up once; stir it well; add a very little hot water if necessary, then strain into a gravy-boat, lay the slice over the fish, and serve. Haddock. — These are chosen and dressed the same as cod. Shad. — These are in season from the last of March until May; they are chosen by the same rules as other fish. These fish may be fried, baked, boiled or salted. Fried Shad. — Scale the fish, and cut off the head, then split it open down the back, at the side of the backbone; take out the entrails; keep the roe or eggs to be fried with the fish; then cut it in two from head to tail, and cut each side in pieces two or three inches wide; rinse them in cold water, wipe them dry, and dip each in wheat flour, and fry in salted lard; when the inside, which must always be cooked first (of any fish), is done a fine brown, turn the other; the fat must be boiling hot when the fish is put in, and then fried gently, that it may not be too dark colored. Broiled Shad. — Cut the fish the same as for frying, or merely split it in two; lay it on a gridiron over a bright steady fire of coals; let it broil gently; put the inside to the fire first that it may be done through; have ready a steak dish with nearly a quarter of a pound of sweet butter, and a teaspoonful of salt and pepper each, worked into it;; when both sides of the fish are done, lay it on the dish, turn it several times in the butter, cover it with a tin cover, and set the dish where it will keep hot, until ready to serve. Baked Shad. — Scale the shad clean, cut off the head, and split the fish half way down the back; scrape the inside perfectly clean; make a stuffing thus: Cut two slices of a baker's loaf of wheat bread, spread each thickly with butter; sprinkle with pepper and salt, and a little pounded sage if liked; moisten it with hot water; fill the belly with this; wind a cord around it to keep in the stuffing, dredge the outside well with flour; stick bits of butter, the size of a hickory nut, all over outside; mix a teaspoonful each of salt and pepper together, and sprinkle it all over the whole surface; then lay the fish on a trivet or muffin rings in a dripping pan; put in a pint of water to baste with, and keep the gravy from burning; if this all wastes before the fish is done, add more hot water; bake for one hour in a quick oven; baste frequently.