Stewed Fish, — Almost any kind of fish are excellent stewed,
except those of a coarse-fleshed nature, like mackerel or smelts ;
eelSj trout, carp, and fresh-water fish generally, are capital in a stew.
A nice wav of stewing is to put the fish in beef or any other gravy
that is rich and well-seasoned, and cook it very gently from fifteen
minutes to an hour, according to size ; add some vinegar or cider,
thicken the liquor with yolk of egg, cream, or butter rubbed in flour,
234 FisiJ. .
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and serve the fish and sauce together. The large kinds, like salmon,
sturgeon, cod, etc., must be cut in slices ; trout and other medium
sized fish may be stewed whole and served with a sauce over them.
Silver eels should be divided into short lengths. Some cooks flour
the fish itself before putting it into the gravy, but the sauce is rarely,
by this means, so smoothly thickened as it should be. A few oys-
ters may be advantageously added to most stews, put in with the
egg or flour : essence of anchovy, catsup, herbs, or mushrooms may
also be employed to increase the flavor, for stews should never taste
insipid, but quite relishing and savory, and for this reason spices,
lemon, pickle, chutnejr, tomatoes, savory herbs, caviare, or indeed
any kind of flavoring in good taste, is admissible. Another good
recipe for a etew is tL foBowing: 'Take six pounds anv kind of
fish, large or small, three pints water, quarter pound pork, or half
cup butter, two large onions, three tablespoons nour, salt and pepper
to taste✪ Stewed Fish. Gut heads from fish and remove all bones ; put heaas and
bones on to boil in the three pints water and cook gently half an
hour ; cut the pork in slices and fry brown ; slice the onions and
fry in the pork fat ; stir the dry flour into the onion and fat and
cook three minutes, stirring all the time. Pour over this tha water
in which the bones have been cooking, and simmer ten minutes.
Have the fish cut in pieces about three inches square, season well
with salt and pepper, and place in the stew-pan ; season the sauce
with salt and pepper, and strain on the fish, cover tight, and sim-
mer twenty mmutes. A boucjuet of sweet herbs simmered with the
bones is an improvement. Dish on a large platter and garnish with
potato balls and parsley. The potato balls are cut from the raw
potatoes with a vegetable scoop, and boiled ten minutes in salted
water. Put them in little heaps around the dish. For a plainer
stew, cut a fish across in slices an inch and a half thick, and sprinkle
with salt ; boil two sliced onions until done, pour off water, season
with pepper^ add two cups hot water and a little parsley to the
onions, and in this simmer the fish until thoroughly done. Serve
hot. A little lemon juice or vinegar may be added. Garnish with
parsley and sliced lemons. »
Page 195 · 1 recipe record on this page
Presented as published in 1890. 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
Stewed Fish, — Almost any kind of fish are excellent stewed, except those of a coarse-fleshed nature, like mackerel or smelts ; eels, trout, carp, and fresh-water fish generally, are capital in a stew. A nice wav of stewing is to put the fish in beef or any other gravy that is rich and well-seasoned, and cook it very gently from fifteen minutes to an hour, according to size ; add some vinegar or cider, thicken the liquor with yolk of egg, cream, or butter rubbed in flour,
234 FisiJ. .
1 1 I ■ .. ■ ■ ■ ■ - t
w
and serve the fish and sauce together. The large kinds, like salmon, sturgeon, cod, etc., must be cut in slices ; trout and other medium sized fish may be stewed whole and served with a sauce over them. Silver eels should be divided into short lengths. Some cooks flour the fish itself before putting it into the gravy, but the sauce is rarely, by this means, so smoothly thickened as it should be. A few oysters may be advantageously added to most stews, put in with the egg or flour : essence of anchovy, catsup, herbs, or mushrooms may also be employed to increase the flavor, for stews should never taste insipid, but quite relishing and savory, and for this reason spices, lemon, pickle, chutney, tomatoes, savory herbs, caviare, or indeed any kind of flavoring in good taste, is admissible. Another good recipe for a stew is the following: 'Take six pounds anv kind of fish, large or small, three pints water, quarter pound pork, or half cup butter, two large onions, three tablespoons nour, salt and pepper to taste. Gut heads from fish and remove all bones ; put heaas and bones on to boil in the three pints water and cook gently half an hour ; cut the pork in slices and fry brown ; slice the onions and fry in the pork fat ; stir the dry flour into the onion and fat and cook three minutes, stirring all the time. Pour over this tha water in which the bones have been cooking, and simmer ten minutes. Have the fish cut in pieces about three inches square, season well with salt and pepper, and place in the stew-pan ; season the sauce with salt and pepper, and strain on the fish, cover tight, and simmer twenty minutes. A bouquet of sweet herbs simmered with the bones is an improvement. Dish on a large platter and garnish with potato balls and parsley. The potato balls are cut from the raw potatoes with a vegetable scoop, and boiled ten minutes in salted water. Put them in little heaps around the dish. For a plainer stew, cut a fish across in slices an inch and a half thick, and sprinkle with salt ; boil two sliced onions until done, pour off water, season with pepper^ add two cups hot water and a little parsley to the onions, and in this simmer the fish until thoroughly done. Serve hot. A little lemon juice or vinegar may be added. Garnish with parsley and sliced lemons. »
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Stewed Fish