Practical household cookery

Trim the mullet as in the foregoing, and lay them in a buttered sautée-pan ; season with salt and pepper ; moisten with half a pint of white wine and a little essence of mushrooms ; bake in a not too hot oven, taking care to baste often. When cooked dish up, have some Italian sauce (No. 204) ready, to which add the liquor in which the mullet have been cooked, after having previously reduced it a little by a sharp boiling ; add a little essence of anchovy (No. 174) and the juice of half a lemon ; stir the contents well, then pour it over the fish, and serve. 437. RED MULLET A LA GENOISE. Prepare the red mullet in a sautée-pan as in the foregoing; moisten with half a pint of red wine and some essence of mushrooms; bake, baste, and dish up in the same way; then reduce the liquor in which the fish were cooked, and mix it with some Genoise sauce (No. 207), a little anchovy butter (No. 161), the juice of half a lemon, and pour it over the fish before serving. 438. RED MULLET IN CASES. Spread the mullet in a well-buttered sautée-pan as before, season with salt and pepper, moisten with three glasses of sherry and a little essence of fish (No. 175). Bake in the oven, not forgetting the basting. When properly done put them separately in oblong paper cases, made for the purpose and saturated with olive-oil, put these on a dish and keep hot at the door of the oven. Meanwhile add another glass of sherry to the liquor remaining in the sautée-pan, stir it in order to detach any glaze that may have formed on the sides, add a little essence of anchovy (No. 161), the juice of half a lemon, and a spoonful of blanched and chopped parsley; stir these well together; sauce the mullets in their cases with it, spread a little finely bruised lobster coral over each, and serve. 439. GREY MULLET, HOLLANDAISE SAUCE. Remove the gills, cut the fins, cleanse the inside, scale, wash, and wipe three grey mullet; boil for about twenty minutes in salted water, strain, and serve with half a pint of Hollandaise sauce (No. 184) apart. Grey mullet can also be prepared in the same way as red mullet, viz., Mattre d'Hotel, k Tltalienne, Genoise, and Tomato sauce. Remarks on Whiting. This fish may be considered to be thoroughly English, as it is caught in great abundance almost all round the coast, but it should be eaten as soon as possible after being caught, as it is quickly spoilt by packing and travelling. 440. FRIED WHITING. Whiting before being fried should be skinned, and the following is the proper way of doing it : — With a cloth in your left hand, take a firm hold of the whiting at the back part of the head just below the gills, then with a points knife in your right hand loosen the skin on each side of the fish (just over the upper dorsal fin) by inserting the point and pulling the skin off sharp, one side after the other. When the fish is skinned and trimmed, turn the tail round into its mouth and hook it to its teeth ; then dip each fish into some beaten eggs, cover it with fine breadcrumbs and fry them in the frying fat, heated beforehand for that purpose, sprinkle with salt before dishing them on a dish, paper, or napkin, with fried parsley, and serve with a lemon cut in four, or either of the following sauces, Anchovy, Plain Butter, Shrimp, or Hollandaise. 441. WHITING BOILED. Trim only the number of whiting required, boil in some salt water for about seven minutes; after which, dish them up on a napkin on a dish and serve with either a Tomato, Shrimp, Anchovy, Plain Butter, or Hollandaise sauce. 442. BROILED WHITING.