Practical household cookery

potatoes, previously cooked and rubbed through a wire sieve ; season with pepper, a little cayenne, and nutmeg ; lay the mixture on a gratin-dish, nicely shaped ; melt two ounces of fresh butter, mix with it the yolks of two eggs properly beaten, and pour it over the fish, with a few pieces of butter in addition ; then set the dish in a moderately heated oven for about ten or twelve minutes, or till it is of a nice golden -brown colour, and serve. Remarks on Herring& Fresh herrings are very nutritious, but ought to be eaten only when full of roe, as they lose much of their quality when otherwise. 460. FRESH HERRINGS. MUSTARD SAUCE. Cut off the heads and fins of four herrings; clean, scrape, and wash them well ; score them in the same way as broiled grey mullets or whiting ; then place on a dish, season with salt, pepper, and two tablespoonfuls of saladoil, and after having let them steep for half an hour put them on a gridiron to broil for four or five minutes on each side; then dress them on a dish and serve with Mustard sauce (No. 223) apart. 461. FRESH HERRINGS FRIED WITH PLAIN BUTTER SAUCE. Prepare some herrings as in No. 460 ; steep in milk ; flour and bread-crumb them ; fry in boiling fat ; and serve with plain Butter sauce apart. Remarks on Halibut. Halibut is only to be found on the northern coasts, and grows to an enormous size, 200 lbs. being their ordinary weight, llieir season is March, April, and May. 462. HALIBUT. OYSTER SAUCE. This fish is prepared and cooked in every way as cod, oyster sauce (No. 405). It can also be fried (this being the mode the Jews eat it the most), baked, broiled, and served with any fish sauce (see Cod). Kemarks on Plaice, Flounders, &c. Plaice, flounders, and dabs are flatfishes, like soles, turbot, and halibut They are generally plentiful in the market during their proper season, which is spring ; they are caught in great quantities in the Thames. 463. PLAICE, FLOUNDERS, AND DABS, FRIED. These fish are prepared in every respect as halibut or haddock. Remarks on Conger Eels. Conger eels are found principally on the sea-coasts of the south of England and Ireland ; they are sometimes of an enormous size, weighing as much as a hundred pounds. The flesh of the big fish is rather tough and coarse, but the smaller fish can be prepared in the same way as freshwater eels, although they are not so delicate and nutritious. Conger is in season from March to October. 464. CONGER EEL. HAtlRE D'HdlEL SAUCE. Take a piece of conger eel weighing about two pounds ; cleanse it most carefully; wash and tie it round with string, and blanch in boiling salt water for ten minutes ; drain, and put it in a stewpan ; cover it with water, add two sliced onions, a handful of parsley, two bay-leaves, n glass of vinegar, one clove of garlic, and season with salt and pepper ; let it simmer for half an hour ; after which, drain and dress on a dish, and serve with Maitre d'Hotel sauce (No 159) apart 465. CONGER EEL, ROASTED. Cleanse, skin, and wash a piece of conger eel weighing about three pounds ;. place this in a dish, with salt, pepper, nutmeg, a gill of salad-oil, the juice of a lemon, a bay-leaf, two spiigs of thyme, a sliced onion, and small carrot, to steep for about two hours. After this, put the fish in a buttered baking-pan ; cover with a buttered or oiled paper and bake it in a hot oven for half an hour or till well coloured ; then put it on a very hot dish, remove the grease or fat from the pan in which it was baked ; put in the pan a tablespoonful of chopped parsley, a gill of Spanish sauce (No 151), and the juice of a lemon ; stir this well on the fire, and after boiling for a few minutes pour over the fish and serve. Bemarks OS Fresh-water EsLa