Practical household cookery

After having cleansed and scaled three or four perch in the usual way, put them in a saute-pan properly buttered, and a little salt sprinkled over. Moisten with two glasses of sherry, and cover with a buttered sheet of paper. Boil on the stove, and afterwards put them into a moderately heated oven to bake for ten minutes, taking care to baste them meanwhile two or three times ; transfer carefully to a buttered gratin-dish, sprinkle over them some fine herbs ; mix the remainder of the liquor in which the fish was baked with a gill of Spanish sauce (Na 151), and pour it over; sprinkle with bread-crumbs, set on the oven to gratin for ten or twelve minutes, and serve. 400. PERCH A LA VENITIENNE. When the number of perch required have been thoroughly cleansed, as described in the previous numbers, boil them in "Court Bouillon*' (No. 392) for seven or eight minutes; dish up in a row, moisten with some Yenitienne sauce (No. 206), and serve. 401. FILLETS OF PERCH A L'ITALIENNE. The filleting of perch is done in the same way as that of pike. Lay the fillets in a saut^-pan with some clarified butter; season with salt, pepper, a little nutmeg, and lemon-juice. Set the fillets to simmer on the fire for about ten minutes, and when thoroughly done drain on a cloth, dish up in the form of a circle, pour some Italian sauce (No. 205) over, and send to table. Fillets of perch thus prepared can also be served with any other fish sauce, from which the dish will take its name, viz., k la Hollandaise, k la Havigotte, &c., kc 402. FILLETS OF PERCH A LA ROMAINE. Prepare a dozen fillets of perch in the usual manner; pickle these for an hour as for perch fried, wipe and flour in the same way, then pass them through some yolks of eggs well heaten and salted ; fry in olive-oil till of a nice colour; drain, and dish up in a circle, pour some Tomato sauce (No. 217) over them, after having mixed with it a pat of anchovy hutter, and serve. 408. PERCH, ANGLER'S STYLE. Take the perch as caught by the river-side, not drawn or otherwise cleaned. Procure some stiff clay, and with it give the fish a thin coating of about the sixteenth of an inch thick. Having previously lighted a fire of wood, so as to produce a quantity of hot-fire -holding embers and cinders, bury the fish in it for about twenty minutes or more, according to the size, when it will be baked and found to eat to perfection. Note, — Any other kind of fresh- water fish can be cooked in this style. Anglers, when out for the day, will find it worth trying. For their particular benefit the recipe is included, and to them it is dedicated. Remarks on Carp. Carp caught in rapid waters are held in high estimation, especially on the Continent ; but those found in stagnant waters and feeding on muddy food have a very muddy flavour. To prevent this taste from being so pronounced, carp should, after being taken out of a pond, be placed in running water in a box (with plenty of perforated holes) before being cooked. No doubt the monks had in olden times some excellent recipes for cooking carp, but these must have been lost with the destruction of their orders and monasteries. Carp live to a very great age, some say for centuries, and reach the weight of twenty- five pounds; at least some were caught of that weight. The ilesh of the carp is of a white-rosy colour, rather indigestible, and it requires to be cooked in well-seasoned sauces. It is absolutely necessary when cleaning the fish to extract an angular substance called the gall-stone, which is located at the back of the head. If not removed it will impart a bitter taste and render the best fish almost unfit for table. 404. CARP A LA B0URGI6N0NE.