The Queen Cook Book: A Careful Compilation of Recipes and Practical ...

Fish is not considered so nutritious as meat, but we can eat more of it, as it is more easily digested. There is not much doubt but that it would be better 80 The Queen Cook Book > for us, if we ate more fish than we do. It is very healthy and by some considered brain food. I notice in most recipes for cooking fish, that lemon, onion and vinegar are recommended. Use them if you like, but we prefer the delicate flavor of the fish. Lemon or vinegar may be a relish on frogs or shrimps. Baked Fish. The fish should always be very carefully and thoroughly cleaned, scraped outside and washed well. All fish should be thoroughly cooked. Wipe it with a dry cloth, rub in the salt, on both sides, and fill with turkey dressing; sew it up carefully, do not pack it, as it will swell. If you leave the head on clean it well. I take it off. Lay it on the rack of roasting pan after rubbing it with softened butter, put in pan a little water and baste three times. It will take an hour or more according to size. It is served with drawn butter, Hollandaise, or oyster sauce. When fish is well cooked it will cleave from the bones easily. Steamed Fish or Boiled Fish. To make turbot is better steamed than boiled. Dress it nicely, rub with salt, and wrap it in a sheer cloth, that you may take it out without breaking. It can be steamed and stuffed with turkey dressing for dinner and served with drawn butter. To boil fresh fish of any. kind, clean the fish, wipe dry, rub with salt both sides, roll firmly in a thin white cloth, wind a cord around the fish in several places, put in a large kettle of hot water salted. If the fish weighs ten pounds allow one and a half hours or less in proportion. When done take out and drain, take of! the cord and cloth, peel the skin off, taste to see if it is The Queen Cook Book 8 1 salt enough. Serve with Hollandaise sauce or drawn butter. Fried Fish. Fish to be fried, after being well cleaned, wipe with a dry cloth, rub with salt, dredge lightly with flour, place in hot spider with drippings and butter. Turn carefully without breaking, when brown. Brown both sides, but do not burn. Cut the pieces three inches wide for frying. All fish should be freshly caught. Creamed Fish. A nice breakfast dish. The day before you wish to use it, prepare a fish the size you need, rub salt on it, wrap in cheese cloth, either steam or boil it slowly for thirty minutes; skin it and take out the bones while hot, and when cool take a silver fork and pick it into flakes. Be careful not to muss it. In the morning put over the fire one pint of milk, blend together two tablespoons of butter and one of flour until smooth; when milk is hot stir in some of it gradually on the paste until it is boiled enough to cook the flour, pour- on the fish; a sprinkle of pepper and salt. TURBOT A LA CrEME. Steam until tender one white fish, first rubbing it with salt, after nicely cleaning. Then take off the skin, pick out all the bones; pick the fish up. For dressing: One pint of milk, boiled; blend together two teaspoons of flour, four tablespoons of butter and stir in milk with white pepper and salt as you like. Cook five minutes, stirring all the time. When cool add two well beaten eggs. Put in the baking dish a layer of fish 82 The Queen Cook Book then a layer of dressing, and so on, till the dish is full; a sprinkle of rolled cracker crumbs on top and sprinkle this with milk enough to moisten them. Bake onehalf hour in moderate oven, browning the top. Serve in same dish, which should be a pudding dish. A nice supper dish, with hot biscuit and Saratoga potatoes. The dressing must always be only as thick as cream. Fish Souffle to Bake in Shells.