Cod au Gratin

Ingredients

• a fresh Cod
• lib. of butter
• 3qts. of chopped mushrooms
• two blanched and chopped shallots
• 4 table-spoonfuls of chopped parsley
• the juice of two lemons
• a pounded clove of garlic
• 1J pints of white wine
• a handful of salt
• pepper to taste
• nutmeg to taste

Method

1. 1

   Clean a fresh Cod and prepare it by tying up the head with string and filling the inside with maitre-d’hotel butter.

2. 2

   Place the fish belly downwards in a buttered drainer in a fish-kettle, pour over a mixture of melted butter, chopped mushrooms, shallots, parsley, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

3. 3

   Pour over the fish white wine, bring to a boil, then place in a slack oven and let it boil gently for an hour and a half, basting every ten minutes.

4. 4

   Serve with fish sauce.

As published

This recipe was extracted from The encyclopædia of practical cookery (1890) by Theodore Francis Garrett, page 421. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

lib. of butter in a saucepan, put in 3qts. of chopped mushrooms, two blanched and chopped shallots, 4 table-spoonfuls of chopped parsley, the juice of two lemons, a pounded clove of garlic, and salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste ; all of these being well mixed and partly cooked before being used. Pour over the fish 1J pints of white wine, and bring it quickly to the boil ; then place the kettle in a slack oven and let it boil gently but continually for an-hour-and-a half, basting the fish about every ten minutes with the liquor. If the flesh is firm, put the Cod on a dish, pour over half of its stock, and servo with the remainder in a sauceboat. Any fish sauce may also accompany it. (2) Take half a Cod (the tail end is the best for this) and cut off both the fillets. Butter a gratin-dish and sprinkle it with a little minced onion and finely-chopped raw mushroom. Place the fillets side by side on the dish, add a little season- ing, and dust over with minced parsley and mushrooms, and lastly, breadcrumbs. Put the dish in a hot oven, and bake for from ten to twelve minutes ; then take it out, pour over a little brown sauce, replace it in the oven, and cook for seven or eight minutes longer. Serve the fish on the dish upon which it was cooked. (3) Clean a fresh Cod and prepare it for boiling ; put it on the fire in cold water with a handful of salt, and let it boil gently for five minutes. Remove it from the kettle, lay it in a tin or dish, and spi'ead over it a mixture made as follows : Put in a stewpan ilb. of butter, pints of For details respecting Culinary Processes, Utensils, Sauces, c be., referred to, see under their special heads. THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL COOKERY. 415 Codfish — continued. chopped mushroom?, four shallots, a handful of parsley, both chopped very fine, a little grated nutmeg, and pepper and salt to taste ; stir the whole on the fire until cooked, and then add 1 gill of thick brown sauce. Having covered the Cod with this, sprinkle over it some breadcrumbs previously browned in a saute-pan, and put it in the oven for three- quarters-of-an-hour ; then take the Cod from the pan and put it on the dish on which you are about to serve it. Add f pint of good fish stock, bring to the boil, strain into a sauceboat, and serve with the Cod. Cod au Gratin with Cream. — (1) Take the tail piece of a fresh Cod, clean and score it, and boil in salted water, with a little parsley. When it is quite done, drain it, wipe it with a napkin, open down the back, and remove all the bones, breaking the meat into pieces. Place these pieces in layers on a gratin-dish, and between the layers put a little bechamel sauce slightly reduced with cream but still pretty thick, and finished at the time with a piece of butter and a little grated nutmeg. Sprinkle a few breadcrumbs or grated Parmesan on the top layer, and brown it, either with a salamander or by putting it into the oven for a few minutes. (2) Put loz. each of butter and flour into a saucepan, stir over the fire until well mixed, add 1 teacupful of milk, and boil for a few minutes ; add a little cayenne, nutmeg, and pepper, and J teaspoonful of salt, and boil up again ; lastly adding the yolks of two eggs, one at a time, stirring vigorously as each one is added. Have ready lib. of Cod’s-flesh picked in flakes, put this into the pan, and toss frequently until it is quite hot. Turn the whole out in a heap on a hot dish, sprinkle over about 3oz. of fried breadcrumbs, and serve. Cod Balls. — Remove the bone from a piece of fish, make the weight up to 6oz., soak it a little while in cold water, put it into a saucepan with water, and boil for half-an-hour. Look it well over when boiled in case of any small pieces of bone being left, and then pound it to a pulp. Boil lib. of potatoes, and when quite done and soft strain and mash them up with the fish, adding 1 table-spoonful of butter (melted) and one egg. Take out some of the fish, &c., make it into balls or flat pieces (having the hands well floured), throw these into a frying-pan with plenty of boiling fat, and fry till of a light brown colour. Cod Broiled as in Turkey. — Rub some slices of Cod over with salt and flour ; then grease a gridiron with olive oil, place the fish upon it, and set it over a moderate charcoal fire, turning it constantly till browned on both sides. Put a layer of finely-chopped onions and parsley at the bottom of a hot dish, and when the slices of fish are cooked lay them upon it. Garnish with cut lemons, and serve while very hot. Cod Cake. — Remove the skin and bone from a piece of fish weighing about lib., being careful not to break it up into too small pieces. Put 2oz. of butter in a stowpan ; when it is melted put in 1 teaspoonful of flour, set the pan on the fire, and stir it frequently for about three minutes ; then add a teacupful of milk, and salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste

Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.