Fish Bake

Ingredients

• the milk
• parsley
• thyme
• onion
• the flour
• cold milk
• the butter
• the beaten egg
• the grated bread crumbs
• the cheese

Method

1. 1

   Boil the fish until done, drain, remove skin, and cut into pieces.

2. 2

   Season with pepper and salt.

3. 3

   In a pot, combine milk, parsley, thyme, onion, and seasoning; bring to a boil.

4. 4

   Gradually stir in flour blended with cold milk until thick.

5. 5

   Remove from heat, stir in butter, strain, and mix in beaten egg.

6. 6

   Layer sauce and fish in a baking dish, finishing with sauce.

7. 7

   Top with bread crumbs and cheese.

8. 8

   Bake for half an hour at moderate heat.

9. 9

   Serve hot.

Nutrition per serving

As published

This recipe was extracted from Manual for army cooks (1896) by United States. War Dept. Subsistence Dept., page 28. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

the milk, parsley, thyme, onion, and a seasoning of pepper and salt. Let this come to a boil; then stir in gradually the floiir, blended with cold milk, and ~keep stirring until it reaches the consistency of thick cream. Take it at once from the fire, stir in the butter, strain through a colander, and when the mixture is about milk warm, stir in the beaten egg and mix thoroughly. Put into a baking dish a layer of the sauce ; on the sauce a layer of fish ; on the fish a layer of sauce, and so on in successive layers till the dish is full, being careful to finish with a layer of sauce; over this last layer sprinkle the grated bread crumbs, and on these a little of the cheese to form a top crust; bake half an hour with a moderate heat. Serve hot in the baking dish. BOILED SALT CODFISH. Soak the fish twelve hours in tepid water, or longer if necessary. Scale and cleanse it. See that MANUAL FOR ARMY COOKS. 77 no crystals of salt adhere to the under part of the fish ; put it into a pot, first cutting it into slices ; cover with cold water and set it on a rather slow fire ; carefully remove the scum as it rises. When it comes to a boil, if not cooked, change the water and let it come to a boil again. Drain well. Separate the flakes, put it into a hot dish, pour over a sauce (see Sauces for Boiled Fish), and serve. CODFISH BALLS. Prepare the fish as for boiling. Pick the fish into very fine pieces or shreds, carefully removing skin and bone. Put it on the fire in a pot of cold water ; remove the scum as it rises ; let it come to a boil slowly, then pour off the water and replenish with boiling water. Let it come to a boil again, then drain well. Have ready an equal bulk of hot mashed potato worked light with butter and milk ; mix mashed potato and fish together while both are hot. It makes a great dift'erence in the light- ness of the balls if the mixing is done while fish and potato are both hot. Form the mixture quick- ly into balls or thick, flat cakes. Put into a vessel enough lard or beef dripping so that when melted it will immerse the balls ; when this gets hot, drop in the balls and fry to a light brown. When one side is done turn the other. While mixing the fish and potatoes together, beaten egf^ may be stirred with the mixture to make the whole smooth ; or, after being made into balls, each ball may be dipped into beaten egg before it is dropped into the fat. SALT CODFISH HASH. One-third fish (cooked) ; two-thirds mashed potato worked light with butter and milk. Chop the cooked fish fine ; then mash and work it as fine as possible. This done, work the potato 78 MANUAL FOR ARMY COOKS. gradually and thoroughly into the fish; mix in enough milk to make the mixture as soft as mashed potato. While working the mixture, season it with butter and pepper; also salt if necessary. Put it into a pot and heat it, constantly stirring it. Put into a frying pan enough butter or beef dripping so that when melted it will just cover the bottom of the pan ; when this is hot press the hash into it firmly and fry very gently ; when the lower side becomes brown turn it out without breaking, into a hot dish, and serve. BOILED SALT MACKEREL. Wash the fish and soak it, skin side uppermost, in cold water eight or ten hours. If very salty a longer time will be required to soak. Put the fish into a shallow pan, skin side ujjpermost ; cover with cold water ; boil gently. It should cook in fifteen or twenty minutes. When cooked take it up care- fully; drain well; put it in a hot dish skin side down. Pej^per and butter upper side, and serve. BROILED SALT MACKEREL. Wash and soak the fish in cold water for twelve or fourteen hours. This amount of soaking will make it sodden ; hang it up by the head to drip for eight or ten hours before cooking. Wipe it clean and heat the gridiron on a bed of live coals (wood coals are the best) ; then grease it well with a j^iece of salt IDork or bacon ; lay the fish on the gridiron, skin side uppermost. Broil brown ; turn carefully ; separate with a knife any part of it which sticks to the gridiron, and brown the other side. When cooked, take it up carefully, put it in a hot dish skin side down, distribute small lumps of butter on its uj)per side, sprinkle with pepper, put it in the oven for a few minutes to let the butter soak in, and serve. MANUAL FOR ARMY COOKS. 79 BAKED SHAD. Scrape free from all scales, make a short opening down the belly, and take out the insides. Wash well, inside and out, and immediately wipe dry with a clean towel. Rub it well with salt. Make a dressing of one cuj:) of stale bread crumbs, one tablespoonf ul of chopj)ed parsley, a half teaspoonful of salt, and a little black pepper. Mix well and stuff the body of the fish and sew it up with soft yarn. Now score one side of the fish with a sharp knife, making the scores about one inch apart, and put a strip of salt pork in each gash. Place it in the bottom of a baking pan and dredge thickly with salt, pepper, and flour; cover bottom of the pan with boiling water and put into a hot oven. Bake fif- teen minutes to every pound of fish, basting every ten minutes with the gravy in the pan. As the water evaporates, add more to again cover the bot- tom of the pan. Garnish with slices of lemon, fried potato balls, and parsley. When done, loosen it carefully and slide it into the dish. BAKE

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