Philadelphia Planked Shad
From Home dissertations, 1891
The fish can be served on a hot platter instead of the plank.
Presented as published in 1891. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation below, not the original instructions.
A modern interpretation · AI-generated from the original record
Ingredients
Method
As published
This recipe was extracted from Home dissertations (1891) by Tilton, E. Stevens Mrs., page 78. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.
two tablespoons of lard, butter or drippings, season it with salt and pepper, cover the pan to prevent the spattering of the fat while the roe is being cooked, and fry it for about twenty minutes, turning it several times to insure its complete browning; as soon as the roe is put over the fire peel and slice a quart of potatoes, put them over the fire in plenty of salted boiling water, and boil them until they are tender enough to press through a colander with a potato masher; when the potatoes are soft drain them by pour- ing them into a colander; when all the water has run off put with them a heaping table- spoon of butter and a palatable seasoning of salt and pepper, and mash them through the colander, letting them fall lightly upon a hot platter; lay the shad roe upon the mashed potato and serve the dish hot. Pickled or fresh cucumbers, or any fresh salad, served with the dish, is a great addition to it. PHILADELPHIA PLANKED SHAD. Boards for planking shad are for sale at most house-furnishing stores in Eastern sea- coast cities, but when not available in this way they can be made readily. An oaken plank two inches thick is planed smooth on both sides, and cut about eighteen inches wide by tiirty long; small staples are driven upon one side, near the four corners, in such a way as to permit two stout wires, or small iron rods to be crossed over the middle of the board and have the ends slipped under the staples; sometimes the staples are dispensed with, FISH. 89 the shad being simply nailed to the board ; the board is placed m front of the fire, near enough to heat but not to be in danger of burning, and allowed to become very hot; mean- time the shad is scaled, the fins and tail trimmed off, a cut made down the middle of the back to admit of the removal of the back bone and entrails, the liver and roe being saved ; the shad is then rubbed with cold butter and seasoned with salt and pepper; the liver and roe are placed in a saucepan with half a lemon sliced, two tablespoons each of butter and flour rubbed to a smooth paste, a dozen whole cloves, hot water enough to cover them, and a palatable seasoning of salt and pepper, and stewed gently while the shad is being cooked ; when the shad is done a glass of wine is added to this sauce, the liver and roe are broken up with a fork, and the sauce is sent in a sauce-bowl to the table with the fish. When the plank is quite hot the shad is laid upon it, with the skin next the board, and placed in front of the fire to brown, a prop being put under the upper part of board, and the lower end being placed in a large pan containing two tablespoons of butter
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Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.