How to Cook Fish Part 50

Clean and remove the bone from large smelts and stuff them with seasoned crumbs, chopped oysters, and mushrooms rubbed to a paste with melted b.u.t.ter. b.u.t.ter a serving-dish, lay the prepared fish upon it, cover with chopped onion, and squeeze over the juice of a lemon. Add a tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter and a cupful of white stock and bake half an hour. Serve with any preferred sauce.

BOILED SMELTS

Cook smelts in salted and acidulated water, or in court bouillon, [Page 377]

drain and serve with Tartar Sauce.

SMELTS WITH MAYONNAISE

Dip the cleaned fish into beaten egg, then into crumbs, and fry in deep fat. Serve cold with Mayonnaise.

STEWED SMELTS

Clean the fish and remove the heads. Put into a b.u.t.tered china baking-dish. Add enough fish or veal stock to cover, and chopped onions, capers, parsley, thyme, pepper and salt, and white wine to season. Bring to the boil, pour over the fish and bake for ten or fifteen minutes. Serve in the same dish.

SMELTS WITH FINE HERBS

Chop together chives and parsley, and sprinkle a b.u.t.tered baking-dish.

Season with salt and pepper, lay prepared smelts upon it, sprinkle with chopped onions and seasoning, add half a cupful of white wine, cover with b.u.t.tered paper and bake for ten minutes. Take up carefully, thicken the liquid with b.u.t.ter and flour cooked together, and serve with the fish.

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SMELT CROQUETTES

Clean and split smelts and remove the backbone. Pound fine a pound of cooked halibut, seasoning with salt, white pepper, and Sherry.

Add enough very thick Cream Sauce to make a stiff paste, and cool.

Shape into croquettes and roll a smelt around each one, fastening it by sticking the tail through the head. Dip in egg and crumbs and fry in hot lard to cover. Serve with Tartar Sauce.

SMELTS IN MATELOTE

Chop together an onion, a sprig of parsley, three mushrooms, and a bean of garlic. Fry in oil and season with salt and pepper. Put the cleaned smelts into the pan, add enough white wine to cover, and simmer until done. Strain the liquid, thicken it with b.u.t.ter and flour cooked together, pour over the fish, and serve with a garnish of lemon and parsley.

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FIFTY-FIVE WAYS TO COOK SOLES

NOTE:--If the imported sole is not readily obtainable, flounder or pompano makes a very acceptable subst.i.tute.

BOILED SOLES

Trim the soles, rub with lemon-juice and boil in salted water. Drain, and serve with any preferred sauce.

BROILED SOLE--I

Marinate for an hour in oil and lemon-juice seasoned with salt and pepper. Broil on a double-broiler and serve with Maitre d'Hotel Sauce.

BROILED SOLE--II

Clean and skin a sole, dip in melted b.u.t.ter and lemon-juice, then in seasoned crumbs, and broil. Remove the bone from an anchovy and rub it to a paste with a small lump of b.u.t.ter. Add a winegla.s.sful of white wine and the juice of half a lemon and keep the sauce warm.

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Place the sole on a hot dish, pour the sauce over and serve.

BAKED FILLETS OF SOLE--I

b.u.t.ter a baking-pan, sprinkle with chopped onions and parsley, lay fillets of sole upon it, spread with b.u.t.ter, season with salt and pepper, add a winegla.s.sful of white wine, and bake in the oven, basting frequently. Take up the fish carefully, add to the liquid a dozen chopped mushrooms, a tablespoonful of fresh bread-crumbs and minced parsley to season. Lay the fillets on a baking-dish, spread with the paste, cover with large fresh mushrooms, sprinkle with crumbs, dot with b.u.t.ter, and brown in the oven. Serve very hot in the same dish.

BAKED FILLETS OF SOLE--II

Put the prepared fillets in a b.u.t.tered baking-dish, sprinkling with chopped onion, parsley, and mushrooms, and seasoning with salt and pepper. Add a tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter and enough white wine and white stock in equal parts to keep from burning. Bake, basting frequently. Cook together one tablespoonful each of b.u.t.ter and flour, add a cupful of brown stock and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Take up the fish, drain the liquor from the pan into the [Page 381]

sauce, and reheat. Spread the sauce over the fish, sprinkle with crumbs, dot with b.u.t.ter, and brown in the oven.

FILLETS OF SOLE BAKED IN WHITE WINE

b.u.t.ter a baking-dish and put into it six fillets of sole. Add half a cupful of hot water and a tablespoonful of lemon-juice. Cook together one tablespoonful each of b.u.t.ter and flour, seasoning with minced parsley, grated onion, salt, cayenne, and powdered mace. Add one cupful of white wine and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Drain the fish, pour the sauce over, and serve.

BAKED SOLE WITH WINE SAUCE

Clean a large sole, tr.i.m.m.i.n.g off the gills and dark skin and sc.r.a.ping the white side. Make a deep cut on each side of the back-bone and take off the fins. Put into a b.u.t.tered baking-pan with salt and pepper to season and two cupfuls of white wine. Bake for twenty minutes. Cook together one tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter and two of flour, add a cupful of cold water and cook until thick, stirring constantly.

Strain the liquor from the fish into the sauce, bring to the boil, [Page 382]

add one tablespoonful each of b.u.t.ter and minced parsley, pour over the fish and serve.

FRIED SOLE--I

Remove the skin, dip in beaten egg, then in crumbs, and fry in deep fat. Serve with any preferred sauce.

FRIED SOLE--II

Skin and clean a pair of soles and marinate for an hour in oil and lemon-juice. Dip in egg and crumbs and fry in deep fat. Cool, trim, dip into melted b.u.t.ter, then into the beaten yolks of eggs, then into seasoned crumbs. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and broil slowly, basting with melted b.u.t.ter if needed. Serve with Maitre d'Hotel Sauce.

FRIED FILLETS OF SOLE--I

Marinate a sole for an hour in white wine, seasoned with salt, pepper, and sweet herbs. Drain, cut into fillets, dip in milk, dredge with flour, and fry in hot lard.

FRIED FILLETS OF SOLE--II

Sprinkle the prepared fillets with salt, pepper, and lemon-juice, dip in egg and crumbs, repeat, fry in fat to cover, and serve with Tartar Sauce.

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FRIED FILLETS OF SOLE a L'ORLY

Soak the prepared fillets for an hour in lemon-juice seasoned with grated onion, minced parsley, salt and pepper. Drain, dry, dredge with flour or dip in batter. Fry in deep fat and serve with Tomato Sauce.

FRIED SOLE a L'ANGLAISE

Dredge the prepared fish with flour, brush with the beaten yolk of an egg, cover with crumbs, and fry in deep fat.

FRIED SOLE a LA COLBERT--I

Cut the fish into fillets, dip in milk, then in flour, and fry brown. Serve with melted b.u.t.ter and garnish with lemon and parsley.