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Mrs. Lincoln's Boston cook book

1884

Page 99 · 4 recipe records on this page

Presented as published in 1884. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
Fillets of Fish are the flesh separated from the bone, and served whole or divided, as the case ma}^ require. Floun- ders or sole, chicken halibut, and bass, should have the fillets on each side divided lengthwise ; making four long thin pieces, or fillets. Other fish are cut into thin slices or small squares. Very small fish may be split, the bone removed, and the whole fish rolled up from the tail to the head and fastened with a skewer. Broiled Fish. First clean the fish. Wash with a cloth wet in salt water, and dry on a clean fish towel, kept for no other purpose. Mackerel, white-fish, small blue-fish, trout, small cod, and II 1 62 The Boston Cook Book. shad should be spht down the back, and if yon prefer, cut off the head and tail. Halibut and salmon should be cut into inch slices, the skin and bone removed, and turned often while broiling. Cut flounder, bass, and chicken hal- ibut into fillets. Oily fish need onl^^ salt and pepper ; but dry white-fish should be spread with soft butter or olive oilBroiled Fish before broiling. Use a double ware broiler, and grease well with salt porh rind. Put the thickest edge of the fish next the middle of the broiler, and always broil the flesh side first, as the skin burns easil3\ Cook the flesh side until it is brown. The time should vary with the thickness of the fish ; move the broiler up and down, that all parts may be equally browned ; then turn, and cook on the other side just enough to crisp the skin. Small fish require from five to ten minutes ; thicker fish, fifteen or twenty minutes. The fire should be hot and clear. If the fish be very. thick, hold it farther from the fire ; or when nicely browned, put the broiler in the oven on a dripping-pan, and cook till the flesh sepa- rates easily from the bones. Mackerel, trout, and fresh herring are sometimes broiled whole. Clean without open- ing more than is necessary. Wipe and dry well. Gash through to the bone at intervals one inch apart on each side, and rub salt^ pepper^ and butter or oil in the incisions ; wrap in buttered paper, and broil carefully from ten to twenty minutes. When read}^ to serve, loosen the fish from the broiler on each side, open the broiler, and, leaving the flesh side of the fish uppermost, slide it off without breaking. Or open the opposite way, hold a platter over the skin side, and invert platter and broiler together. Spread with butter^ salt^ and pepper ; or add chopped parsley or watercresses ; or serve with Maitre d'hotel, Tartare, Tomato, or Curry sauce. Garnish parsley and slices of lemon. Baked Fish. Cod, haddock, cusk, blue-fish, small salmon, bass, and shad may be stufifed, and baked whole. The Boston Cook Booh. 163 Stuffing for Baked Fish weighing from four to six PoundsBaked Fish, 1 cup cracker crumbs. 1 saltspoonful salt. 1 saltspoonful pepper. 1 teaspoonful chopped onion. 1 teaspoonful chopped parsley. 1 teaspoonful capers. 1 teaspoonful pickles. ^ cup melted butter. This makes a dry, crumbly stuffing. If a moist stuffing be desired, use stale (not dried) bread crumbs, and moisten with one beaten egg and the butter ; or moisten the crackers with warm water. Oyster Stuffing, — One pint of oysters, one cup of seasoned and battered cracker crumbsOyster Stuffing. Drain and roll each oyster in the crumbs. Fill the fish with the oysters, and sprinkle the remainder of the crumbs over the oysters.