Cookery for every household

Clean and skin the eels as directed on p. 102. Cut them in medium-sized pieces and put them into a saucepan with warm water to cover them. Sprinkle with pepper and salt, add the bay-leaf and onion cut in pieces, and enough vinegar or lemon juice to make the water taste slightly sour. Simmer all slowly until the fish is tender, then lift it out, remove the bones, and cut the flesh in neat pieces. Now strain the liquid and return it to the saucepan, let it boil up and skim it until it looks quite dear. Add gelatine in the proportion of £ oz. to each J pt. of liquid and let it dissolve. Then strain again and put it to cool. Take a plain mould, rinse it out with cold water and leave it wet. Decorate it with some of the hard-boiled egg cut in slices and a few little sprigs of parsley. Then fill up the mould with the fish, remainder of the eggs, the anchovies cut in small pieces, and a little more parsley. Pour in the liquid jelly very slowly and enough to well cover the fish. Put the mould in a cool place, and when set, turn out and garnish with a little salad, or serve beetroot or cucumber separately. Grey Mullet (Mulet or Surmulet) This is quite a different fish from the red mullet and is inferior in quality. It is a favourite with some people, but care should be taken to know where it was caught, as it is not always particular Grey Mullet about its food. Like the mackerel, the grey mullet must be used very fresh. It may be cooked in the same way as haddock, but requires a good sauce to make it taste well. Perch (Perche) A freshwater fish of good quality. The flesh is firm and white, and has a pleasant flavour. It has a bright shiny appearance when fresh, and should be used at once. If found difficult to scale it should Perch be dipped in boiling water for a minute or two. It may be boiled, stewed, broiled like herring, or cut in fillets if large. It is also very good served cold with mayonnaise or tartare sauce. 279. Perch, To Broil or Fry Prepare and cook in the same way as Broiled or Fried Herring (see p. 90). 280. Perch a la Maitre d’Hotel (Perche a la Maitre d’Hotel) 1 perch. Lemon juice. A little butter. I pt. maitre d’htedl Pepper and salt. sauce. Skin and fillet the fish, and wipe the pieces dry in a clean cloth. Then cut the fillets in pieces about 2 inches in length, and place them in a well-greased baking dish. Sprinkle with pepper, salt, and a little lemon juice, cover with greased paper, and bake in a moderate oven until done. When ready, drain the pieces of fish for a minute on kitchen paper and then arrange them neatly on a hot dish. Have ready \ pint maitre d’hotel sauce (see Recipe 700), pour any butter left in the baking dish into it, make thoroughly hot and pour over the fish. Serve with small croutons of fried bread. Time to bake, about 15 minutes. Sufficient for 3 or 4 persons. 281, Perch, To Stew with Wine (Perche au Vin Blanc) 3 or 4 perch. White or fish stock. White wine. 2 bay -leaves. A few parsley stalks. 1 onion. 2 or 3 cloves. 1 J oz. butter. 1 oz. flour. 1 tea-sp. anchovy essence. Salt, pepper.