A guide to modern cookery

Red mullet, especially the Mediterranean rock kind, is one of the greatest fish delicacies known; and the surname ‘‘ Sea Woodcock,’’ which gourmets sometimes give it, is quite justified, not only by its quality, but by the fact that, except for its gills, it is generally left whole, and not even emptied. It is best grilled. 1035a—GRILLED RED MULLET Carefully wipe the mullet; cisel it on either side to a depth in proportion to the thickness of its flesh and at closer intervals the thicker the latter is, in order to facilitate the cooking ; season it with salt and pepper; sprinkle it with a little oil and a few drops of lemon juice; spread a few slices of lemon and a few parsley stalks upon and beneath it; and let it marinade for an hour or two, turning it over frequently the while. Twenty minutes before serving, set the red mullet on a double fish grill, and cook it over a rather fierce fire, sprinkling it often the while with its marinade. Dish and serve it aS soon as it is ready, and serve a little half-melted maitred’hétel butter separately. 1035b—ROUGET A LA BORDELAISE Grill or sauté the red mullet. At the same time serve a sauce Bordelaise Bonnefoy (No. 67). 1035c—ROUGET AU FENOUIL Cisel and marinade the red mullet as directed under No. 1035a, and add a certain quantity of chopped fennel to the aromatics. Twenty minutes before serving, add two oz. of roughly-chopped raw pork fat and a little parsley to the marinade; wrap the red mullets in strong, oiled paper, together with its marinade, grill it gently, and serve it as it stands. 1035d—ROUGET A LA NICOISE Grill it as directed above, and serve it with the garnish given under “‘ Sole a la Nicoise.”’ 1035e—ROUGET EN PAPILLOTE Grill and wrap it in strong, oiled paper between two layers of somewhat thick Duxelle sauce. When about to serve, put the papillote for five minutes in the oven, that it may be souffléd. 1036—WHITEBAIT Thames whitebait, which has many points in common with the ‘‘ Nonat’’ of the Mediterranean, is one of the riddles of ichthyology; for, while it is generally admitted that it is the fry of one of the many species of fish, its real parentage is quite unknown. At dinners in London it usually stands as a second fishcourse, and, fried after the customary manner, it constitutes a dish the delicacy of which is incomparable. Whitebait, like the nonat, are extremely fragile, and ought to be cooked as soon as they are caught. They are always served fried, and the frying-medium used in their preparation should be fresh, abundant, and just smoking when the fish are plunged into it. Previous to this operation, however, the whitebait ought to be thoroughly dredged with flour and placed in a special sieve or frying basket, either of which should be well shaken, in order to rid the fish of any superfluous flour. They are then plunged into the smoking frying-medium, in small quantities at a time, and one minute’s stay therein suffices to render them sufficiently crisp. Draining is the next operation, effected upon a spread piece of linen, that the fish may be easily seasoned with table-salt and cayenne, mixed. This done, the whitebait are dished upon a napkin and sent to the table with very green, fried parsley. VARIOUS PREPARATIONS OF FISH 1037—MATELOTE AU VIN ROUGE The fish used for the Matelote are eel, carp, tench, bream, perch, &c. It may be prepared from one or many kinds of fish. Put the fish, cut into sections, into a sautépan. For two lbs. of it, add one minced onion, one faggot, two cloves of garlic, one pint of red wine, a pinch of salt, and another of pepper or four peppercorns. | Set to boil; add three tablespoonfuls of heated and burnt brandy; cover the sautépan, and complete the cooking of the fish.