The encyclopædia of practical cookery

Broiled Stuffed Carp. — Take a Carp and clean it, opening it all along the belly. Then make a stuffing with some mushrooms, parsley, chives, and two small onions, all finely chopped. Put a little butter in a saucepan, and add the mushroom mixture [illustration: Fig. 340. Carp a la Chambord.] If the roe of the Carp is soft, it should be mixed with the mushrooms and other savouries. Let the pan remain over a brisk fire for a few minutes, then remove it, and mix in some chopped anchovy, some yolks of hard-boiled eggs also chopped, and salt and pepper to taste. When the stuffing is done, put it in the belly of the fish, sew up the cut, wrap the Carp up in a sheet of oiled paper, and place it on a gridiron over a moderate fire. Remove the fish when quite done, take off the paper, put the fish on a dish with a large lump of butter worked up with lemon-juice, minced parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Carp a la Chambord. — Take a freshly-caught Carp, scale and clean it ; then make a firm fish forcemeat mixed with fine herbs, and stuff it into the fish. Remove the skin from the sides of the Carp, and lard the flesh with square strips Fig. 340. Carp 1 la Chambord. of raw bacon-fat (see Fig. 340). Take a flat fish-kettle, and line the bottom with vegetables and bacon ; then put in the fish, season it, put in sufficient white wine to three parts cover the fish, and put the kettle in a moderate oven for about two hours. When the fish is done, the liquor should be reduced to half-glaze. Garnish the dish with mushroom heads, plain and studded quenelles, oysters, crayfish tails, or other things suitable, piled in groups, with a little genoa sauce (made with the fish stock, with the fat skimmed off, drained, and reduced) poured over them. Fish sauces should have butter added to them at the last moment before serving. Carp a la Maitresse d’Hotel. — Take a fresh Carp, scale, draw, and wash it thoroughly. Remove the roes, and, if soft, put them in water with a little vinegar and salt added, and let them blanch, but letting them boil up only once. Next take a gratin-dish and mask the bottom with minced vegetables ; place the Carp on these, sprinkle a little salt over it, and pour in white wine to half the height of the fish ; then add some aromatics, peppercorns, cloves, and a small bunch of parsley ; put buttered paper all over the fish, put the pan on the fire, and boil ; next put it into a slack oven, and about half-an-hour afterwards turn the fish and let it finish boiling slowly. Take the Carp out about thirty minutes before serving, put it on a dish, and keep it warm. Add a little good broth to the fish-stock, boil it up, strain it, and skim off the fat. Then take a small stewpan and put 5oz. of butter in it with the same quantity of flour, stir it up with a spoon, so as to make it like butter sauce (melted butter), quite smooth, put in a little of the fish stock, and place the For details respecting Culinary Processes, Utensils, Sauces, dec., referred, to, see under their special heads. Carp — continued. pan on a slow fire. Stir the sauce until it boils, when remove it immediately, and add 4 table-spoonfuls of gherkins cut into small dice. Pour the sauce over the Carp, then place the roes on top, and send to table.