Empty and wash thoroughly, but do not skin the fish. Take off
the flesh on both sides close to the bones, passing the knife from the
tail to the head ; divide each side in two, trim the fillets into good
shape, and fold them in a cloth, that the moisture may be well
absorbed from them ; dip them into, or draw them through, some
beaten egg, then dip them into fine crumbs mixed with a small por-
tion of flour, and fry them a fine light brown in lard or clarified
butter ; drain them well, press them in white blotting-paper, dish
them one over the other in a circle, and send the usual sauce to table
with them. The fillets may also be broiled after being dipped into
eggs seasoned with salt✪ Fillets of Whitings and pepper, then into crumbs of bread, next
into clarified butter, and a second time into the bread-crumbs (or, to
shorten the process, a portion of clarified butter may be mixed with
the eggs at first), and served with good melted butter, or thickened
veal gravy seasoned with cayenne, lemon -juice, and chopped parsley.
Five minutes will fry the fillets, even when very large • rather
more time will be required to broil them.
TO BOIL WHITINGS.
( French Receipt.')
Having scraped, cleansed, and wiped them, lay them on a fish-
plate, and put them into water at the point of boiling ; throw in a
handful of salt, two bay leaves, and plenty of parsley well washed
and tied together ; let the fish just simmer from five to ten minutes,
and watch them closely that they may not be over-done. Serve
parsley and butter with them, and use in making it the liquor in
which the whitings have been boiled.
Just simmered from 5 to 10 minutes.
BAKED WHITINGS X LA FRAN<?AISE.
Froceed with these exactly as with the soles au plat of this chapter ;
or, pour a little clarified butter into a deep dish, and strew it rather
thickly with finely-minced mushrooms mixed with a teaspoonful of
parsley, and (when the flavour is liked, and considered appropriate)
with an eschalot or two, or the white part of a few green onions, also
chopped very small. On these place the fish after they have been
scaled, emptied, thoroughly washed, and wiped dry : season them well
with salt and white pepper, or cayenne ; sprinkle more of the herbs
upon them ; pour gently from one to two glasses of light white wine
into the dish, cover the whitings with a thick layer of fine crumbs of
CHAP. II.]
FISH.
G9
bread, sprinkle these plentifully with clarified butter, and bake the
fish from fifteen to twenty minutes. Send a cut lemon only to table
with them. When the wine is not liked, a few spoonsful of pale veal
gravy can be used instead ; or a larger quantity of clarified butter,
with a tablespoonful of water, a teaspoonful of lemon -pickle and of
mushroom catsup, and a few drops of soy.
15 to 20 minutes.
TO BOIL MACKEREL.
[In full season in May, June, and July ; may be bad also in early spring.")
Page 89 · 1 recipe record 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.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Empty and wash thoroughly, but do not skin the fish. Take off the flesh on both sides close to the bones, passing the knife from the tail to the head ; divide each side in two, trim the fillets into good shape, and fold them in a cloth, that the moisture may be well absorbed from them ; dip them into, or draw them through, some beaten egg, then dip them into fine crumbs mixed with a small portion of flour, and fry them a fine light brown in lard or clarified butter ; drain them well, press them in white blotting-paper, dish them one over the other in a circle, and send the usual sauce to table with them. The fillets may also be broiled after being dipped into eggs seasoned with salt and pepper, then into crumbs of bread, next into clarified butter, and a second time into the bread-crumbs (or, to shorten the process, a portion of clarified butter may be mixed with the eggs at first), and served with good melted butter, or thickened veal gravy seasoned with cayenne, lemon -juice, and chopped parsley.
Five minutes will fry the fillets, even when very large • rather more time will be required to broil them.
TO BOIL WHITINGS.
( French Receipt.')
Having scraped, cleansed, and wiped them, lay them on a fishplate, and put them into water at the point of boiling ; throw in a handful of salt, two bay leaves, and plenty of parsley well washed and tied together ; let the fish just simmer from five to ten minutes, and watch them closely that they may not be over-done. Serve parsley and butter with them, and use in making it the liquor in which the whitings have been boiled.
Just simmered from 5 to 10 minutes.
BAKED WHITINGS A LA FRANCAISE.
Froceed with these exactly as with the soles au plat of this chapter ; or, pour a little clarified butter into a deep dish, and strew it rather thickly with finely-minced mushrooms mixed with a teaspoonful of parsley, and (when the flavour is liked, and considered appropriate) with an eschalot or two, or the white part of a few green onions, also chopped very small. On these place the fish after they have been scaled, emptied, thoroughly washed, and wiped dry : season them well with salt and white pepper, or cayenne ; sprinkle more of the herbs upon them ; pour gently from one to two glasses of light white wine into the dish, cover the whitings with a thick layer of fine crumbs of
G9
bread, sprinkle these plentifully with clarified butter, and bake the fish from fifteen to twenty minutes. Send a cut lemon only to table with them. When the wine is not liked, a few spoonsful of pale veal gravy can be used instead ; or a larger quantity of clarified butter, with a tablespoonful of water, a teaspoonful of lemon -pickle and of mushroom catsup, and a few drops of soy.
15 to 20 minutes.
TO BOIL MACKEREL.
[In full season in May, June, and July ; may be bad also in early spring.")
Records on this page
Fillets of Whitings