Soak the salt fish for two or three days, changing
the water ; parboil it, dip it into cold water and let it
drain upon a sieve ; meanwhile slice up some onions,
and fry them in butter till they begin to turn yellow ;
remove the bones from the fish ; season with pepper,
mustard, and a dash of vinegar✪ Salt Fish a la Lyonnaise ; mix it in with the
fried onions, and let it finish cooking ; serve very hot.
Salt Fish a la Bonne Femme.
Wash and peel a dozen potatoes, and trim as many
onions ; cut into largish pieces as much salt fish as
will serve for six persons ; lay the potatoes at the
bottom of the stewpan, next the onions, next again
the salt fish, which has previously been well washed
in tepid water. Put in enough water to cover the
whole, and simmer till the fish is cooked ; take that
out ; let the onions and potatoes complete their cook-
WHITEBAIT. 115
ing ; trim the pieces of salt fish and remove the
bones. Take another stewpan, and dissolve in it
\ lb. of butter and i oz. of flour stirred into milk✪ Salt Fish a la Bonne Femme ; let
the sauce simmer for ten minutes, then put in the
potatoes, onions, fish, in order as before ; let it simmer
another ten minutes, and serve. — Gogue.
Whitebait.
Whitebait must be perfectly fresh when sent from
the fishmonger, and they must be kept in iced water
or salted water till they are to be cooked. Flour a
cloth ; lift the whitebait out with a skimmer, and place
them on it ; dredge flour, and toss the fish in the
cloth, but do not touch. Throw them on to a sieve,
and shake it. Each fish must have a coating of flour ;
but they must not cling together. The frying-pan
must have plenty of boiling lard ; the whitebait must
only be in it for two minutes. Lift them with the
skimmer, letting the fat drain off. Dish on a fish-
strainer (silver is best), and serve hot.
Slices of brown bread and butter, sections of lemon,
and a cayenne pepper bottle are arranged on a dish
and handed round.
Gudgeons.
Choose them small, if you can choose ; dip them
in milk, sprinkling a little salt and pepper on them ;
coat them with flour, and fry in boiling lard✪ Gudgeons ; dish
them up in a heap on a napkin or silver drainer ; sur-
round with fried parsley, and serve with bread and
butter and sections of lemon.
ii6 CARP.
Shad {or 'Alose').
This is a sea fish which goes into fresh water, and
is in best condition when taken in a river.
It is very good wrapped in buttered paper and
baked, viaitre cCJwtel butter being laid on it when the
paper is taken off, and sorrel sauce served separately.
If a large fish, it can be roasted, or boiled in salted
water ; or fillets may be cut, smite in butter, ar-
ranged on a dish in the usual way, with sauces as above.
Shad with Sorrel.
Score the fish in thwart lines the whole length;
sprinkle with pepper and salt, and grill on the grid-
iron ; when done on one side, carefully turn on the
other. Put a little butter from time to time ; serve a
thick puree of sorrel in a sauce-boat.
Carp.
If it is possible to pour a glass of vinegar into the
mouth of this fish as soon as caught, the taste of mud
passes off through its skin, and the flesh is rendered
firm.
If this is not done, it must after cleaning be allowed
to disgorge in salt, vinegar, and water.
It may be split up and fried in a coating of flour ;
or grilled with maitre dliotel butter ; or stewed in a
rich sauce a ritalienne.
Page 49 · 4 recipe records on this page
Presented as published in 1882. 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
Soak the salt fish for two or three days, changing the water ; parboil it, dip it into cold water and let it drain upon a sieve ; meanwhile slice up some onions, and fry them in butter till they begin to turn yellow ; remove the bones from the fish ; season with pepper, mustard, and a dash of vinegar ; mix it in with the fried onions, and let it finish cooking ; serve very hot.
Salt Fish a la Bonne Femme.
Wash and peel a dozen potatoes, and trim as many onions ; cut into largish pieces as much salt fish as will serve for six persons ; lay the potatoes at the bottom of the stewpan, next the onions, next again the salt fish, which has previously been well washed in tepid water. Put in enough water to cover the whole, and simmer till the fish is cooked ; take that out ; let the onions and potatoes complete their cook-
WHITEBAIT. 115
ing ; trim the pieces of salt fish and remove the bones. Take another stewpan, and dissolve in it \ lb. of butter and i oz. of flour stirred into milk ; let the sauce simmer for ten minutes, then put in the potatoes, onions, fish, in order as before ; let it simmer another ten minutes, and serve. — Gogue.
Whitebait.
Whitebait must be perfectly fresh when sent from the fishmonger, and they must be kept in iced water or salted water till they are to be cooked. Flour a cloth ; lift the whitebait out with a skimmer, and place them on it ; dredge flour, and toss the fish in the cloth, but do not touch. Throw them on to a sieve, and shake it. Each fish must have a coating of flour ; but they must not cling together. The frying-pan must have plenty of boiling lard ; the whitebait must only be in it for two minutes. Lift them with the skimmer, letting the fat drain off. Dish on a fishstrainer (silver is best), and serve hot.
Slices of brown bread and butter, sections of lemon, and a cayenne pepper bottle are arranged on a dish and handed round.
Gudgeons.
Choose them small, if you can choose ; dip them in milk, sprinkling a little salt and pepper on them ; coat them with flour, and fry in boiling lard ; dish them up in a heap on a napkin or silver drainer ; surround with fried parsley, and serve with bread and butter and sections of lemon.
ii6 CARP.
Shad {or 'Alose').
This is a sea fish which goes into fresh water, and is in best condition when taken in a river.
It is very good wrapped in buttered paper and baked, maître d'hôtel butter being laid on it when the paper is taken off, and sorrel sauce served separately.
If a large fish, it can be roasted, or boiled in salted water ; or fillets may be cut, sauté in butter, arranged on a dish in the usual way, with sauces as above.
Shad with Sorrel.
Score the fish in thwart lines the whole length; sprinkle with pepper and salt, and grill on the gridiron ; when done on one side, carefully turn on the other. Put a little butter from time to time ; serve a thick puree of sorrel in a sauce-boat.
Carp.
If it is possible to pour a glass of vinegar into the mouth of this fish as soon as caught, the taste of mud passes off through its skin, and the flesh is rendered firm.
If this is not done, it must after cleaning be allowed to disgorge in salt, vinegar, and water.
It may be split up and fried in a coating of flour ; or grilled with maître d'hôtel butter ; or stewed in a rich sauce a ritalienne.
Records on this page
Salt Fish a la LyonnaiseSalt Fish a la Bonne FemmeWhitebaitGudgeons