The complete cook book

An impromtu clam bake may be bad at any time at low tide along the coast where clams are found. If you wish to have genuine fun, and to know what an appetite one can have for the bivalves, make up a pleasant party and dig for the clams yourselves. A short thick dress, shade hat, rubber boots — or better still, no boots at all, if you can bring your mind to the comfort of bare feet — a small garden trowel, a fork, and a basket, and you are ready. Let those who are not digging gather a large pile of driftwood and seaweed, always to be found along the shore. Select a dozen or more large stones, and of them make a level floor ; pile the driftwood upon them, and make a good brisk fire to heat the stones thoroughly. When hot enough to The Complete Cook Book. 49 crackle as you sprinkle water upon them, brush off the embers, letting them fall between the stones. Put a thin layer of seaweed on the hot stones, to keep the lower clams from burning. Rinse the clams in salt water by plunging the basket which contains them in the briny pools near by. Pile them over the hot stones, heaping them high in the center. Cover with a thick layer of seaweed, and a piece of old canvas, blanket, carpet, or dry leaves to keep in the steam. The time for baking will depend upon the size and quantity of the clams. Peep in occasionally at those around the edge. When the shells are open, the clams are done. They are delicious eaten from the shell, with no other sauce than their own briny sweetness. Melted butter, pepper and vinegar should be ready for those who wish them ; then all may "fall to." Fingers must be used. A Rhode Islander would laugh at any one trying to use a knife and fork. Pull off the thin skin, take them by the black end, dip them in the prepared butter, and bite off close to the end. If you swallow them whole they will not hurt you. At a genuine Rhode Island clam bake, blue fish, lobsters, crabs, sweet potatoes and ears of sweet corn in their gauzy husks are baked with the clams. The clam steam gives them a delicious flavor. Brown bread is served with the clams, and watermelon for dessert completes the feast. 50 The Complete Cook Book. FISH. TO FRY FISH. Although broiling is the most delicate method of preparing fish, there are many kinds of the smaller varieties which custom declares are better, more savory, fried — and hence the name of "pan-fish" has been given them. And even many of the large fish, as white fish, cut in pieces, are delicious fried, if done properly. Fry some thin slices of sweet salt pork in a spider, and when done take them out and put in the .fish (the little ones whole) heavily dredged with flour, seasoned with salt and pepper. Fry to a rich brown on both sides. Use the pork, with parsley and lemon slices for garnishing. The other method of frying fish is in deep fat. It must then be dredged with seasoned flour, dipped in beaten eggs and rolled in bread crumbs. The fat should be so hot when the fish goes in that it sends up a blue smoke from the middle, which part heats last. The pan method is really the most satisfactory. Butter alone, or butter and drippings, may be used, if preferred, instead of the salt pork. If sauce is served with fried fish it should be one with a "snap" to it, as tartare, piquant, tomato, Eobert, or others having lemon juice as an ingredient. TO BROIL FISH. Broiling is the most delicate manner of preparing fish, and all edible fish weighing under four and onehalf pounds may be so prepared. The very small ones may be broiled whole (cleaned by opening under the gills and squeezing out the contents, then washing) ; the larger ones must be split down the back. The Complete Cook Book. 51