European and American cuisine

Weakfish, Baked. — Clean, wash, and wipe a 3-pound fresh fish, season it with 1 tablespoonful seasoning salt, sprinkle over the jnioe of 1 lemon, cut 1 large onion into slices, and lay them inside the fish ; cover and let it stand 1 hour. Forty minutes before serving lay 4 thin slices of pork in the bottom of a roasting pan, remove the onions, and place the fish on top of the pork. Lay iVs ounce butter inside the fish, and pour 1 ounce melted butter all over; cover the top of fish with i thin slices of larding pork, set the pan in a hot oven, and bake till done, basting occasionally with its own gravy. When done remove the fish carefully to a warm dish, garnish with fried tomatoes, serve with mustard sauce and boiled potatoes. Weakfish, Fried.— Procure a fresh fish of 2V, pounds, cleans wash, and split it through the back, remove head and tail, cut each half into 3 pieces, season them with 1 even tablespoonful seasoning salt, let lie V, hour, then roll the fish pieces in fiour, and fry in hot lard or larding pork, light brown on both sides and well done. Serve on a warm dish, garnish with parsley and cut lemon. Or dust the fish with fiour, then dip them first into beaten egg, then roll in cracker or bread crumbs, and finish the same as above. Fillets of Weakfish. — Glean and wash a fresh fish of 2V9 pounds, remove head and tail, split the fish through the back, remove all the bones, and cut the meat into 6 fillets ; season these with 1 even tablespoonful seasoning salt, sprinkle over the juice of Yt lemon, and set aside. Twenty minutes before serving wipe the fillets dry, dust with flour, dip into beaten egg, roll in bread crumbs ; lay the fillets on a clean board, and pat them smooth with a knife. Place a frying pan with 1 ounce pure lard and 1 ounce butter over the fire ; as soon as hot put in as many fillets as will conveniently go in, fry light brown on both sides, adding more lard and butter if necessary. Arrange the fish on a hot dish, spread over 1 ounce maftre d'hdtel butter, and serve with potatoes & la crdme. Weakfish à la Tartare. — Remove the fillets from a 3- pound fresh fish, cut the fillets into 6 pieces, pare nicely, and season PERCH. 213 with 1 tablespoonful seasoning salt ; dip the fillets into melted batter, roll in bread crumbs, lay on a broiler, and broil over a moderate clear fire 6 minutes on both sides or till done. Arrange the fillets nicely on a hot dish, garnish with parsley and potatoes 4 la patricia, and serve with sauce Tartare. PERCH. In season from September to May. Where founds etc. — Perch belongs to the Percidæ, a very extensive family of acanthopterous fishes ; 14 species, all fresh-water fishes, are described. The yellow perch attains a length of 12 to 15 inches and a weight of 27^ pounds, though most specimens are below 10 inches ; it is generally distributed in the lakes, ponds, and streams of the Northern and Middle States and of the British provinces. It is easily taken with the hook or net, and is an excellent fish for the table. Salt-water perch varies exceedingly in size and color, being from 6 to 16 inches long ; it is an excellent pan fish, and is taken in great numbers from June to October. There are 26 species of sea perch belonging to the genus Serranus,