Handbook of practical cookery

Soak the fish over night in a large basin of cold water ; take it from the water, place it in a sauce-pan and cover it with fresh water. Place the pan by the side of the fire and let the water heat up very slowly till boiling, then boil slowly twenty minutes. Melt in a separate sauce-pan the dripping, add the flour, and stir till well mixed; add then the water by degrees, then the milk also by degrees ; stir till BAKED FISH — STEWED FISH. 271 boiling, add the pepper, and draw the pan from the fire. At the end of twenty minutes take the fish from the water, remove all bone and skin, and place the fish in rough pieces in the sauce-pan, with the flour, dripping, and milk. Return the pan to the fire, and let all simmer slowly for five minutes. Baked Fish. — One large plaice or flounder, one tablespoonful chopped parsley, two table-spoonfuls bread crumbs, two ounces dripping, one tea-spoonful salt, one half teaspoonful pepper. Place in a small baking-tin half of the bread crumbs, dripping, parsley, pepper, and salt. Wash well the fish, clean it and cut off the fins ; place it over the bread crumbs on the tin, sprinkle over the remainder of the parsley, bread crumbs, pepper, and salt. Place the remainder of the dripping over in very small pieces. Place the tin in rather a quick oven for half an hour. Lift the fish very carefully, and place it on a very hot flat dish, when it is ready for use. Baked Fish.— Two pounds cod fish, four table-spoonfuls of bread crumbs, two table-spoonfuls of flour, one half pint milk, one tea-spoonful salt, one salt-spoonful pepper, one table-spoonful of vinegar. "Wash the fish well, cut off the fins, and cut it in slices about half an inch thick. Place in a pie-dish half of the bread crumbs and half the pepper and salt. Place over the bread crumbs the slices of fish, and pour over the fish the vinegar. Sprinkle over the remainder of the bread crumbs, pepper, and salt. Place now the flour in a basin, and moisten it with two or three table-spoonfuls of milk. Add the remainder of the milk, and stir all till the flour is quite smooth. Pour the milk and flour over the fish and bread crumbs, and place the pie-dish in a quick oven for half an hour. Stewed Fish. — Two pounds cod fish, two ounces clarified fat, one large table-spoonful of chopped parsley, one ounce 272 SIMPLE BREAKFAST DISHES. flour, one tea-spoonful of salt, one salt-spoonful of pepper, three gills milk or water. Wash well the fish, cut off the fins, cut it in slices about an inch thick. Melt now in a sauce-pan over the fire the dripping, add the flour, stir both well together, and add by degrees the milk or water. Stir all till boiling. Add the salt and pepper, then the pieces of fish. Draw the pan on one side, cover it, and allow the contents to simmer for ten minutes. Add the parsley, and cook two minutes longer. The dish is now ready, and ought to be served at once. NOTE. — A tea-spoonful of vinegar is a great improvement when the water is used. Fried Fish. — Two slices of cod fish, two table-spoonfuls of bread crumbs, one table-spoonful of flour, one tea-spoonful of salt, one salt-spoonful of pepper, two table-spoonfuls of dripping, one egg.