The thorough good cook

'Open your mackerel at the back, season with pepper and salt, butter all over, and lay quite flat on the gridiron; broil it about a quarter of an hour over a moderate Are, and lay it in a dish without a napkin. Then put half a pound of butter in a stew-pan, place it over a sharp fire till it becomes black (but not burnt) ; throw in half a handful of picked parsley, fry it crisp, and pour it over the fish. Next put four tablespoonfuls of common vinegar into the stew-pan, boil it half a minute, season with pepper and salt, and pour likewise over the fish. All that you have now to do is to put the whole into the oven for five minutes, and serve very hot. Concerning " black butter," see p. 147. 79. Forcemeat of Eels. Take two fine eels, boil them till they are nearly done enough ; then put them into cold water ; broil a perch ; when it is nearly done, lay it to cool ; take the meat from the bones of both fish and mince it, and add to it the liver of a cod, minced also; then season it with pepper and salt; add sweet herbs, picked from the stalks, some small onions minced, some scraped bacon, a little veal suet, a few breadcrumbs, and a piece of butter ; put the whole into a mortar and beat it to a paste. It is used for fish pies, and adds a fine relish to all made dishes of fish. It may also be rolled up into balls, and fried or stewed. A most assuringly appetising concoction. Almost as great a favourite as potted shrimps with my dear deceased friend, Montas^u Williams, Q.C. 80. Pried Eels. If yom' eels are small, they should be curled round and dipped into egg, and then carefully fried. If of a good size, cut them into pieces ; season them with pepper, salt, and nutmeg ; flour them ; fry them in butter. Some people are prejudiced against eels. Combat the prejudice; subdue it. Consult Sir Hemy Thompson. Congereel, in particular, is as nourishing as turtle. 8 . Fricassee of Eels. Skin three or four large eels, and notch them from end to end. Cut each of them into four or live pieces, and lay them for half an hour to crimp in spring water ; dry them in a cloth and put them in a pan, Avith a bit of fresh butter, a green onion or two, and a little chopped parsley. Set the pan on the fire, and shake them about for a few minutes ; put in half a pint of white wine, and the same quantity of stock, with pepper, salt, and a blade of mace ; stew all together about half an hour ; then add the yolks of four or five eggs ; beat smooth a little grated nutmeg and some chopped parsley. Stir all well together, and let it simmer for a few minutes ; then squeeze in the juice of a lemon, give the whole a good shake, pour it into the dish, and serve very hot. Garnish your dish Avitli lemon. 82. Eel Fie. Skin and clean the eels ; cut them in pieces about two inches in length ; pass them with chopped parsley and shallots, a little grated nutmeg, pepper, salt, and lemon-juice, for five minutes ; then lay a little light forcemeat at the bottom of a deep dish ; put the eels over it ; cover it with puff paste; bake it, and put into it either Bechamel sauce (p. 327) or brown gravy. 83. Larded Eel.