A Poetical Cook-Book Part 2

TO STEW FISH WHITE.

His soup scientific,--his _fishes_ quite prime; His pates superb, and his cutlets sublime.

MOORE.

Let your fish be cleaned and salted; save your melts or kows. Cut three onions and parsley root, boil them in a pint of water; cut your fish in pieces to suit; take some clever sized pieces, cut them from the bone, chop them fine, mix with them the melts, crumbs of bread, a little ginger, one egg well beaten, leeks, green parsley, all made fine; take some bread, and make them in small b.a.l.l.s; lay your fish in your stewpan, layer of fish and layer of onions; sprinkle with ginger, pour cold water over to cover your fish; let it boil till done, then lay your fish nicely on a dish. To make the sauce, take the juice of a large lemon and yolk of an egg, well beaten together, teaspoonful of flour; mix it gradually with half a pint of the water the fish was done in, then with all your water put in your b.a.l.l.s; let it boil very quick; when done throw the b.a.l.l.s and gravy over your fish.

ANOTHER WAY TO STEW FISH.

Behold, the dishes due appear!

_Fish_ in the van, beef in the rear.

Ah! all the luxury of fish, With scalding sauce.

Boil six onions in water till tender, strain, and cut them in slices.

Put your fish, cut in slices, in a stewpan with a quart of water, salt, pepper, ginger and mace to suit taste; let it boil fifteen minutes; add the onions, and forcemeat b.a.l.l.s made of chopped fish, grated bread, chopped onion, parsley, marjoram, mace, pepper, ginger and salt, and five eggs beat up with a spoon into b.a.l.l.s, and drop them into the pan of fish when boiling; cover close for ten minutes, take it off the fire, and then add six eggs with the juice of five lemons; stir the gravy very slowly, add chopped parsley, and let it all simmer on a slow fire, keeping the pan in motion until it just boils, when it must be taken off quickly, or the sauce will break. A little b.u.t.ter or sweet oil added to the b.a.l.l.s is an improvement. If you meet with good success in the cooking of this receipt, you will often have stewed fish.

PERCH WITH WINE.

Here haddock, hake, and flounders are, And eels, and _perch_, and cod.

GREEN.

Having scalded and taken out the gills, put the perch into a stew-pan, with equal quant.i.ties of stock and white wine, a bay leaf, a clove of garlic, a bunch of parsley, and scallions, two cloves, and some salt.

When done, take out the fish, strain off the liquor, the dregs of which mix with some b.u.t.ter and a little flour; beat these up, set them on the fire, stewing till quite done, adding pepper, grated nutmeg, and a ball of anchovy b.u.t.ter. Drain the perch well, and dish them with the above sauce.

TO STEW FISH BROWN.

Here stay thy haste, And with the _savory fish_ indulge thy taste.

GAY.

Have your fish cleaned, the melts or kows being taken out whole; salt your fish, and let it lay half an hour. Cut your onions in slices, fry them with parsley-root, cut in long thin slices, in half a teacup of sweet oil, till they become a fine brown. Wash and dry your fish, cut it in pieces, put it in your stewpan, layer of fish and layer of browned onion, &c. Take a quart of beer, half a pint of vinegar, quarter pound of sugar, two tablespoonfuls powdered ginger, mixed well together, pour over your fish till covered. When putting your fish in the pan, split the head in two, and place it at the bottom, the smaller pieces on the top, the rows uppermost; let them cook very quick. Take out your fish, lay it nicely on a dish, mix a little flour in your gravy, give it a boil, throw it over the fish, and let it stand to cool.

ROASTED STURGEON.

Your betters will despise you, if they see Things that are far surpa.s.sing your degree; Therefore beyond your substance never treat; 'Tis plenty, in small fortune, to be neat; A widow has cold pie, nurse gives you cake, From generous merchants ham or _sturgeon_ take.

KING.

Take a large piece of sturgeon, or a whole small one, clean and skin it properly, lard it with eel and anchovies, and marinade it in a white wine marmalade. Fasten it to the spit and roast it, basting frequently with the marinade strained. Let the fish be a nice color, and serve with a pepper sauce.

BOILED SALMON.

Red speckled trouts, the _salmon's_ silver jole, The jointed lobster and unscaly sole, And luscious scallops to allure the tastes Of rigid zealots to delicious feasts; Wednesdays and Fridays, you'll observe from hence, Days when our sins were doomed to abstinence.

GAY.

Put on a fish-kettle, with spring water enough to well cover the salmon you are going to dress, or the salmon will neither look nor taste well (boil the liver in a separate saucepan). When the water boils put in a handful of salt, take off the sc.u.m as soon as it rises; have the fish well washed, put it in, and if it is thick, let it boil very gently.

Salmon requires as much boiling as meat; about a quarter of an hour to a pound of meat; but practice can only perfect the cook in dressing salmon.

A quarter of a salmon will take as long boiling as half a one. You must consider the thickness, not the weight.

_Obs._ The thinnest part of the fish is the fattest, and if you have a "grand gourmand" at table, ask him if he is for thick or thin.

Lobster sauce and rye bread should be eaten with boiled salmon.

BOILED LOBSTER.

But soon, like _lobster boil'd_, the morn From black to red began to turn.

BUTLER.

Those of the middle size are best. The male lobster is preferred to eat, and the female to make sauce of. Set on a pot with water, salted in proportion of a tablespoonful of salt to a quart of water. When the water boils, put it in, and keep it boiling briskly from half an hour to an hour, according to its size; wipe all the sc.u.m off it, and rub the sh.e.l.l with a little b.u.t.ter or sweet oil, break off the great claws, crack them carefully in each joint, so that they may not be shattered, and yet come to pieces easily, cut the tail down the middle, and send the body whole.

OYSTERS.

The man had sure a palate cover'd o'er With bra.s.s or steel, that on the rocky sh.o.r.e First broke the oozy _oyster's_ pearly coat, And risk'd the living morsel down his throat.

GAY.

Common people are indifferent about the manner of opening oysters, and the time of eating them, after they are opened. Nothing, however, is more important in the enlightened eyes of the experienced oyster-eater.

Those who wish to enjoy this delicious restorative in its utmost perfection must eat it the moment it is opened, with its own gravy in the under sh.e.l.l. If not eaten while absolutely alive, its flavor and spirit are lost.

FRIED OYSTERS.

You shapeless nothing, in a dish!

You, that are but almost a fish!

COWPER.

The largest and finest oysters should be chosen for frying. Simmer them in their own liquor for a couple of minutes; take them out, and lay them on a cloth to drain; beard them, and then flour them, egg and breadcrumb them, put them into boiling fat, and fry them a delicate brown.

A much better way is to beat the yolks of eggs, and mix with the grated bread, a small quant.i.ty of beaten nutmeg and mace, and a little salt.

Having stirred this batter well, dip your oysters into it, and fry them in lard, till they are a light brown color. Take care not to do them too much. Serve them up hot. For grated bread, some subst.i.tute crackers pounded to a powder, and mixed with yolk of egg and spice.

STEWED OYSTERS.

By nerves about our palate placed, She likewise judges of the taste.

Who would ask for her opinion Between an _oyster_ and an onion?

DONNE.

Stew with a quart of oysters, and their liquor strained, a gla.s.s of white wine, one anchovy bruised, seasoned with white pepper, salt, a little mace, and a bunch of sweet herbs; let all stew gently an hour, or three quarters. Pick out the bunch of herbs, and add a quarter pound of fresh b.u.t.ter kneaded in a large tablespoonful of flour, and stew them ten or twelve minutes.

Serve them garnished with bread sippets and cut lemon. They may be stewed simply in their own liquor, seasoned with salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg, and thickened with cream, flour, and b.u.t.ter.

OYSTER LOAVES.