The Art of Living in Australia Part 27

* Total Cost--11 1/2 d.

* Time--20 minutes *

Bake the fish in the oven, unless there is cold fish in the larder, which will do just as well; take away the skin and bone, and flake it up. Make a sauce of the b.u.t.ter, flour, and milk; season with anchovy, pepper, salt, and lemon juice; stir in the fish and mix well.

Line some small patty pans with flaky pastry, put a spoonful of the mixture in the centre, cover with a round of pastry, press the edges together, and trim into a neat shape; make a small hole in the centre with a skewer, brush over with egg or milk, put into a quick oven, and bake for about twenty minutes. Dish on a fancy paper, and garnish each patty with a tiny sprig of parsley.

FISH, TO FRY

Fish requires careful preparation for successful frying; it may be filleted or fried whole, but in either case it must be well washed in cold water, but not soaked; dry in a cloth. Mix on a plate a spoonful of flour, pepper, and salt. Beat on another plate an egg, with a spoonful each of water and oil, and have plenty of dry fine crumbs on a sheet of paper; when these things are all ready, dip the fish in the flour and dust off again; put at once into the egg and cover well; then drop into the crumbs, shake them all over it; next toss in the hands to shake all the loose crumbs off; lay on a plate separately, and either fry at once or leave in a cool place for an hour or two. Plunge into plenty of hot fat and fry till crisp and brown; drain for a few minutes on kitchen paper; pile on a dish, and garnish with either fresh or fried parsley.

CURRIED FISH

* 3 Bream--1s.

* 1/2 pint Curry Sauce--3d.

* 1/4 lb. Rice--1d.

* Total Cost--1s 4d.

* Time--One Hour *

Make the curry sauce by recipe given elsewhere. Fillet the fish and cut each fillet in two pieces, b.u.t.ter a saucepan and lay in the fish; pour over the sauce, bring it up to the boil, and cook on the stove very slowly for an hour. Just before serving, season with salt and lemon juice to taste. Boil the rice and dry thoroughly; press into little cups or moulds. Dish the fish carefully and pour the sauce over it; garnish with the moulds of rice.

SCALLOPED FISH

* 1/2 lb. Cold Fish *

* 2 oz. Bread Crumbs--4d.

* 1 gill Cold Fish Sauce, Pepper, and Salt--2d.

* 1 oz. b.u.t.ter--1d.

* Total Cost--7d.

* Time--20 minutes.

Flake up the fish, b.u.t.ter a small dish, and sprinkle well with bread crumbs; put in a layer of fish, a little sauce and seasoning, and some bread crumbs. Continue this in layers until all the fish is used up.

Put plenty of crumbs on top and the rest of the b.u.t.ter in small pieces.

Bake in a moderate oven for 20 minutes. Garnish with a sprig of parsley, and serve.

FISH PUDDING

* 1/2 lb. Blue Cod--5d.

* 1 lb. Potatoes--1d.

* 1 oz. b.u.t.ter--1d.

* 1 Egg *

* Pepper and Salt--1d.

* Total Cost--8d.

* Time--Half an Hour *

Use cold fish and potatoes, if there are any in the larder; if not, boil a piece of blue smoked cod in some water for five minutes. Flake it up free from skin and bone and put it into a basin; mash up the potatoes and mix them in with the pepper and salt. Bind into a paste with an egg; rub some dripping on a baking sheet, turn the mixture on to it and shape into the letter S, brush over with egg or milk, and bake till brown. Slip it off on to a hot dish, and garnish with parsley.

FISH PIE

* 2 or 3 Bream--1s.

* 1 gill Milk or Melted b.u.t.ter--1d.

* Short Pastry, Pepper and Salt *

* Parsley--3d.

* Total Cost--1s. 4d.

* Time--Three-quarters of an Hour.

Cold fish will do very well for this dish. If fresh is used, fillet it and cut into small pieces; if cooked, flake up into small pieces. Lay in a b.u.t.tered pie-dish, season with pepper, salt, and chopped parsley; pour over the sauce and cover with a short pastry made with 1/2 lb flour and 1/4 lb dripping. Brush over with egg or milk, and bake for three-quarters of an hour; garnish with parsley, and serve.

FISH IN BATTER

* 2 Mullet--8d.

* Frying Batter *

* Hot Fat--2d.

* Total Cost--10d.

* Time--5 Minutes.

Fillet the mullet and cut into small pieces; dip in flour seasoned with salt and pepper. Cover with French frying batter, the recipe for which is given elsewhere. Plunge into plenty of hot fat and fry until a good colour; drain for a few minutes on kitchen paper. Pile high on a dish, garnish with parsley, and serve hot.

FISH AU GRATIN