The Art of Living in Australia Part 32

Make a forcemeat and sew it into the fish. Rub some dripping over a baking sheet, truss the fish into shape, and lay it on. Rub the rest of the dripping on to a piece of paper, cover the fish carefully, bake in rather a hot oven for half an hour or longer, according to size; take of the paper, dish it, and pour round a nice brown sauce. A fish forcemeat is made with 2 oz cold fish, 1 oz suet, 1 oz bread crumbs well mixed together, with some seasoning and an egg.

COLD FISH AU GRATIN

Any sc.r.a.ps of cold fish may be served in this way. If any fish sauce is left, nothing is nicer to warm it in; if not, make a little with 1 gill of milk or water, 1 oz of b.u.t.ter, and 1 oz of flour. Flake the fish up, b.u.t.ter a plate, put the fish in and pour the sauce over.

Sprinkle with brown bread crumbs, and bake in the oven for a quarter of an hour.

SMALL FISH

Any kind of small fish will do for this dish. Wash and dry them; well b.u.t.ter a sheet of stiff writing paper, lay the fish in, sprinkle them with a little very finely chopped onion or shallot, parsley, pepper, and salt. Squeeze over a few drops of lemon juice, and put a few little pieces of b.u.t.ter about them; wrap them up in the paper and bake for twenty minutes. Serve in the paper in which they were cooked.

BAKED FISH

* 4 Mullet or Jew-fish--1s.

* 2 oz. Bread Crumbs--1/2d.

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

* Pepper and Salt *

* 1 teaspoonful Parsley *

* 1 teaspoonful Sweet Herbs *

* 1/2 lemon *

* 2 oz. Suet--2 1/2d.

* Total Cost--1 s. 4 d.

* Time--30 Minutes.

Split open the fish and remove the head and backbone, wash well in cold water and dry in a cloth. Chop the parsley, herbs, and suet, and mix these together; add half the crumbs, the rind of half a lemon, and pepper and salt. b.u.t.ter a baking tin, lay on a fish skin downwards. On this place a layer of seasoning, a little lemon juice, and a few pieces of b.u.t.ter; on this another fish with the cut part next the seasoning.

Do the rest in the same way, piling one on top of another; over all put the rest of the crumbs and b.u.t.ter, bake in a moderate oven for half an hour. Slip into a hot dish, and serve.

CODFISH AND POTATOES--BOUILLABAISSE OF COD.

* 2 lbs. Murray Cod--1s.

* 1 lb. Potatoes--1d.

* Slices of Roll *

* 1 quart Water *

* 1 f.a.got of Herbs *

* 2 Leeks or 1 Onion *

* Pinch of Saffron *

* 1 1/2 oz. b.u.t.ter--3 1/2d.

* Total Cost--1s. 41/2 d.

* Time--One Hour.

Put the b.u.t.ter into a saucepan, and when it is hot add the leeks or onion chopped small, and let them get a good colour without burning; then add a quart of water, the f.a.got of herbs, the saffron tied in a piece of muslin, and the potatoes peeled. Bring up to the boil, and when they are nearly cooked cut the cod into slices and lay it in. Cook slowly for twenty minutes, take up the fish, and put it in a hot dish and lay the potatoes round. Season and flavour the liquor, and boil up.

Cut the bread into slices, put it into a hot dish, and strain the liquor over; serve with the fish.

b.u.t.tERED WHITING

* 3 Whiting--1s.

* Pepper and Salt *

* 1 1/2 oz. b.u.t.ter *

* 1 Lemon--2d.

* Total Cost--1s. 2d.

* Time--20 Minutes *

Wash the whiting, dry them in a cloth, mix a little flour, pepper, and salt together, cover the fish thoroughly with this. b.u.t.ter a thin dish, lay the whiting in and put the rest of the b.u.t.ter over them in small pieces, and put them into a hot oven; baste constantly with the b.u.t.ter.

This must not be allowed to get black; it should be brown. When the whiting are done, which will be in from fifteen to twenty minutes, according to the thickness of the fish, place them in a hot dish and pour the b.u.t.ter in which they have been cooked over them.

BROILED FISH

* 2 Mullet--8d.

* 2 teaspoonful Oil *

* Pepper *

* Salt--1/2d.

* Total Cost--81/2 d.

* Time--10 Minutes.

Split the mullet open and wash away the black substance from the bones, dry on a cloth, rub with oil and sprinkle them with pepper and salt, and leave them in a cool place for an hour. Rub a gridiron with a piece of suet, and when it is quite hot put on the fish and broil it carefully, turning it two or three times whilst cooking. Lay on a hot dish and rub over with a little b.u.t.ter.

To broil successfully a very clear fire is required, and it should be made up some time before it is wanted. Broiling on a gas-stove is equivalent to broiling over a fire.

BOILED FISH

To boil fish properly it must never really boil; and in this lies the secret of success. If it boils it has a watery, insipid flavour, and drops of pieces very often when it is taken out of the water. The water must boil well before the fish is put in, and be seasoned with salt and a teaspoonful of vinegar or lemon juice; lay the fish carefully in, and bring the water to the boil again. Then draw it away from the fire, cover down closely, and keep it just below the boil. The time it takes to cook depends so much on the size and thickness of the fish that no hard and fast rule can be given; about ten minutes to every lb., will be sufficient. It is always done when it begins to leave the bone. Take it out of the water directly it is cooked, and if it is not wanted just at the time, cover it with a cloth and keep it hot. Any kind of fish sauce can be served with it, such as plain melted b.u.t.ter, parsley, or egg sauce.