FISH AND METHOD OF COOKING

Fish a la Perfection.

From a Man's Point of Mew.

Take a guide, go miles from anywhere, catch bass or trout, have it prepared with salt-pork or bacon, have it served on a gen- erous slice of bread, accompany it with a cup of fine coffee, top off with a good cigar, and then feel like thanking the stars that you are alive.

— Harrison M. Wild.

Fish should be butchered while alive, slit about 1 inch from the tail, up, hung in the shade about ^ of an hour to bleed. Pre- pared in this way will ahvays retain its flavor. Fish are good when the gills are red, eyes are full, and the body firm and stiff.

Table for Cooking Fish.

Trout should always be boiled or baked. White fish is good boiled, but best broiled. Black bass, when large, boiled; when small, broiled. Red-snapper should alwa3"s be boiled. Muscalonge, baked or boiled. Fresh mackerel should be broiled. Perch, Smelts, Brook Trout, Ciscoes, Bull-heads and Herrings are all better fried.

To Boil Fish. Place in cold, salt water before cooking, to make it firm. When ready to cook place in cloth bag or wrap in cloth tied tightly, put in cold water and boil. Always put salt in the water before cooking.

To Fry Fish.

Clean, wash and dry thoroughly. Dip in yolk of egg well beaten ; then in fine grated bread crumbs, flour or meal. If wished to look extra nice, repeat the egg and bread crumbs. Fry in boiling lard, a light brown, and serve hot free from grease. Fish fried in Olive oil adds greatly to the flavor.

54 THE MKNDFLS.SOHN CLUB COOK BOOK.

To Broil Fish.

Wash and wipe the fish dry, and spht. Lay on the broiler with the skin up. When browned, turn. Have some butter, with pepper and salt in it, and mop it over the fish while broiling. It will take about 20 minutes to cook one of medium size. Serve on hot dish, and pour over it drawn butter.

Creole Stuffing for Baked Fish.

Five pounds trout, white fish or shad; Y2 green sweet pepper; Yj cucumber; 1 bunch of parsley; 3 large or Yi can tomatoes; 1 slice salt pork. Grind all together in meat grinder, drain off liquor, add a little onion juice, 2 tablespoonfuls of butter, add cracker crumbs till stiff.

— Mrs. Gussie Miner, The Thadwa.

Anchovy Sauce.

One tablespoon butter; 2 tablespoons flour; rubbed together; moisten with 1 pint boiling water; add Y2 tablespoon Anchovy sauce, 2 teaspoonfuls catsup, a little Worcestershire sauce, little salt and pepper, 1 teaspoonful walnut catsup.

— Mrs. Gussie Miner, The Thadwa.

Fish Sauce.

One-half pint cream; 1 medium sized cucumber, chopped and squeezed dry in cloth. To the cream add salt and vinegar to taste, (3 or 4 tablespoonfuls), add dry cucumber and serve very cold.

— Mrs. Webb C. Stevens.

Tartare Sauce.

To be served on white fish, trout, smelts, halibut or fresh cod. One quart Mayonnaise: Yolks of 3^'^eggs, beaten; 1 pint oil; Y2 cup vinegar; Y cup whipped cream; stir 10 minutes.

Chop up 6 sour pickles, 3 tablespoonfuls of capers, 2 bunches parsley, 1 Sharlot onion, chop very fine; add Y teaspoonful paprika, Y teaspoonful celery salt, httle salt and pepper, then add to Mayonnaise.

— Mrs, Gussie Miner, The Thadwa.

Fish Chowder.

Slice 10 medium potatoes and 5 white'onions; season with salt and pepper, and boil 2 minutes covered with water. Boil 3 fish (more or less), 20 minutes. Remove from liquor and bone and skin

fish. Add liquor to potatoes and onions. Dice 3^ pound of salt pork and fry until brown. Put these pieces with chowder. Thicken salt pork drippings with 3 tablespoonfuls of flour, add this thicken- ing to chowder and boil 20 minutes. Five minutes before taking off from the stove add fish and 2 tablespoonfuls of butter.

— Mrs. F. G. Shoudy.

Stewed Perch— Old Country Style.

Scale and clean 10 pounds of perch; sprinkle bottom of kettle with flour, salt and pepper and bits of butter. Lay in fish, whole — repeat flour, butter, salt and pepper, then fish until all is in. Pour in water to cover, about 1 quart. Add bay leaf, 6 pepper kernels. Boil slowly 45 minutes, take fish out on platter, add juice of 1 lemon to grav}^, strain and pour over fish.

— Mrs. Gussie Miner, The Thadwa.

Fried Shad.

After the shad is cleaned and washed, split it down the back, cut out the back bone, divide the fish into pieces about 3 or 4 in- ches square, and lay them on a clean dry cloth. Have in readiness a dripping pan or a large frying pan containing hot fat 3^ inch deep, roll the fish in flour seasoned with salt and pepper, put it into the fat while smoking hot and fry it brown on both sides; use a broad spatula or cake turner to turn over the pieces in order to preserve them entire. As quickly as the pieces brown lift them out of the pan, la}' them on brown paper for a minute to free them from fat and then turn them onto a hot dish. Serve with lemons, pickles or cucumbers.

Shad Roe.

Put the roes in a pan and cover with cold water, and parboil; be careful not to break them. When done take from the water and cool, then season with salt and pepper; dust with flour and dip into beaten egg; roll in bread crumbs or cracker dust; brown in boiling lard and serve hot. Ma}^ be served on edge of platter with shad.

Fish Balls.

Two pounds pickerel, trout or codfish; scrape from skin and chop fine; add 1 onion chopped and mashed; work in 3^ pound of melted butter till white; \i pound of flour; 2 well beaten eggs; then add ]/2 pint sweet milk or cream, a little at a time. Add salt and pepper to suit taste; drop by spoonfuls in boiling water and cook till done. The lightness of fish balls depends on the amount of stirring.

56 THE MENDELSSOHN CLUB COOK BOOK

Creamed Codfish with Poached Eggs.

Shred the codfish; boil in water about 15 minutes. Drain off the water, add rich milk; when it comes to a boil drop in fresh eggs and poach. Take eggs out and arrange carefully around edge of platter. Add a lump of butter and thickening to codfish and pour

in center of platter.

— Mrs. H. K. Beatty.

Creamed Salt Mackerel.

Soak mackerel over night in plenty of water, laying fish open side down. Drain off water, put in fresh water to cover, and boil gently 15 minutes; then drain off water; add big lump of butter, and fry very gently on both sides; then add heaping tablespoonful flour, rub smooth into butter; add rich milk or part cream; when thickened sufficiently, serve on hot platter.

— Mrs. H. K. Beatty.

Escalloped Fish.

About 1 quart white fish; 1^ tablespoonfuls of flour; 1 cup cream; 2 eggs; juice of 1 lemon; pepper and salt. Boil the fish whole until tender. Pick to pieces, then mix the above and bake in. a bak- ing dish with a big lump of butter in the center; grate cheese on it when most clone.

— Mrs. Robert G. McCord, New Albany, Ind.

Baked Fillet of Trout.

Take stale bread crumbs, a httle chopped parsley, and celery and a little bacon; mix all together with a little paprika, salt and pepper. Skin the trout and cut into fillets 3 inches wide; put in dressing and roll and bake. Take 3^ pint tomato sauce and 3>^ pint brown gravy, mix and serve on fish.

—Mrs. Gussie Miner, The Thadwa.

Salmon Loaf.

One pound can salmon, drain off liquor and save; mince sal- mon; add 4 tablespoonfuls melted butter, % cup fine bread crumbs or cracker crumbs, pepper and salt, 3 beaten eggs. Mix and put in buttered mold; set this in a pan of water in oven. Bake about 45 minutes; when done, set in cold water for a minute, then turn out of mold and serve with the following sauce, poured over it: Heat 1 cup of sweet milk, thicken with 1 teaspoonful of corn starch; add 1 teaspoonful of butter and the salmon liquor; then set off of fire and add 1 beaten egg. Season, and if you like it, add juice of 1 lemon.

— Mrs. D. B. Hutchins.

Salmon in a Mold.

One can of salmon; 4 eggs (beaten light); 4 tablespoonfuls butter (melted but not hot) ; j/o cup of fine bread crumbs. Season to taste with pepper, salt and minced parsley. Chop the fish fine and rub in a bowl with the back of a spoon, adding the butter until it is a smooth paste. Beat the bread crumbs into the eggs and sea- son before working all together. Add the fish and butter and put into a buttered pudding mold and steam for 1 hour.

Sauce: 1 cupful of milk heated to a boil and thickened with 1 tablespoonful of corn starch. Add the liquor from the salmon or else double the quantity of butter. 1 ta])lespoonful of butter, 1 egg, 1 tablespoonful of Anchovy, mushroom or tomato catsup. }4: teaspoonful of mace and a dash of Cayenne pepper. Put all the ingredients together, adding the egg last. Boil 1 minute to cook it and pour the sauce over the salmon after it has been turned from the mold. — Mrs. Chandler Starr.

Creamed Finnan Haddie.

Put fish in pan and heat in oven until the milk oozes out, remove and use only the nice white flakes. Prepare a nice cream sauce in chafing dish, put in your fish and season with a little salt and paprika. 2 hard boiled eggs, cut into small pieces, and 1 table- spoonful of sherry wine or more to suit taste. Use only a fresh, mealy fish. — Miss Caroline Radecke.

Boiled Halibut.

Put 2 pounds of halibut in sauce pan, cover with fresh water; add 1 sliced onion, i^ sliced carrot and a garnished bouquet; sea- son with salt; 2 tablespoonfuls vinegar. Place lid on and boil gently for 5 minutes, remove from fire, drain well, dress it in a hot dish and serve with Anchovy butter spread all over.

Planked Fish. Have an oak board made 13-4 inches thick and about 10x18 inches in size. Have a large fish, boned at the fish market, and put it the skin side down on the board. Dredge with flour and salt and squeeze the juice of a lemon over it. Put this in the broiler and cook about 15 minutes. Then arrange mashed potatoes around the edge nicely. Put back in broiler and brown. Take out of l>roiler, squeeze more lemon over it, garnish with slices of lemon and parsley or watercress if you have it, and serve on the board.

— Miss Caroline Radecke.

58 THE MENDELSSOHN CLUB COOK BOOK.

Salmon Croquettes.

Take 1 can of nice salmon, put into a bowl and pick to pieces, taking out all bones. Roll 2 dozen crackers with a rolling pin, and mix with the fish. Add a small lump of butter and salt and pepper to taste. Make into patties, dip into a well-beaten egg and fry in butter or grease until a nice brown. Serve while warm. This makes a nice dish for luncheon.

— Hazel Blough.

Salmon Loaf.

One can best salmon (shredded fine); salt and pepper to taste; 1 cup cracker crumbs; 2 well-beaten eggs. Set aside oil for the sauce. Work the eggs well together with the salmon and put in baking tins after shaping into an oblong loaf. Cover sparingly with small pieces of butter and put just a little water in the pan. Bake until a nice brown.

Sauce : One cup sweet milk and the oil, }/2 teaspoon mustard. Thicken with flour to a cream, add a few small slices of cucumber pickle after the dressing is cold. Remove loaf to platter and squeeze over it the juice of 2 lemons. Pour over dressing and garnish with parsley.

Codfish Balls.

Two cups raw potatoes; 2 cups salt codfish; 1 egg; 1 table- spoonful of butter; 2 tablespoonfuls of cream. Cut up potatoes and codfish and cook them together until potatoes are done, drain off the water and mash them up while hot and add the egg (not beaten), butter and cream; whip up until light and set away to get cold. When ready to cook them drop from teaspoon in hot lard

and fry a light brown.

— Miss Evalda Carlson.

Finnan Haddie.

Soak the fish in sweet milk for 3 or 4 hours. Broil, and pour

over a quantity of melted butter, or broil, then cream it, adding a

drop of onion juice.

— Mrs. Wait Talcott.

Baked Halibut with Salad Dressing.

Buy 1 halibut steak, weighing about 2 pounds, wipe dry, salt and pepper; squeeze over it juice of half a lemon and 2 tablespoon-

fills of melted butter, encase in a baking powder crust, minus the

shortening, to keep in the juice and bake about 1 hour.

Dressing: Two tablespoonfuls butter; 1 tablespoon floui';

mix and put in double boiler, add 3^ cup vinegar; 1 teaspoonful

mustard; 1 tablespoonful sugar; 1 teaspoonful salt; dash Cayenne

pepper, add to above. Pour in 1 cup of cream and beat yolks of

2 eggs until light; add to this. Remove crust from fish, put on hot

platter and pour hot dressing over it and sprinkle with parsley,

cut fine.

— Miss Caroline Radecke.

Baked Fish with Cheese, Have a steak cut from the halibut, trout or other good fish. Boil in salted water, when done turn out on buttered platter, make a cream sauce and add to this sauce, 1 can of mushrooms, pour this over the fish and grate cheese all over the top, set the platter in oven on top of a dripping pan and brown nicel}^ Serve hot from this platter.

— Mrs. Edwin M. St. John.

Baked Halibut with Stuffing.

Get 3 small halibut steaks, 3^ pound of cracker crumbs, grated rind of 3^ a lemon, a little chopped parsley, a little chopped red sweet peppers, 1 tablespoonful of butter, a little pepper and salt, beat 3 eggs and add a little milk, and mix all together. Grease a pan well with bacon drippings, put in a steak, then some dressing, then a steak and so on, finishing up with a steak. Put slices of bacon crossing each other on top of fish, bake about half an hour and serve on hot platter with crisp slices of bacon on top. Garnish with parsley and slices of lemon.

— Mrs. Ralph Root.