Francatelli Recipes for Dressed Fish, Chapter 4b
Welcome to FabulousFusionFood's Francatelli Recipes for Dressed Fish — This page gives you the entire contents of the Fourth Chapter (second part): Dressed Fish in General from Charles Elmé Francatelli's 1861 volume, The Cook's Guide and Housekeeper's & Butler's Assistant. Each recipe is given here in its original form, with a link underneath to the modern redaction, should you wish to replicate it. This is the first time that Francatelli's book has been made available in its entirety on the internet. Enjoy...
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CHAPTER IVb.
No. 191.—TURBOT, PLAIN BOILED.
Wash the turbot, wipe it dry, rub it over with the juice of a lemon, and a little salt, and put it into a fish-kettle with water sufficient to cover it; add a handful of salt, set the kettle over the fire, and as soon as it begins to boil, lift it down by the side of the fire, to continue gently simmering for about half and hour—more or less, according to the size and weight of the fish; when done, skim the water, lift the turbot out carefully upon its drainer, slide it gently off on to the dish covered with a folded napkin, garnish it round neatly with pickled parsley, and send to table with either lobster sauce, No. 40, or Dutch sauce, No. 79.
No. 192.—TURBOT A LA PARISIENNE
Remove the backbone from a small turbot, and stuff it with forcemeat of whiting, No. 186; then place it on a sautapan or baking-sheet previously spread with an ounce of butter; moisten with mushroom juice, a couple of glasses of white wine, and some oyster liquor, if handy; season with a little pepper and salt, put an ounce of butter in bits all over the fish, and set it in the oven to bake, basting it frequently with its own liquor; and when done through, remove the turbot on to its dish carefully with a fish-slice, and keep it hot while you prepare the following sauce: viz.,—first, dissolve two ounces of butter in a stewpan over the fire; add two ounces of flour, mix together, moisten with the liquor from the turbot, season with nutmeg, cayenne, lemon-juice, a little anchovy and a glass of sherry; stir over the fire for ten minutes; them mix in a leason of four egg yolks, and a gill of cream, some pickled prawns, button mushrooms, and scalded and bearded oysters, and a piece of lobster-butter, make the sauce hot without boiling; pour it over the turbot, and serve.
Note—When you happen to have some good white sauce ready, it will be necessary to only boil down the liquor from the fish, and add it to the sauce with the garnish.
No. 193.—GRILLED TURBOT A LA VATEL.
Place the turbot on a dish ; season it with pepper and salt, lemon-juice, and a little salad-oil. Half an hour before dinner-time, place the turbot on the gridiron, over a slow clear fire, to gril (a double gridiron is necessary for this purpose) ; turn it every five minutes, and bast it by dipping a paste-brush in the seasoning left in the dish, and when the fish is done through, remove it on to its dish ; and pour over it the following sauce : viz.;—prepare some muscle sauce, No. 42, with a glass of wine and a lesson of four yolks and a gill of cream, and garnish the turbot round with a border of boiled crayfish.
No. 194.—TURBOT à LA NORMANDE
Prepare the turbot as directed in No. 192, and when dished up, put the liquor it has been baked in into a stewpan; boil it down to a fourth part of its original quantity, and add it to some white matelotte sauce, No. 87; pour this over the turbot; garnish round with heart-shaped or oval fried crôutons of bread, and serve.
No. 195.—TURBOT WITH CREAM AU GRATIN
This dish is prepared from any turbot which happens to be left from a previous day's dinner. Remove the fish from the bones; pare off the black skin, and cut up the pieces into scollops; to these add some cream bechamel sauce, No. 16; make the fish hot without bruising the pieces; pile it up neatly in a dish; shake over the surface some grated Parmesan cheese, and upon this pour, say half a gill of good thick cream; use the red-hot salamander (see Adams' Illustrations) to colour the surface of this dish of a light-golden brown, and serve quite hot.
No. 196.—TURBOT A LA BECHAMEL
The remains of turbot are prepared as in the foregoing case, with the addition of a few oysters when in season, and also a little cream; it is dished up with a border of potato croquettes.
Note—Scollops of turbot, or of almost any other kind of fish, may be prepared in the same way, and used also for garnishing vol-au-vents, borders of potato, &c.
No. 197.—FILLETS OF TURBOT.
A small turbot may be purchased for this purpose; and after cutting out the fleshy parts from the four divisions intervening between the fins and the backbone, divide these into square oblong pieces, and place them neatly in a sautapan with two ounces of dissolved butter, pepper, salt, and lemon-juice; set them over the fire; in the latter case, the fillets must be turned over to admit of their being done on both sides. The fillets, after being drained on a napkin, must be dished up similarly to cutlets, and sauced over with either the following sauces: viz.,—maître-d'hôtel, Dutch sauce, ravigotte, Italian, Indian, lobster, shrimp, oyster, muscle, &c.; each kind of sauce affording a variety, as well as being suitable to convenience.
No. 198.—BRILL.
This fish very much resembles turbot, and may therefore be treated in the same way, the directions for dressing which may be followed in all particulars.
No. 199.—JOHN DORY.
Cook the fish in water with a little salt, and be careful that it is not allowed to boil; as this fish, which is far from presenting an ornamental or pleasing aspect, is positively hideous to behold when further disfigured by its being allowed to boil fast while it is being cooked. When the dory is done, dish it up with care, in order not to break it; and send it to table with lobster, shrimp, anchovy, or Dutch sauce.
Note.—Dories may also be stuffed, and baked or grilled, and served with brown caper sauce, or piquante sauce.
No. 200.—SALMON, PLAIN.
Put the salmon, whether whole, in parts, or in slices, to boil in water with salt; but remember never to use vinegar when dressing salmon or trout, as that destroys both colour and flavour. As soon as the fish is done, lift it out of the water to drain for a minute : dish it up on a folded napkin; garnish round with pickled parsley, and serve with either of the following sauces. viz.,—lobster, shrimp, anchovy, Dutch, or green parsley sauce.
No. 201.—GRILLED SALMON.
Procure one or more slices of salmon about an inch thick, rub them over with salad-oil, and season with pepper and salt; and having placed them on a gridiron over a clear fire to broil, carefully turn the slices of salmon over every five minutes, basting occasionally either with a little butter or oil, according to taste; and when the salmon is done through, which will be accomplished in about half an hour, and may be ascertained by finding that on a little pressure the bone easily separates from the fish, it is to be placed on its dish, and either of the following sauces poured over it and served : brown capers, Provençale, bourguignotte, brown butter sauce, or Italian sauce.
No. 202.—SALMON A LA TARTARE.
The slices of salmon are to be grilled as in the foregoing case; and when done, placed on a dish neatly overlapping each other. Some Tartar sauce, No. 38, or Prince of Wales' sauce, No. 81, must be previously poured into the dish, and elegantly garnished round with Indian pickles, anchovies, olives, capers, and gherkins.
No. 203.—MATELOTTE OF SALMON.
The inferior parts of the fish suit this purpose; let them be cut into slices, and after being boiled in the usual way, dished up; pour some matelotte sauce, No. 86, over the salmon; garnish with mushrooms, quenelles, crayfish, and fried croutons of bread, and send to table. Upon ordinary occasions these expensive adjuncts may of course be dispensed with.
No. 204.—SALMON A LA REGENCE.
For this purpose procure a small salmon-peel weighing about six pounds; truss it in the form of an S, boil it off some hours before dinner-time, and having removed the fish from the water, and allowed it to become cold, with a knife carefully peel off the skin, and then mask over the fish entirely with a coating of fish forcemeat, No. 186 (in which there has been mixed a good quantity of lobster spawn to colour it red), and after smoothing the surface over by means of a knife dipped in hot water and lightly drawn over the forcemeat, insert thereupon some pieces of truffles to form a decoration representing sprigs of laurels, &c.; cover the salmon over with paper previously well greased with butter, place it in the oven for about half an hour before dinner-time, and when the forcemeat has become firm. yet somewhat elastic to the touch, dish up the salmon, garnish it with périgeux sauce, No. 67, some decorated quenelles of lobster, No. 187, large crayfish, and button mushrooms.
Note.—As this is evidently a very extravagant dish, it may be indulged in only upon extraordinary occasions; and even then the most expensive articles may be dispensed with, without deterioration to the superiority of the dish itself.
No. 205.—FILLETS OF SALMON A L'INDIENNE
Procure a pound and a half of salmon from the tail end (that part being cheapest); divide the fish from the backbone by running or slipping the edge of the knife along the side of the spine; and when this is effected, remove the skin in like manner; cut the fish into neat squares or heart-shaped pieces, about a quarter of an inch thick; dip these fillets in some beaten egg; drain and roll them in some fine bread-crumbs; fry them of a light-fawn colour in some lard previously made very hot for the purpose; and when done, dish them up neatly and pour over them some Indian sauce, No. 73, and sprinkle the fillets some finely shred peel of the green mountain gherkins, to be had of Crosse and Blackwell, Soho-square.
No. 206.—FILLETS OF SALMIN A LA MARESCHALE.
Let these be prepared and bread-crumbed as directed in the foregoing case; and instead of frying them in lard, two ounces of clarified butter, in a saucepan, must be used for that purpose; and when the fillets of salmon are done, and dished up, garnish the centre of the entrée with either muscles, oysters, prawns, or shrimps (these must of course have been previously scalded or pickled); pour over the garnish and round the fillets some ravigotte sauce, No. 34, or aurora sauce, No. 88, and serve hot.
No. 207.—FILLETS OF SALMON A LA TARTARE.
Trim, crumb, and fry the fillets of salmon as in the foregoing case, and dish them up on some Tartar sauce, No. 38, previously placed in the centre of the dish.
No. 208.—FILLETS OF SALMIN A LA RAVIGOTTE
Trim the fillets of salmon in the form of squares or ovals, place them neatly in a saucepan with a little clarified butter, pepper, and salt, chopped parsley, and the juice of half a lemon; and set them in the oven or upon a slow fire until done on one side, and then turn them over; and when done through, drain and dish them up in a ring; sauce over with ravigotte sauce, No. 34 or No. 57.
No. 209.—BOILED SALMON AFTER THE SCOTCH FASHION.
To dress salmon or trout in perfection in this style, it is quite necessary that the fish be dressed a short time after being caught. Sportsmen well know that it is only while this kind of fish is yet almost alive that it retains that white creamy substance which appears between the flakes of the boiled fish, and which makes it so truly delicious: this is a little know to London epicures. If it be practicable to procure what is termed a live salmon, take out the gills, draw out the guts, &c., wash the fish and crimp it on either side, by making deep incisions with a very sharp knife, and then throw it into a large tub containing clean, cold, spring-water, fresh from the pump; the water to be changed every half-hour, and the salmon to remain in it for about two hours. In crimping any sort of fish, the colder the water is the better; the coldness of the water petrifying the fish to a certain degree, gives it the firmness so much desired. Put the crimped salmon on to boil in hot water, with a good handful of salt; allow it to boil gently on the side of the stove, remembering that all crimped fish require considerably less time to boil than plain fish. As soon as the fish is done, it should be immediately drained from the water, dished up, and served with lobster and Dutch sauces, or else with the following sauce: vix.,— put half a pound of fresh churned butter into a clean stewpan with a tablespoonful of chopped parsley, nutmeg, pepper, and salt, and lemon-juice; work this with a spoon (the stewpan containing these ingredients immersed in hot water) until dissolved and mixed, and serve with crimped fish, in a sauceboat.
Note.—The foregoing instructions for crimped salmon and trout are placed here solely for the benefit of such of my readers as may be fortunate enough to live sufficiently near salmon fisheries to enjoy an occasional day's sport, to enable them, when they have been successful, to cook their prize in great perfection.
No. 210.—TROUT, PLAIN BOILED
Boil the trout in water with salt; and when done through, dish it up on a napkin in a dish; garnish it round with pickled parsley, and serve separately in a sauce-boat any of the following sauces: vix.;—Dutch sauce, parsley, butter, shrimp, anchovy, ravigotte, or Scotch sauce as indicated in the preceding article.
No. 211.—GRILLED TROUT, EPICUREAN SAUCE
Split a trout down the back with a knife, and spread it open without bruising it; lay the fish upon a dish, season it with a little oil, pepper, and salt, and a squeeze of lemon-juice; place it between the bars of a double gridiron, over a clear fire to broil; turning it, and basting it occasionally with a little oil or a bit of butter: and when done, which it will take about half an hour, place it on its dish, pour some piquant sauce, No. 22, in which there has been mixed a good pat of epicurean butter, No. 130, and serve.
No. 212.—TROUT WITH GENOESE SAUCE.
Boil a trout, remove the skin, dish it up, and sauce it over with Genoese sauce, No. 20, and serve.
Note.—Boiled trout may also be served with the following sauces: viz.,—Dutch, green ravigotte, cardinal, bourguignotte, white or brown matelotte, &c.
No. 213.—TROUT A L'AURORE
Boil a trout, remove the skin, and cover the fish over with the following preparation: viz.,—To three raw yolks of eggs and half a gill of white sauce, an ounce of grated Parmesan cheese, the juice of half a lemon, a teaspoonful of anchovy, a little nutmeg and pepper; stir this over the fire in a stewpan until it begins to thicken, and then, having masked the trout with it, shake over the surface the whites of two hard eggs shred fine, which have been mixed with the hard yolks rubbed through a wire sieve, an also a little grated Parmesan cheese. Twenty minutes before dinner-time, put the trout in the oven to make it hot; colour it with the salamander of a light-golden brown; pour either some tomato, prawns, or shrimp sauce round the fish, and serve.
No. 214.—FILLETS OF TROUT.
These are prepared and finished in the same manner as fillets of salmon.
No. 215.—STURGEON A LA CARDINAL
Procure about two pounds of sturgeon, remove the skin with a sharp knife, tie the piece of fish round neatly into shape with string, and place it in a stewpan with sliced carrot and onion, bay-leaf, thyme and parsley, a glass of vinegar, four cloves, salt, and a bit of mace, and water enough to cover the fish; set this to boil gently until the sturgeon is done, which will take more or less time according to the size and age of the sturgeon from which the piece has been cut. When done, dish up the sturgeon, garnish with a border of quenelles or whiting, and crayfish, placed alternately round it; sauce it over with cardinal sauce, No. 62, and serve.
Note—To save expense, the garnish may be dispensed with, and the sauce only used.
No. 216.—STURGEON A LA BOURGUIGNOTTE
Boil a piece of sturgeon, large or small, according to directions in No. 215, and having dished it up, pour over it some bourguignotte sauce, No. 60.
No. 217.—STURGEON A LA ROYALE.
For this purpose it will be necessary to procure a larger piece of sturgeon than in the pecking cases, say four pounds to six pounds; and this should be of oblong shape. Remove the skin, roll up the fish, and tie it neatly and close round with string so as to give it the form of a bolster, boil it gently with carrot, onion, bay-leaf, thyme, and parsley, a little salt, vinegar, and water; and when the sturgeon is done, drain it on a dish, and set it to cool. When cold, mask the whole of the surface of the piece of sturgeon with some forcemeat of whiting; smooth this over with a knife dipped frequently in hot water, and ornament or decorate it with truffle, tongue, and the peel of green Indian gherkins; and this done, cover it over with buttered paper; moisten the bottom part of the fish only, by pouring about a pint of the liquor in was boiled in, or a little broth, into the baking-dish it is placed upon, and about three-quarters of an hour before dinner-time, put it in the oven to bake rather slowly, basting it occasionally with its own liquor, and when done, place it carefully on its dish, garnish round the base with groups of truffles, mushrooms, pickled prawns, and small quenelles of whiting, the forcemeat of which has had a green colour imparted to it by the addition of chopped boiled parsley; pour some well-made ravigotte sauce, No. 34, or some Allemande, No. 17, round and over the fish, and serve.
Note.—This is rather an expensive affair, and is therefore to be indulged in upon gala days only.
No. 218.—STURGEON GRILLED, PIQUANTE SAUCE.
Procure a slice of tender sturgeon about an inch thick, rub it over with a little salad-oil, season with pepper and salt, and broil it over a clear fire until done on both sides; place it on its dish, and pour over it some piquant sauce, No. 22, in which there has been incorporated one ounce of fresh butter and a little anchovy.
Note.—Grilled or boiled sturgeon may also be served in every variety and fashion of dressing indicated for the preparation of salmon.
No. 219.—BAKED CODFISH, STUFFED.
Procure a perfectly fresh middle-sized fish, wipe it thoroughly clean, fill the inside with veal stuffing, No. 294, sew up the flaps, and having trussed the cod in the form of a letter S, with a sharp knife make deep incisions on both sides of the fish, and place it upon a pound of dissolved butter, season with pepper and salt, and some oyster liquor, and set it to bake in the oven; basting it frequently with its own liquor; about an hour and a half's baking will suffice to do it thoroughly. When about half done, with a dredger containing brown raspings of rolls, shake a coating all over the fish; this must be repeated several times; whereby not only the appearance of the fish will be enhanced, but the flavour will also be considerably improved. The cod done, lift it carefully by means of two fish-slices, cleverly handled, on to its dish; strain the liquor into a stewpan, add thereto six ounces of butter, four ounces of flour, a glass of Harvey, a glass of wine, a little anchovy, cayenne, nutmeg, a few chopped capers, lemon-juice, and four dozen of scalded oysters; stir it over the fire until it boils; pour it over and round the fish, and serve.
No. 220.—CRIMPED COD, OYSTER SAUCE.
Have some clean water ready boiling on the fire: place the slice or slices of crimped cod in it; add salt in sufficient quantity to strongly flavour the water, and having allowed the fish to boil very gently for about twenty minutes, the slices must be immediately dished up as soon as they are done; inasmuch as to allow any fish to remain in water after it is done, spoils it; but this is more particularly the case with all crimped fish. Garnish the slices of crimped cod with picked parsley, and some pieces of the liver which have been boiled separately, and serve oyster sauce, No. 43, in a sauceboat.
Note.—Cod's liver, when boiled with the fish, through the decomposition of its oil, imparts and unpleasantly strong flavour.
No. 221.—COD A LA DIEPPOISE
Procure slices of cod about half an inch thick, dip them in a little milk on a plate, flour them over thoroughly, and fry them in plenty of very hot lard or clean fat; it will take about twenty minutes to cook then through; the slices of cod must then be drained on a cloth to absorb all grease, and placed neatly on a dish in which there has been previously poured some white matelotte sauce, No. 87, or else, if more convenient, muscle sauce, No. 42.
No. 222.—COD FRIED, A LA PORTUGUAISE
Fry the slices of codfish as directed in the preceding case; and when done, dish them up, and pour round them the following sauce: viz.,—to half a pint of tomato sauce, No. 21, add the reduced or concentrated liquor of a pint of muscles, a glass of wine, a little Harvey, anchovy, nutmeg, and an ounce of butter; stir over the fire until quite hot.
No. 223.—COD GRILLED A LA COLBERT.
Slices of cod half an inch thick, dipped in oil or dissolved butter, and afterwards well floured over, must be carefully broiled upon a clean gridiron, over a clear fire; and when done on both sides, dished up with maître-d'hôtel butter, No. 127, under the fish, and some maître-d'hôtel sauce, No. 32, poured all round its base; and serve before the butter has melted.
No. 224.—CODFISH A LA RELIGIEUSE.
Boil one pound or more codfish, drain it free from water, break it up gently into flakes, and put these into a stewpan with either béchamel sauce, No. 15, oyster sauce, no. 43, or egg sauce, No. 45; toss lightly over the fire until quite hot, pile up in a dish, garnish round with neatly-shaped forms of boiled parsnips, and hard-boiled eggs, placed alternately, and serve.
No. 225.—CODFISH A LA CREME.
See Turbot, No. 195.
No. 226.—COD A L'INDIENNE
Fry or grill the slices of cod as in No. 221; and when done, dish them up, and pour over them some curry sauce, No. 85, in which there have been mixed a little anchovy and about two ounces of butter. Serve plain boiled rice separately.
No. 227.—PLAIN BOILED RICE FOR CURRIES.
Wash the rice thoroughly in several waters, and put, say a pound, to boil in three quarts of cold water, with a little salt; allow it to boil gently until in each grain of rice may be seen the division which is effected in the course of boiling, and which gives the grains of rice when done the form of the letter x: the rice must then be drained upon a sieve, covered with a napkin, and placed in the screen to dry, care being taken to move it lightly with two clean forks, in order to prevent the grains from sticking together, and becoming clammy. Well-cooked rice for curries, must be thoroughly done, and present a perfectly white and light appearance.
No. 228.—BAKED COD'S HEAD.
See Baked Cod stuffed, No. 219.
No. 229.—HADDOCK EGG SAUCE
Fill the inside of the fish with veal stuffing, No. 294, sew it up securely with trussing needle and twine, truss the haddock in the form of the letter S, boil it in water with a little salt, and when done, dish it up, garnish it with pickled parsley, and serve with egg sauce, No. 45, in a sauce-boat.
No. 230.—BAKED HADDOCK.
Stuff and bake the haddock as directed for baked codfish; and when dished up, sauce it over with piquant sauce, No. 22, finished with a pat of butter and a little anchovy.
No. 231.—GRILLED HADDOCK
Wipe the haddock thoroughly dry, rub it over with oil, and then flour it over dry; broil it upon a gridiron, over a clear fire, and when done on both sides, dish it up on a napkin; and serve separately in a sauce-boat either Dutch sauce, maître-d'hôtel, shrimp sauce, or anchovy butter sauce.
No. 232.—FILLETS OF HADDOCKS.
These are prepared in the same manner as fillets of salmon, for which see No. 207.
No. 233.—SOLES BOILED.
Cut off the rough edge of the fins, wash clean, and boil in water with a little salt; and when done through, dish up the sole on a folded napkin with white side uppermost; garnish round with pickled parsley, and serve wither of the following sauces in a sauce-boat: viz.,—anchovy, Dutch, or shrimp sauce.
No. 234.—SOLES FRIED.
Trim away the fins of the sole, wipe it dry, run the point of a knife straight along the back part of the spinal bone, rub the sole over with flour, and then with a paste brush dipped in beaten egg, moisten it all over on both sides, and cover it well with fine bread-crumbs; fry it in a sufficient quantity of very hot lard or frying fat to swim it, and when done through, drain the fish on a cloth to absorb all grease; dish it upon a napkin with some fried parsley; serve either lobster, Dutch, shrimp, or anchovy sauce.
No. 235.—SOLE A LA COLBERT.
Fry a large sole as directed above, and when done cleverly remove the backbone without deforming the fish; and in the cavity place about two ounces of maître-d'hôtel butter, No. 127, and a small bit of glaze; pour some maître-d'hôtel sauce, No. 32, round the sole, and serve before the butter is melted.
No. 236.—SOLE AU GRATIN
Cleanse and trim a sole; place it in a baking-dish previously spread with butter, and sprinkle over with a little pepper and salt, and some raspings of bread; moisten with a glass of white wine, a little mushroom juice or catsup, and a teaspoonful of anchovy; season with finely-chopped parsley, mushrooms, and one shallot; strew some raspings over the surface of the sole, and set it in the oven to bake for about half an hour; and when done, remove the sole on to its dish with a fish-slice; add half a glass of wine to the sauce, stir together, pour it over the sole; apply the red-hot salamander for five minutes, and serve.
No. 237.—SOLE WITH FINE HERBS.
Prepare a sole as in the foregoing Article; but, instead of raspings, use some white sauce; and when the sole is baked, place it on its dish; add a pat of butter and the half of a lemon to the sauce; pour it over the fish, and serve.
No. 238.—SOLE A L'AURORE.
Bone and stuff a sole with fine herbs (chopped parsley, mushrooms, and shallot fried with butter, pepper, and salt), and bake it on a saucepan with a little butter, a glass of wine, and a little mushroom-juice or broth; and when done, place it on its dish, and finish as indicated for trout à l'aurore, No. 213.
No. 239.—SOLE NORMANDE
This is prepared in the first instance as in the foregoing case; and when dished up, boil down the liquor and add it to some white matelotte sauce, No. 87; pour it over the sole, garnish round with crayfish, and fried croutons of bread.
No. 240.—SOLE A LA CARDINAL.
Bone, stuff, and bake a large Torbay sole; an when done, dish it up; reduce the liquor and add it to some cardinal sauce, No. 62; pour this over the sole; garnish it round with a border of quenelles of whiting decorated with truffle, and serve.
No. 241.—FILLETS OF SOLE.
First, skin the sole, and then lay it flat on the table, and with the point of a sharp knife make a deep incision right along the backbone, and then inserting the knife close to the head between the fillet and the fin bones, and by dextrously slipping the edge of the knife under the fillet up to the fins—from head to tail, the fillet will be easily removed entire and free from jags; and thus, having filleted as many soles as may be required for your intended purpose, divide each fillet across the centre; trim the ends neatly and place them symmetrically in a saucepan containing about two ounces of clarified butter; season with lemon-juice and a little pepper and salt; set the saucepan on the fire, or in the oven to cook the fillets, and in ten or twelve minutes, if thoroughly done, drain them upon a cloth to absorb the grease; dish them up in a circular form, each fillet overlying the other; pour over them either of the following sauces, and serve:—maître-d'hôtel, ravigotte, Dutch, cardinal, white matelotte, shrimp, Indian, Italian, muscle, or green ravigotte.
No. 242.—FILLETS OF SOLE FRIED
When the fillets of soles are trimmed, flour them over, and then dip each piece separately in some beaten egg; roll them in some fine bread-crumbs, and place them in a wire frying basket (see Adams' Illustrations at the end of the book). And having some hot clean frying fat, immerse the fillets in the basket in it; allow them to fry for about ten minutes, by which time they will have acquired a light-golden brown colour; they must then be withdrawn from the fat, drained on a cloth, dished up neatly, similarly to cutlets; and, having poured either of the sauces named in the preceding Article round them, send to table.
No. 243.—FILLETS OF FISH, FRIED IN BATTER.
Having trimmed the fillets of any kind of fish in a similar manner to fillets of soles, place them in a pan it a little oil, vinegar, pepper, and salt, a little picked parsley, and a sliced onion; mix altogether in order that the fillets may be well impregnated with the seasoning; and when about to cook them, let them be drained on a cloth, and afterwards dip each fillet separately in some light frying batter, No. 288; and taking care that they are not overladen with the batter, drop them quickly into the hot frying fat, and turn them about lightly with a fork so as to admit of their being caught equally all over by the heat of the fat, which will cause them to be evenly coloured. The fillets will take about a quarter of an hour to fry them thoroughly; and when done, are to be dished up, and served with either of the sauces named in the foregoing Articles. It is advisable to serve the sauce separately, as the steam arising therefrom destroys the crispness of the batter.
No. 244.—FILLETS OF SOLE A LA TARTARE.
Bread-crumb the fillets of sole in the usual manner; fry them in two ounces of clarified butter, in a saucepan, over a sharp fire, and when done of a golden brown, drain them on a cloth, and dish them upon some Tartar sauce, No. 38.
No. 245.—FILLETS OF SOLES A LA ROUENNAISE.
For this purpose the thin pellicle or under-skin must be removed from the fillets by pressing gently, yet firmly, with the fingers of the left hand, while with the right hand the knife must be run through between the thin skin and the fillet of the fish, so as to remove the skin without cutting the fillet through, or in any way injuring it; and when this is accomplished, spread the fillets out to their full length, and cover them thinly with a coating of forcemeat whiting, in which there has been mixed some lobster-spawn to give it a red colour; and then, folding the fillets together, place them symmetrically with the pointed ends all converging to the centre of the saucepan containing some clarified butter; season with pepper and salt; sprinkle lightly some chopped parsley over the fillets; place a small stewpan lid in the centre of the saucepan to press the ends of the fillets, in order to prevent them from spreading open while they are being cooked in the oven; this will take about twenty minutes, and when done, dish up the fillets like cutlets, pour in the centre and round their base some white matelotte sauce, No. 87, and serve. This is a very handsome dressed fish.
No. 246.—BOILED GURNET.
Fill the inside of the grunt with some veal stuffing ; sew up the flaps; boil it in water with a little salt; and when done, dish it up on a folded napkin; garnish it round with picked parsley, and serve with white or brown caper sauce, Nos. 25 and 26, or with anchovy, shrimp, Dutch, lobster, or piquante sauce.
No. 247.—BAKED GURNET.
See Baked Codfish, No. 219, and pour round the gurnet some Provençal sauce, No. 69.
No. 248.—FILLETS OF GURNET.
These may be prepared in every variety of form pre scribed for dressing fillets of soles.
No. 249.—BOILED MACKEREL.
Boil the mackerel in salt and water, and send to table with either fennel, parsley, or gooseberry sauce.
No. 250.—BOILED MACKEREL A LA MAITRE D'HOTEL.
Split the mackerel down the back, season with pepper and salt, oil it over, place it on a gridiron over a moderate fire; and when done on both sides, take it up on a hot dish, and fill the inside with cold maître-dʼhôtel butter, No. 127; pour some maître·d’hôtel sauce round the base, and serve.
No. 251.—GRILLED MACKEREL WITH BROWN BUTTER SAUCE.
Grill the mackerel as directed in the preceding case; serve it up on a hot dish with fried parsley placed at each end, pour some brown butter sauce, No. 54, over it, and serve.
No. 252.—FILLETS OF MACKEREL A LA MAITRE D’HOTEL.
To fillet the mackerel, place the fish on the table with the head to your right and its back towards you; then run the knife in, just below the gills; turn the edge of the blade under; press with the fingers full on the upper end of the fillet, and bearing with the blade of the knife gently down to the tail, the first fillet will thus be removed; repeat this action on the side of the backbone, and then, dividing the fillets into halves crosswise, trim off the black inside skin and bones; cut off the corners, and arrange the fillets in symmetrical order in a sautapan containing two ounces of dissolved butter; season with pepper and salt, lemon-juice, and chopped parsley; set them over the fire, or in the oven for twelve minutes, and when done through, drain and dish them up in circular form; place the roes (previously parboiled in water with a little vinegar and salt) in the centre; pour some maître-d’hôtel sauce, No. 32, over all, and serve.
Note.—Fillets of mackerel prepared as prescribed in the first part of the foregoing directions may also be served with any of the following sauces, viz. :—ravigotte, Dutch, brown butter, piquante, metalotte, or Genoese.
No. 253.—RED MULLETS GRILLED.
Season the mullet with pepper and salt; rub it over with oil; place it on a gridiron over a moderate fire, and having grilled it on both sides, dish it up, and serve with either maître-dʼhôtel, Provençale, piquante, Genoese, tomato, ravigotte, or Italian sauce.
No. 254.—Red Mullets with Fine Herbs
Place the mullets in a saucepan with an ounce of butter, a little Harvey, anchovy, and a glass of wine ; bake them in the oven, or else covered up over a slow fire; and when done, remove the fish on to their dish ; add to their liquor some finely chopped truffle, mushrooms, parsley, a little shalot, nutmeg, and the juice of half a lemon, and a little flour ; stir these together over the fire for a few minutes; pour the sauce over the mullets, and serve quite hot.
No. 255.—RED MULLETS IN PAPERS.
These are to be prepared as in the foregone case, and a lesson of three yolks of eggs and a spoonful of cream to be added when finishing the sauce. The mullets must be placed in oiled papers, an equal proportion of the sauce spread over each, and then fastened down in these oiled papers, by means of twisting the edges of the papers in a somewhat similar manner to that used for twisting the hem of a muslin frill when about to prepare its edge for what sempstresses term whipping. This papering process being satisfactorily accomplished, broil the mullets over a slow fire to warm them through, and also to colour them on both sides without at all burning the paper, and this done, serve them on a napkin.
No. 256.—RED MULLETS A LA CHESTERFIELD.
The mullets should be seasoned and baked as prescribed in the foregoing cases, and when done, and dished up, must be sauced over with some crayfish sauce, for making which proceed as indicated for the preparation of lobster sauce, observing that the liquor from the mullets must be incorporated with the sauce. Garnish the mullets round with small truces and crayfish, and serve.
No. 257.—WHITINGS BOILED
Boil the whiting in water with a little salt, and when done, serve with either Dutch, plain melted butter, anchovy, or merely a little cold butter lightly mixed with the flakes of the fish. Plain boiled whitings constitute but insipid eating, and are seldom eaten except by invalids; for whom they are considered light.
No. 258.—FRIED WHITINGS.
First, skin the whiting, and then turn the tail round, and fasten it between the jaws by means of a small pointed twig ; this done, flour it over, having dipped it in beaten egg, roll it in bread-crumbs, and fry it in plenty of hot frying fat; and when done through, dish it up with fried parsley, and serve with anchovy or shrimp sauce, separately.
No. 259.—WHITINGS BROILED.
First, rub the whiting over with oil, and then having rolled it in flour, broil it over a clear fire ; and when done, serve with the following sauce : viz.,—two ounces of butter, two yolks of eggs, nutmeg, pepper, and salt, chopped parsley and a few drops of elder-vinegar ; stir briskly over a slow fire for a few minutes, and as soon as the sauce slightly thickens, pour it into a sauce-boat, and serve.
No. 260.—WHITINGS AU GRATIN.
See Soles au Gratin, No. 236.
No. 261.—FILLETS OF WHITINGS A LA HORLY.
Fillet the whitings with the skin left on in the same manner as indicated for filleting mackerel ; divide them crosswise, and having trimmed the fillets, season them with pepper and salt, and a sprinkle of oil and vinegar; dip them in a little beaten white of egg; flour them well, and fry them crisp ; and when done, dish them up on a napkin with fried parsley, and sere tomato, ravigotte, or piquant sauce, separately.
No. 262.—FRIED WHITINGS A LA FRANCAISE.
Merely wipe the whiting without skinning it; score it along both sides, by making deep incisions with a sharp knife ; dip the fish in a little milk on a plate, and having well floured it over, fry it in plenty of hot fat, of a light colour, and perfectly crisp, and serve with anchovy, shrimp, ravigotte, or maître-d’hôtel sauce.
Note.—This mode of frying fish is much more simple, as well as more economical, than the process of bread-crumbing, and is unquestionably more palatable.
No. 263.—GRILLED CHAR.
Char is a very scarce fish ; it is considered a great delicacy, and is seldom seen in the London markets ; it is caught only in the lakes of Cumberland, and its flesh is of a pinky hue, resembling in colour and flavour that of the fresh-water trout. Broil the char in the same manner as herrings, and serve it with either piquante, Provençal, ravigotte, or mustard sauce.
No. 264.—WATER SOUCHET OF CHAR.
Fillet the char, pare off the skin, put the fillets to boil for five minutes in a stew pan with some shred parsley-roots and parsley-leaves, and some weak bright stock, with a pinch of pepper and salt ; and serve altogether with thin slices of brown bread and butter on a plate, separately.
No. 265.—STEWED LAMPREYS.
Lampreys should be rubbed over with a little salt, drawn, and washed clean; and after being wiped dry, are to be cut up in lengths of about three inches; and being placed in a stewpan with some button-mushrooms, chopped parsley, nutmeg, pepper and salt, a pint of wine, and a few button-onions, are to be stewed gently over the fire until nearly done; then add two ounces of butter, with two ounces of flour, kneaded together very smoothly ; stir this in very gently over the fire to boil for five minutes, and serve hot.
Lampreys may also be stewed with cider instead of wine ; or merely with stock or water ; in the latter case add a bit of glaze and a little anchovy.
No. 266.—FRIED SMELTS.
Wipe the smelts, cut off the fins, roll them in flour, dip them in beaten egg, bread-crumbs, and fry them in plenty of hot frying fat ; and when done, dish them up with tried parsley, and serve with shrimp or anchovy sauce.
No. 267.—BAKED SMELTS.
Spread the bottom of a dish with butter, sprinkle thereon some raspings of bread, season with chopped parsley and shalots, pepper, and salt ; then place the smelts in a row ; pour over them a little Harvey, anchovy, and a glass of wine ; repeat the butter, seasoning, and the raspings, and having placed them in the oven for about a quarter of an hour, when thoroughly done, serve quite hot.
No. 268.—EELS SPITCHCOCKED.
First skin and draw the eels by splitting down the vent; then cut them into pieces of about three inches long, and remove the backbone by loosening it on both sides with a knife, and cut it out with scissors. This done, season the pieces of eel with chopped parsley and shalot, pepper, and salt, a very little oil, and a few dropa of vinegar or lemon-juice ; dip each piece in beaten egg, and bread-crumb them without disturbing any portion of the seasoning. When about to send to table, fry the pieces of eel in hot frying fat, dish them in a circular row, pour some piquante sauce in the centre, and serve.
No. 269.—STEWED EELS.
See Stewed Lampreys, No. 265.
No. 270.—EELS A LA TARTARE.
Skin, draw, and cut the eels into pieces an inch long ; half cook them by gently and partially boiling them in water with a little salt and vinegar; and when drained and cold, bread·crumb and fry them ; dish up the pieces of eel upon some Tartar sauce, No. 38, already poured in the centre of the dish for that purpose.
No. 271.—STEWED EELS, WHITE.
Cut up the eels as in the foregoing cases, and stew them with the same seasoning and a little French white wine ; stir in the kneaded butter, and finish by adding a little chopped parsley and a lesson of three yolks of eggs and half a gill of cream.
No. 272.—CARP FRIED.
To fry carp, the fish must be scaled and drawn, split down the back, and laid open ; a small angular stone which lies deeply set at the base of the skull, and which is called the gall-stone, must be taken out, for if allowed to remain, it is liable to impart a bitter taste to the fish. Season the carp with pepper and salt, flour it over, and fry it in hot fat; and when done, dish it up with fried parsley, and serve either Italian, ravigotte, or piquante sauce, in a ;sauce·boat.
Carp may also be bread-crumbed in the usual way, if preferred.
No. 273.—STEWED CARP.
These may be stewed whole or cut in pieces; the preparation is the same as for stewed eels or lampreys, No. 265.
Large-sized carp should be stuffed either with veal stuffing, or with forcemeat of any kind of fish; and stewed in a little stock with a small quantity of carrot, onion, &c., and a glass of red wine ; and when done, dish up the carp ; strain the liquor into a stew pan, to be boiled down and incorporated with either matelotte sauce, No. 86 or No. 20 ; garnish with crayfish and quenelles, and serve.
No. 274.—CARP, STUFFED AND BAKED.
See Codfish, No. 219.
No. 275.—·STEWED TENCH.
Place the tench in a stewpan with a small bunch of parsley, green onions, thyme, and bay-leaf, a little pepper and salt, and just enough common French wine or cider to cover it ; stew the tench gently over a slow fire till it is done ; then dish it up ; strain the liquor into a small stewpan ; thicken with an ounce of butter, kneaded with an ounce of flour; add a little mushroom-catsup, anchovy, nutmeg, chopped parsley, and some prepared mushrooms; stir the sauce over the stove for five minutes ; pour it over the tench, and send to table.
Note.—Tench bearing so great an affinity to carp, may also be dressed in every variety prescribed for that fish.
No. 276.—BARBLE, ROACH, AND DACE.
Barble is but an indifferent kind of fish, and is hardly worth dressing for table ; yet, as we all have a tendency to be fondest of anything procured through our own exertions, sportsmen at least will find some gratification in knowing that even barbell, when properly treated, is susceptible of yielding a fair share of enjoyment to the gastronomist, who, armed with some little modicum of culinary knowledge, is enabled to turn the most indifferent kinds of food into a comparative delicacy. Barble may be cooked in the different fashions indicated for carp or tench. Roach and dace are scarcely worth any other mode of dressing than frying.
No. 277.—BAKED PIKE
The easiest and at the same time the safest manner for removing the scales from any kind of fresh-water fish is to lay it in the sink, to pour boiling water from the spout of a kettle over both sides of the fish, and then as soon as—through the action of the scalding-hot water—the brightness of the scales of the fish has become dulled, immerse the fish in cold water, and you will then find it an easy matter to remove the scales with a blunt knife, or even with the fingers : and thus the pike being scaled, drawn, and washed clean, fill the inside with veal stuffing ; truss it in the form of an S; put it in a baking-dish with a pint of common wine, or cider, or a little stock ; half a pound of butter, a glass of catsup, a little anchovy, and some chopped parsley and shallot ; set the pike in the oven to bake until it is done, remembering that it must be frequently basted with its own liquor, and that the heat of the oven must not be fierce, as in that case it would bum up the moisture and spoil the fish.
When thoroughly done through, lift the pike carefully on to the dish, with two fish·slices ; strain the liquor it has been baked with into a stew pan ; thicken it with two ounces of butter kneaded with two ounces of flour ; add a spoonful of Oude sauce (to be had in greatest perfection at Crosse and Blackwell’s warehouse, Soho-square), a few sliced gherkins, and a glass of sherry ; stir the sauce over the fire for ten minutes, pour it over the fish, and send to table.
Small pike may also be cut up and stewed in similar manner to eels, carp, &o.; larger fish of this kind may be cut in thin slices, which, being placed in very cold pump water, will by that means become crimped, providing that the fish be nearly alive. When treated in this manner, crimped slices of pike form a great luxury; and may be served when boiled, or fried, as prescribed for dressing crimped cod, with every variety of sauce directed to be served with cod-fish or salmon.
No. 278.—PERCH.
Perch, when caught in limpid waters, constitutes very sweet delicate eating: this fish may be successfully dressed in every mode already described for the preparation of carp, trout, eels, &c. ; in addition to which it is peculiarly well adapted for making water souchet ; for which see No. 264.
No. 279.—SKATE.
This fish is generally sold cut in strips and curled round with a piece of the liver in the centre; it is then called crimped skate; and is considered by many delicious eating. The general fashion for dressing this fish is to boil it in salt and water, and serve it with white or brown caper sauce, or with shrimp or anchovy sauce.
Skate is also excellent when bread-crumbed and fried, and served with either of the sauces above named, and also with tomato, Indian, or piquante sauce.
No. 280.—CRIMPED SKATE WITH BROWN BUTTER.
Boil the skate in water with salt and a little vinegar ; and when done, dish it up with some of the liver and fried parsley ; pour some carefully-prepared brown butter sauce, No. 54, over it, and serve.
This mode of dressing skate, once tried, will ever after continue a favourite with true epicures.
No. 281.—WHITE-BAIT.
White-bait is a great favourite with all who visit London during the months of May, June, and July, when this delicacy is in greatest perfection. They are a very small, silvery-looking fish; and their claim to notice is their sweet savour. It was formerly believed that to obtain white-bait in perfection it was necessary to travel to Blackwall : this fable has long since become obsolete ; and certainly, with the assistance of the following in striations, my readers may henceforth indulge in the luxury of white-bait without its becoming a matter of necessity to go to Blackwall for that purpose.
To fry white·bait, drain it on a sieve, and then sprinkle it out of your hand lightly upon plenty of flour strewn thickly over a cloth; and, with the fingers of both hands spread apart, quickly and lightly handle the white·bait ; and as in a few seconds it will by these means have be come well covered with flour, having put it by handfuls into a wire frying basket (see Adamsʼ Illustrations), shake away all the superfluous flour, and dip the basket containing the prepared white-bait into some very hot clean lard. A few minutes will suicide to fry the whitebait of a silvery tinge, yet perfectly crisp ; pile it up on a napkin, garnish with fried parsley, and serve it quite hot and crisp, with cayenne, quarters of lemons, and brown bread and butter, separately.
No. 282.—DEVILLED WHITE-BAIT.
To devil white-bait, it must be fried a first time in the usual way; and then after being sprinkled over with ground black pepper and salt, is to be fried a second time in very hot frying fat: this being done, season it again with cayenne pepper and salt, and serve quite hot.
No. 283.—SCOLLOPED OYSTERS.
Scale and beard—that is, remove the beards from some dozens of oysters ; strain the liquor into a stewpan, add thereto two ounces of butter, mixed or kneaded with two ounces of flour, a little cream, anchovy, nutmeg, and cayenne ; stir the sauce over the fire to boil and reduce for ten minutes ; then add a couple of yolks of eggs and a little lemon·juice, and some chopped parsley ; add the oysters cut each into halves, stir altogether over the fire for a few minutes, and fill some scollop-shells with this preparation ; cover them over with a thick coating of fried bread·crumbs ; place them on a baking·sheet in the oven for five minutes, and serve them quite hot.
Note. —If you have no scollop-shells, the deep shell of the oyster, well scoured, will serve the purpose.
No. 284.—SCOLLOPED MUSCLES.
These are prepared similarly to oysters, and placed in scollop-shells likewise. Both oysters and muscles, being first prepared as described in No. 283, may also be served upon neatly shaped pieces of dry toast: this constitutes oyster toast, or muscle toast.
No. 285.—SCOLLOPED LOBSTER.
Split a fresh-boiled lobster into halves, by cutting it through with a strong knife from head to tail ; take out all the meat without damaging the shell ; trim away the ragged edges from the two halves of the body-shel1, and likewise from the tail and claw-pieces ; let all the meat be cut into small scollops or squares, and reserved in a plate. Pound the pith, coral, and spawn of the lobster in a mortar with a small bit of butter; rub it through a sieve, and put this into a stew pan with a little white sauce of any kind, a little anchovy, nutmeg, cayenne, and lemon-juice, and having stirred the sauce over the fire to boil for a few minutes, add the lobster and the yolks of two raw eggs; stir again over the fire to make it hot ; fill the prepared lobster·shells with this ; cover them over with fried bread-crumbs ; salamander them, and dish up on a folded napkin, with fried parsley.
No. 286.—SCOLLOPED COLLOPS.
These are a species of shellfish but seldom exhibited for sale in London; they are more plentiful at Brighton, where they are much esteemed as a great relish, when properly cooked and well seasoned; indeed this last qualification is of great importance, inasmuch an collops being of difficult digestion, it is essential that in order to render them comparatively harmless to persons of somewhat delicate digestive organs, they should be thoroughly cooked, and plentifully seasoned with cayenne pepper. First, it is necessary, as soon as the collops are removed without tearing them from the_shells, that they should be soaked in water with a little salt, frequently handling them, and changing the water, in order to free them from the sand and grit which, if allowed to remain after all the trouble of cooking, render them uneatable. And thus the collops having been thoroughly cleansed, let them be parboiled for five minutes in their own liquor, and when drained, set aside on a plate. Next, put the liquor from the collops into a small stew pan with a piece of butter, a spoonful of flour, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, a little anchovy, lemon-juice, and cream; stir this sauce over the fire to boil for ten minutes, and place the cools each back in its respective deep shell ; cover them individually with a good spoonful of the sauce; finish with a thick layer of fried bread-crumbs ; make them thoroughly hot in the oven, and dress them on a folded napkin.
No. 287.—SCOLLOPED COCKLES.
These are to be prepared with all care as to cleanliness, as they contain much grit, &c. : and in all respects proceed as recommended for dressing collops; and when the preparation is ready, as their own shells are too small, use scollop-shells, or pieces of dry toast, in their stead.
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Francatelli's Chapter 4b: Dressed Fish in General
CHAPTER IVb.
Dressed Fish in General
Wash the turbot, wipe it dry, rub it over with the juice of a lemon, and a little salt, and put it into a fish-kettle with water sufficient to cover it; add a handful of salt, set the kettle over the fire, and as soon as it begins to boil, lift it down by the side of the fire, to continue gently simmering for about half and hour—more or less, according to the size and weight of the fish; when done, skim the water, lift the turbot out carefully upon its drainer, slide it gently off on to the dish covered with a folded napkin, garnish it round neatly with pickled parsley, and send to table with either lobster sauce, No. 40, or Dutch sauce, No. 79.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Boiled Turbot
Remove the backbone from a small turbot, and stuff it with forcemeat of whiting, No. 186; then place it on a sautapan or baking-sheet previously spread with an ounce of butter; moisten with mushroom juice, a couple of glasses of white wine, and some oyster liquor, if handy; season with a little pepper and salt, put an ounce of butter in bits all over the fish, and set it in the oven to bake, basting it frequently with its own liquor; and when done through, remove the turbot on to its dish carefully with a fish-slice, and keep it hot while you prepare the following sauce: viz.,—first, dissolve two ounces of butter in a stewpan over the fire; add two ounces of flour, mix together, moisten with the liquor from the turbot, season with nutmeg, cayenne, lemon-juice, a little anchovy and a glass of sherry; stir over the fire for ten minutes; them mix in a leason of four egg yolks, and a gill of cream, some pickled prawns, button mushrooms, and scalded and bearded oysters, and a piece of lobster-butter, make the sauce hot without boiling; pour it over the turbot, and serve.
Note—When you happen to have some good white sauce ready, it will be necessary to only boil down the liquor from the fish, and add it to the sauce with the garnish.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Turbot à la Parisienne
Place the turbot on a dish ; season it with pepper and salt, lemon-juice, and a little salad-oil. Half an hour before dinner-time, place the turbot on the gridiron, over a slow clear fire, to gril (a double gridiron is necessary for this purpose) ; turn it every five minutes, and bast it by dipping a paste-brush in the seasoning left in the dish, and when the fish is done through, remove it on to its dish ; and pour over it the following sauce : viz.;—prepare some muscle sauce, No. 42, with a glass of wine and a lesson of four yolks and a gill of cream, and garnish the turbot round with a border of boiled crayfish.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Grilled Turbot à la Vatel
Prepare the turbot as directed in No. 192, and when dished up, put the liquor it has been baked in into a stewpan; boil it down to a fourth part of its original quantity, and add it to some white matelotte sauce, No. 87; pour this over the turbot; garnish round with heart-shaped or oval fried crôutons of bread, and serve.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Turbot à la Normande
This dish is prepared from any turbot which happens to be left from a previous day's dinner. Remove the fish from the bones; pare off the black skin, and cut up the pieces into scollops; to these add some cream bechamel sauce, No. 16; make the fish hot without bruising the pieces; pile it up neatly in a dish; shake over the surface some grated Parmesan cheese, and upon this pour, say half a gill of good thick cream; use the red-hot salamander (see Adams' Illustrations) to colour the surface of this dish of a light-golden brown, and serve quite hot.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Turbot with Cream au Gratin
The remains of turbot are prepared as in the foregoing case, with the addition of a few oysters when in season, and also a little cream; it is dished up with a border of potato croquettes.
Note—Scollops of turbot, or of almost any other kind of fish, may be prepared in the same way, and used also for garnishing vol-au-vents, borders of potato, &c.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Turbot à la Bechamel
A small turbot may be purchased for this purpose; and after cutting out the fleshy parts from the four divisions intervening between the fins and the backbone, divide these into square oblong pieces, and place them neatly in a sautapan with two ounces of dissolved butter, pepper, salt, and lemon-juice; set them over the fire; in the latter case, the fillets must be turned over to admit of their being done on both sides. The fillets, after being drained on a napkin, must be dished up similarly to cutlets, and sauced over with either the following sauces: viz.,—maître-d'hôtel, Dutch sauce, ravigotte, Italian, Indian, lobster, shrimp, oyster, muscle, &c.; each kind of sauce affording a variety, as well as being suitable to convenience.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Fillets of Turbot
This fish very much resembles turbot, and may therefore be treated in the same way, the directions for dressing which may be followed in all particulars.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Brill
Cook the fish in water with a little salt, and be careful that it is not allowed to boil; as this fish, which is far from presenting an ornamental or pleasing aspect, is positively hideous to behold when further disfigured by its being allowed to boil fast while it is being cooked. When the dory is done, dish it up with care, in order not to break it; and send it to table with lobster, shrimp, anchovy, or Dutch sauce.
Note.—Dories may also be stuffed, and baked or grilled, and served with brown caper sauce, or piquante sauce.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's John Dory
Put the salmon, whether whole, in parts, or in slices, to boil in water with salt; but remember never to use vinegar when dressing salmon or trout, as that destroys both colour and flavour. As soon as the fish is done, lift it out of the water to drain for a minute : dish it up on a folded napkin; garnish round with pickled parsley, and serve with either of the following sauces. viz.,—lobster, shrimp, anchovy, Dutch, or green parsley sauce.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Plain Salmon
Procure one or more slices of salmon about an inch thick, rub them over with salad-oil, and season with pepper and salt; and having placed them on a gridiron over a clear fire to broil, carefully turn the slices of salmon over every five minutes, basting occasionally either with a little butter or oil, according to taste; and when the salmon is done through, which will be accomplished in about half an hour, and may be ascertained by finding that on a little pressure the bone easily separates from the fish, it is to be placed on its dish, and either of the following sauces poured over it and served : brown capers, Provençale, bourguignotte, brown butter sauce, or Italian sauce.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Grilled Salmon
The slices of salmon are to be grilled as in the foregoing case; and when done, placed on a dish neatly overlapping each other. Some Tartar sauce, No. 38, or Prince of Wales' sauce, No. 81, must be previously poured into the dish, and elegantly garnished round with Indian pickles, anchovies, olives, capers, and gherkins.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Salmon à la Tartare
The inferior parts of the fish suit this purpose; let them be cut into slices, and after being boiled in the usual way, dished up; pour some matelotte sauce, No. 86, over the salmon; garnish with mushrooms, quenelles, crayfish, and fried croutons of bread, and send to table. Upon ordinary occasions these expensive adjuncts may of course be dispensed with.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Matelotte of Salmon.
For this purpose procure a small salmon-peel weighing about six pounds; truss it in the form of an S, boil it off some hours before dinner-time, and having removed the fish from the water, and allowed it to become cold, with a knife carefully peel off the skin, and then mask over the fish entirely with a coating of fish forcemeat, No. 186 (in which there has been mixed a good quantity of lobster spawn to colour it red), and after smoothing the surface over by means of a knife dipped in hot water and lightly drawn over the forcemeat, insert thereupon some pieces of truffles to form a decoration representing sprigs of laurels, &c.; cover the salmon over with paper previously well greased with butter, place it in the oven for about half an hour before dinner-time, and when the forcemeat has become firm. yet somewhat elastic to the touch, dish up the salmon, garnish it with périgeux sauce, No. 67, some decorated quenelles of lobster, No. 187, large crayfish, and button mushrooms.
Note.—As this is evidently a very extravagant dish, it may be indulged in only upon extraordinary occasions; and even then the most expensive articles may be dispensed with, without deterioration to the superiority of the dish itself.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Salmon à la Regence.
Procure a pound and a half of salmon from the tail end (that part being cheapest); divide the fish from the backbone by running or slipping the edge of the knife along the side of the spine; and when this is effected, remove the skin in like manner; cut the fish into neat squares or heart-shaped pieces, about a quarter of an inch thick; dip these fillets in some beaten egg; drain and roll them in some fine bread-crumbs; fry them of a light-fawn colour in some lard previously made very hot for the purpose; and when done, dish them up neatly and pour over them some Indian sauce, No. 73, and sprinkle the fillets some finely shred peel of the green mountain gherkins, to be had of Crosse and Blackwell, Soho-square.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Fillets of Salmon à L'Indienne.
Let these be prepared and bread-crumbed as directed in the foregoing case; and instead of frying them in lard, two ounces of clarified butter, in a saucepan, must be used for that purpose; and when the fillets of salmon are done, and dished up, garnish the centre of the entrée with either muscles, oysters, prawns, or shrimps (these must of course have been previously scalded or pickled); pour over the garnish and round the fillets some ravigotte sauce, No. 34, or aurora sauce, No. 88, and serve hot.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Fillets of Salmon à la Mareschale.
Trim, crumb, and fry the fillets of salmon as in the foregoing case, and dish them up on some Tartar sauce, No. 38, previously placed in the centre of the dish.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Fillets of Salmon à la Tartare.
Trim the fillets of salmon in the form of squares or ovals, place them neatly in a saucepan with a little clarified butter, pepper, and salt, chopped parsley, and the juice of half a lemon; and set them in the oven or upon a slow fire until done on one side, and then turn them over; and when done through, drain and dish them up in a ring; sauce over with ravigotte sauce, No. 34 or No. 57.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Fillets of Salmon à la Ravigotte.
To dress salmon or trout in perfection in this style, it is quite necessary that the fish be dressed a short time after being caught. Sportsmen well know that it is only while this kind of fish is yet almost alive that it retains that white creamy substance which appears between the flakes of the boiled fish, and which makes it so truly delicious: this is a little know to London epicures. If it be practicable to procure what is termed a live salmon, take out the gills, draw out the guts, &c., wash the fish and crimp it on either side, by making deep incisions with a very sharp knife, and then throw it into a large tub containing clean, cold, spring-water, fresh from the pump; the water to be changed every half-hour, and the salmon to remain in it for about two hours. In crimping any sort of fish, the colder the water is the better; the coldness of the water petrifying the fish to a certain degree, gives it the firmness so much desired. Put the crimped salmon on to boil in hot water, with a good handful of salt; allow it to boil gently on the side of the stove, remembering that all crimped fish require considerably less time to boil than plain fish. As soon as the fish is done, it should be immediately drained from the water, dished up, and served with lobster and Dutch sauces, or else with the following sauce: vix.,— put half a pound of fresh churned butter into a clean stewpan with a tablespoonful of chopped parsley, nutmeg, pepper, and salt, and lemon-juice; work this with a spoon (the stewpan containing these ingredients immersed in hot water) until dissolved and mixed, and serve with crimped fish, in a sauceboat.
Note.—The foregoing instructions for crimped salmon and trout are placed here solely for the benefit of such of my readers as may be fortunate enough to live sufficiently near salmon fisheries to enjoy an occasional day's sport, to enable them, when they have been successful, to cook their prize in great perfection.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Boiled Salmon After the Scotch Fashion.
Boil the trout in water with salt; and when done through, dish it up on a napkin in a dish; garnish it round with pickled parsley, and serve separately in a sauce-boat any of the following sauces: vix.;—Dutch sauce, parsley, butter, shrimp, anchovy, ravigotte, or Scotch sauce as indicated in the preceding article.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Plain Boiled Trout.
Split a trout down the back with a knife, and spread it open without bruising it; lay the fish upon a dish, season it with a little oil, pepper, and salt, and a squeeze of lemon-juice; place it between the bars of a double gridiron, over a clear fire to broil; turning it, and basting it occasionally with a little oil or a bit of butter: and when done, which it will take about half an hour, place it on its dish, pour some piquant sauce, No. 22, in which there has been mixed a good pat of epicurean butter, No. 130, and serve.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Grilled Trout with Epicurean Sauce.
Boil a trout, remove the skin, dish it up, and sauce it over with Genoese sauce, No. 20, and serve.
Note.—Boiled trout may also be served with the following sauces: viz.,—Dutch, green ravigotte, cardinal, bourguignotte, white or brown matelotte, &c.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Grilled Trout with Genoese Sauce.
Boil a trout, remove the skin, and cover the fish over with the following preparation: viz.,—To three raw yolks of eggs and half a gill of white sauce, an ounce of grated Parmesan cheese, the juice of half a lemon, a teaspoonful of anchovy, a little nutmeg and pepper; stir this over the fire in a stewpan until it begins to thicken, and then, having masked the trout with it, shake over the surface the whites of two hard eggs shred fine, which have been mixed with the hard yolks rubbed through a wire sieve, an also a little grated Parmesan cheese. Twenty minutes before dinner-time, put the trout in the oven to make it hot; colour it with the salamander of a light-golden brown; pour either some tomato, prawns, or shrimp sauce round the fish, and serve.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Trout à L'Aurore.
These are prepared and finished in the same manner as fillets of salmon.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Fillets of Trout.
Procure about two pounds of sturgeon, remove the skin with a sharp knife, tie the piece of fish round neatly into shape with string, and place it in a stewpan with sliced carrot and onion, bay-leaf, thyme and parsley, a glass of vinegar, four cloves, salt, and a bit of mace, and water enough to cover the fish; set this to boil gently until the sturgeon is done, which will take more or less time according to the size and age of the sturgeon from which the piece has been cut. When done, dish up the sturgeon, garnish with a border of quenelles or whiting, and crayfish, placed alternately round it; sauce it over with cardinal sauce, No. 62, and serve.
Note—To save expense, the garnish may be dispensed with, and the sauce only used.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Sturgeon à la Cardinal.
Boil a piece of sturgeon, large or small, according to directions in No. 215, and having dished it up, pour over it some bourguignotte sauce, No. 60.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Sturgeon à la Bourguignotte.
For this purpose it will be necessary to procure a larger piece of sturgeon than in the pecking cases, say four pounds to six pounds; and this should be of oblong shape. Remove the skin, roll up the fish, and tie it neatly and close round with string so as to give it the form of a bolster, boil it gently with carrot, onion, bay-leaf, thyme, and parsley, a little salt, vinegar, and water; and when the sturgeon is done, drain it on a dish, and set it to cool. When cold, mask the whole of the surface of the piece of sturgeon with some forcemeat of whiting; smooth this over with a knife dipped frequently in hot water, and ornament or decorate it with truffle, tongue, and the peel of green Indian gherkins; and this done, cover it over with buttered paper; moisten the bottom part of the fish only, by pouring about a pint of the liquor in was boiled in, or a little broth, into the baking-dish it is placed upon, and about three-quarters of an hour before dinner-time, put it in the oven to bake rather slowly, basting it occasionally with its own liquor, and when done, place it carefully on its dish, garnish round the base with groups of truffles, mushrooms, pickled prawns, and small quenelles of whiting, the forcemeat of which has had a green colour imparted to it by the addition of chopped boiled parsley; pour some well-made ravigotte sauce, No. 34, or some Allemande, No. 17, round and over the fish, and serve.
Note.—This is rather an expensive affair, and is therefore to be indulged in upon gala days only.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Sturgeon à la Royale.
Procure a slice of tender sturgeon about an inch thick, rub it over with a little salad-oil, season with pepper and salt, and broil it over a clear fire until done on both sides; place it on its dish, and pour over it some piquant sauce, No. 22, in which there has been incorporated one ounce of fresh butter and a little anchovy.
Note.—Grilled or boiled sturgeon may also be served in every variety and fashion of dressing indicated for the preparation of salmon.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Grilled Sturgeon with Piquante Sauce.
Procure a perfectly fresh middle-sized fish, wipe it thoroughly clean, fill the inside with veal stuffing, No. 294, sew up the flaps, and having trussed the cod in the form of a letter S, with a sharp knife make deep incisions on both sides of the fish, and place it upon a pound of dissolved butter, season with pepper and salt, and some oyster liquor, and set it to bake in the oven; basting it frequently with its own liquor; about an hour and a half's baking will suffice to do it thoroughly. When about half done, with a dredger containing brown raspings of rolls, shake a coating all over the fish; this must be repeated several times; whereby not only the appearance of the fish will be enhanced, but the flavour will also be considerably improved. The cod done, lift it carefully by means of two fish-slices, cleverly handled, on to its dish; strain the liquor into a stewpan, add thereto six ounces of butter, four ounces of flour, a glass of Harvey, a glass of wine, a little anchovy, cayenne, nutmeg, a few chopped capers, lemon-juice, and four dozen of scalded oysters; stir it over the fire until it boils; pour it over and round the fish, and serve.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Baked, Stuffed, Codfish.
Have some clean water ready boiling on the fire: place the slice or slices of crimped cod in it; add salt in sufficient quantity to strongly flavour the water, and having allowed the fish to boil very gently for about twenty minutes, the slices must be immediately dished up as soon as they are done; inasmuch as to allow any fish to remain in water after it is done, spoils it; but this is more particularly the case with all crimped fish. Garnish the slices of crimped cod with picked parsley, and some pieces of the liver which have been boiled separately, and serve oyster sauce, No. 43, in a sauceboat.
Note.—Cod's liver, when boiled with the fish, through the decomposition of its oil, imparts and unpleasantly strong flavour.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Crimped Cod with Oyster Sauce.
Procure slices of cod about half an inch thick, dip them in a little milk on a plate, flour them over thoroughly, and fry them in plenty of very hot lard or clean fat; it will take about twenty minutes to cook then through; the slices of cod must then be drained on a cloth to absorb all grease, and placed neatly on a dish in which there has been previously poured some white matelotte sauce, No. 87, or else, if more convenient, muscle sauce, No. 42.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Cod à la Dieppoise.
Fry the slices of codfish as directed in the preceding case; and when done, dish them up, and pour round them the following sauce: viz.,—to half a pint of tomato sauce, No. 21, add the reduced or concentrated liquor of a pint of muscles, a glass of wine, a little Harvey, anchovy, nutmeg, and an ounce of butter; stir over the fire until quite hot.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Fried Cod à la Portuguaise.
Slices of cod half an inch thick, dipped in oil or dissolved butter, and afterwards well floured over, must be carefully broiled upon a clean gridiron, over a clear fire; and when done on both sides, dished up with maître-d'hôtel butter, No. 127, under the fish, and some maître-d'hôtel sauce, No. 32, poured all round its base; and serve before the butter has melted.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Grilled Cod à la Colbert.
Boil one pound or more codfish, drain it free from water, break it up gently into flakes, and put these into a stewpan with either béchamel sauce, No. 15, oyster sauce, no. 43, or egg sauce, No. 45; toss lightly over the fire until quite hot, pile up in a dish, garnish round with neatly-shaped forms of boiled parsnips, and hard-boiled eggs, placed alternately, and serve.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Codfish à la Religieuse.
See Turbot, No. 195.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Codfish à la Créme.
Fry or grill the slices of cod as in No. 221; and when done, dish them up, and pour over them some curry sauce, No. 85, in which there have been mixed a little anchovy and about two ounces of butter. Serve plain boiled rice separately.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Cod à L'Indienne.
Wash the rice thoroughly in several waters, and put, say a pound, to boil in three quarts of cold water, with a little salt; allow it to boil gently until in each grain of rice may be seen the division which is effected in the course of boiling, and which gives the grains of rice when done the form of the letter x: the rice must then be drained upon a sieve, covered with a napkin, and placed in the screen to dry, care being taken to move it lightly with two clean forks, in order to prevent the grains from sticking together, and becoming clammy. Well-cooked rice for curries, must be thoroughly done, and present a perfectly white and light appearance.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Plain Boiled Rice for Curries.
See Baked Cod stuffed, No. 219.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Baked Cod's Head.
Fill the inside of the fish with veal stuffing, No. 294, sew it up securely with trussing needle and twine, truss the haddock in the form of the letter S, boil it in water with a little salt, and when done, dish it up, garnish it with pickled parsley, and serve with egg sauce, No. 45, in a sauce-boat.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Haddock with Egg Sauce.
Stuff and bake the haddock as directed for baked codfish; and when dished up, sauce it over with piquant sauce, No. 22, finished with a pat of butter and a little anchovy.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Baked Haddock.
Wipe the haddock thoroughly dry, rub it over with oil, and then flour it over dry; broil it upon a gridiron, over a clear fire, and when done on both sides, dish it up on a napkin; and serve separately in a sauce-boat either Dutch sauce, maître-d'hôtel, shrimp sauce, or anchovy butter sauce.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Grilled Haddock.
These are prepared in the same manner as fillets of salmon, for which see No. 207.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Fillets of Haddock.
Cut off the rough edge of the fins, wash clean, and boil in water with a little salt; and when done through, dish up the sole on a folded napkin with white side uppermost; garnish round with pickled parsley, and serve wither of the following sauces in a sauce-boat: viz.,—anchovy, Dutch, or shrimp sauce.
Trim away the fins of the sole, wipe it dry, run the point of a knife straight along the back part of the spinal bone, rub the sole over with flour, and then with a paste brush dipped in beaten egg, moisten it all over on both sides, and cover it well with fine bread-crumbs; fry it in a sufficient quantity of very hot lard or frying fat to swim it, and when done through, drain the fish on a cloth to absorb all grease; dish it upon a napkin with some fried parsley; serve either lobster, Dutch, shrimp, or anchovy sauce.
Fry a large sole as directed above, and when done cleverly remove the backbone without deforming the fish; and in the cavity place about two ounces of maître-d'hôtel butter, No. 127, and a small bit of glaze; pour some maître-d'hôtel sauce, No. 32, round the sole, and serve before the butter is melted.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Sole à la Colbert.
Cleanse and trim a sole; place it in a baking-dish previously spread with butter, and sprinkle over with a little pepper and salt, and some raspings of bread; moisten with a glass of white wine, a little mushroom juice or catsup, and a teaspoonful of anchovy; season with finely-chopped parsley, mushrooms, and one shallot; strew some raspings over the surface of the sole, and set it in the oven to bake for about half an hour; and when done, remove the sole on to its dish with a fish-slice; add half a glass of wine to the sauce, stir together, pour it over the sole; apply the red-hot salamander for five minutes, and serve.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Sole au Gratin.
Prepare a sole as in the foregoing Article; but, instead of raspings, use some white sauce; and when the sole is baked, place it on its dish; add a pat of butter and the half of a lemon to the sauce; pour it over the fish, and serve.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Sole with Fine Herbs.
Bone and stuff a sole with fine herbs (chopped parsley, mushrooms, and shallot fried with butter, pepper, and salt), and bake it on a saucepan with a little butter, a glass of wine, and a little mushroom-juice or broth; and when done, place it on its dish, and finish as indicated for trout à l'aurore, No. 213.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Sole à l'Aurore.
This is prepared in the first instance as in the foregoing case; and when dished up, boil down the liquor and add it to some white matelotte sauce, No. 87; pour it over the sole, garnish round with crayfish, and fried croutons of bread.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Sole Normande.
Bone, stuff, and bake a large Torbay sole; an when done, dish it up; reduce the liquor and add it to some cardinal sauce, No. 62; pour this over the sole; garnish it round with a border of quenelles of whiting decorated with truffle, and serve.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Sole à la Cardinal.
First, skin the sole, and then lay it flat on the table, and with the point of a sharp knife make a deep incision right along the backbone, and then inserting the knife close to the head between the fillet and the fin bones, and by dextrously slipping the edge of the knife under the fillet up to the fins—from head to tail, the fillet will be easily removed entire and free from jags; and thus, having filleted as many soles as may be required for your intended purpose, divide each fillet across the centre; trim the ends neatly and place them symmetrically in a saucepan containing about two ounces of clarified butter; season with lemon-juice and a little pepper and salt; set the saucepan on the fire, or in the oven to cook the fillets, and in ten or twelve minutes, if thoroughly done, drain them upon a cloth to absorb the grease; dish them up in a circular form, each fillet overlying the other; pour over them either of the following sauces, and serve:—maître-d'hôtel, ravigotte, Dutch, cardinal, white matelotte, shrimp, Indian, Italian, muscle, or green ravigotte.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Fillets of Soles.
When the fillets of soles are trimmed, flour them over, and then dip each piece separately in some beaten egg; roll them in some fine bread-crumbs, and place them in a wire frying basket (see Adams' Illustrations at the end of the book). And having some hot clean frying fat, immerse the fillets in the basket in it; allow them to fry for about ten minutes, by which time they will have acquired a light-golden brown colour; they must then be withdrawn from the fat, drained on a cloth, dished up neatly, similarly to cutlets; and, having poured either of the sauces named in the preceding Article round them, send to table.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Fried Fillets of Sole.
Having trimmed the fillets of any kind of fish in a similar manner to fillets of soles, place them in a pan it a little oil, vinegar, pepper, and salt, a little picked parsley, and a sliced onion; mix altogether in order that the fillets may be well impregnated with the seasoning; and when about to cook them, let them be drained on a cloth, and afterwards dip each fillet separately in some light frying batter, No. 288; and taking care that they are not overladen with the batter, drop them quickly into the hot frying fat, and turn them about lightly with a fork so as to admit of their being caught equally all over by the heat of the fat, which will cause them to be evenly coloured. The fillets will take about a quarter of an hour to fry them thoroughly; and when done, are to be dished up, and served with either of the sauces named in the foregoing Articles. It is advisable to serve the sauce separately, as the steam arising therefrom destroys the crispness of the batter.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Fillets of Fish, Fried in Batter.
Bread-crumb the fillets of sole in the usual manner; fry them in two ounces of clarified butter, in a saucepan, over a sharp fire, and when done of a golden brown, drain them on a cloth, and dish them upon some Tartar sauce, No. 38.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Fillets of Sole à la Tartare.
For this purpose the thin pellicle or under-skin must be removed from the fillets by pressing gently, yet firmly, with the fingers of the left hand, while with the right hand the knife must be run through between the thin skin and the fillet of the fish, so as to remove the skin without cutting the fillet through, or in any way injuring it; and when this is accomplished, spread the fillets out to their full length, and cover them thinly with a coating of forcemeat whiting, in which there has been mixed some lobster-spawn to give it a red colour; and then, folding the fillets together, place them symmetrically with the pointed ends all converging to the centre of the saucepan containing some clarified butter; season with pepper and salt; sprinkle lightly some chopped parsley over the fillets; place a small stewpan lid in the centre of the saucepan to press the ends of the fillets, in order to prevent them from spreading open while they are being cooked in the oven; this will take about twenty minutes, and when done, dish up the fillets like cutlets, pour in the centre and round their base some white matelotte sauce, No. 87, and serve. This is a very handsome dressed fish.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Fillets of Soles à la Rouennaise.
Fill the inside of the grunt with some veal stuffing ; sew up the flaps; boil it in water with a little salt; and when done, dish it up on a folded napkin; garnish it round with picked parsley, and serve with white or brown caper sauce, Nos. 25 and 26, or with anchovy, shrimp, Dutch, lobster, or piquante sauce.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Boiled Gurnet.
See Baked Codfish, No. 219, and pour round the gurnet some Provençal sauce, No. 69.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Baked Gurnet.
These may be prepared in every variety of form pre scribed for dressing fillets of soles.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Fillets of Gurnet.
Boil the mackerel in salt and water, and send to table with either fennel, parsley, or gooseberry sauce.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Boiled Mackerel.
Split the mackerel down the back, season with pepper and salt, oil it over, place it on a gridiron over a moderate fire; and when done on both sides, take it up on a hot dish, and fill the inside with cold maître-dʼhôtel butter, No. 127; pour some maître·d’hôtel sauce round the base, and serve.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Broiled Mackerel à la Maître D'Hôtel.
Grill the mackerel as directed in the preceding case; serve it up on a hot dish with fried parsley placed at each end, pour some brown butter sauce, No. 54, over it, and serve.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Grilled Mackerel with Brown Butter Sauce.
To fillet the mackerel, place the fish on the table with the head to your right and its back towards you; then run the knife in, just below the gills; turn the edge of the blade under; press with the fingers full on the upper end of the fillet, and bearing with the blade of the knife gently down to the tail, the first fillet will thus be removed; repeat this action on the side of the backbone, and then, dividing the fillets into halves crosswise, trim off the black inside skin and bones; cut off the corners, and arrange the fillets in symmetrical order in a sautapan containing two ounces of dissolved butter; season with pepper and salt, lemon-juice, and chopped parsley; set them over the fire, or in the oven for twelve minutes, and when done through, drain and dish them up in circular form; place the roes (previously parboiled in water with a little vinegar and salt) in the centre; pour some maître-d’hôtel sauce, No. 32, over all, and serve.
Note.—Fillets of mackerel prepared as prescribed in the first part of the foregoing directions may also be served with any of the following sauces, viz. :—ravigotte, Dutch, brown butter, piquante, metalotte, or Genoese.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Fillets of Mackerel à la Maître d'Hôtel.
Season the mullet with pepper and salt; rub it over with oil; place it on a gridiron over a moderate fire, and having grilled it on both sides, dish it up, and serve with either maître-dʼhôtel, Provençale, piquante, Genoese, tomato, ravigotte, or Italian sauce.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Grilled Red Mullet.
Place the mullets in a saucepan with an ounce of butter, a little Harvey, anchovy, and a glass of wine ; bake them in the oven, or else covered up over a slow fire; and when done, remove the fish on to their dish ; add to their liquor some finely chopped truffle, mushrooms, parsley, a little shalot, nutmeg, and the juice of half a lemon, and a little flour ; stir these together over the fire for a few minutes; pour the sauce over the mullets, and serve quite hot.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Red Mullets with Fine Herbs.
These are to be prepared as in the foregone case, and a lesson of three yolks of eggs and a spoonful of cream to be added when finishing the sauce. The mullets must be placed in oiled papers, an equal proportion of the sauce spread over each, and then fastened down in these oiled papers, by means of twisting the edges of the papers in a somewhat similar manner to that used for twisting the hem of a muslin frill when about to prepare its edge for what sempstresses term whipping. This papering process being satisfactorily accomplished, broil the mullets over a slow fire to warm them through, and also to colour them on both sides without at all burning the paper, and this done, serve them on a napkin.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Red Mullets in Papers.
The mullets should be seasoned and baked as prescribed in the foregoing cases, and when done, and dished up, must be sauced over with some crayfish sauce, for making which proceed as indicated for the preparation of lobster sauce, observing that the liquor from the mullets must be incorporated with the sauce. Garnish the mullets round with small truces and crayfish, and serve.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Red Mullets à la Chesterfield.
Boil the whiting in water with a little salt, and when done, serve with either Dutch, plain melted butter, anchovy, or merely a little cold butter lightly mixed with the flakes of the fish. Plain boiled whitings constitute but insipid eating, and are seldom eaten except by invalids; for whom they are considered light.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Boiled Whitings.
First, skin the whiting, and then turn the tail round, and fasten it between the jaws by means of a small pointed twig ; this done, flour it over, having dipped it in beaten egg, roll it in bread-crumbs, and fry it in plenty of hot frying fat; and when done through, dish it up with fried parsley, and serve with anchovy or shrimp sauce, separately.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Fried Whitings.
First, rub the whiting over with oil, and then having rolled it in flour, broil it over a clear fire ; and when done, serve with the following sauce : viz.,—two ounces of butter, two yolks of eggs, nutmeg, pepper, and salt, chopped parsley and a few drops of elder-vinegar ; stir briskly over a slow fire for a few minutes, and as soon as the sauce slightly thickens, pour it into a sauce-boat, and serve.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Broiled Whitings.
See Soles au Gratin, No. 236.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Whitings au Gratin.
Fillet the whitings with the skin left on in the same manner as indicated for filleting mackerel ; divide them crosswise, and having trimmed the fillets, season them with pepper and salt, and a sprinkle of oil and vinegar; dip them in a little beaten white of egg; flour them well, and fry them crisp ; and when done, dish them up on a napkin with fried parsley, and sere tomato, ravigotte, or piquant sauce, separately.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Fillets of Whitings à la Horly.
Merely wipe the whiting without skinning it; score it along both sides, by making deep incisions with a sharp knife ; dip the fish in a little milk on a plate, and having well floured it over, fry it in plenty of hot fat, of a light colour, and perfectly crisp, and serve with anchovy, shrimp, ravigotte, or maître-d’hôtel sauce.
Note.—This mode of frying fish is much more simple, as well as more economical, than the process of bread-crumbing, and is unquestionably more palatable.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Fried Whitings à la Française.
Char is a very scarce fish ; it is considered a great delicacy, and is seldom seen in the London markets ; it is caught only in the lakes of Cumberland, and its flesh is of a pinky hue, resembling in colour and flavour that of the fresh-water trout. Broil the char in the same manner as herrings, and serve it with either piquante, Provençal, ravigotte, or mustard sauce.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Grilled Char.
Fillet the char, pare off the skin, put the fillets to boil for five minutes in a stew pan with some shred parsley-roots and parsley-leaves, and some weak bright stock, with a pinch of pepper and salt ; and serve altogether with thin slices of brown bread and butter on a plate, separately.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Water Souchet of Char.
Lampreys should be rubbed over with a little salt, drawn, and washed clean; and after being wiped dry, are to be cut up in lengths of about three inches; and being placed in a stewpan with some button-mushrooms, chopped parsley, nutmeg, pepper and salt, a pint of wine, and a few button-onions, are to be stewed gently over the fire until nearly done; then add two ounces of butter, with two ounces of flour, kneaded together very smoothly ; stir this in very gently over the fire to boil for five minutes, and serve hot.
Lampreys may also be stewed with cider instead of wine ; or merely with stock or water ; in the latter case add a bit of glaze and a little anchovy.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Stewed Lampreys.
Wipe the smelts, cut off the fins, roll them in flour, dip them in beaten egg, bread-crumbs, and fry them in plenty of hot frying fat ; and when done, dish them up with tried parsley, and serve with shrimp or anchovy sauce.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Fried Smelts.
Spread the bottom of a dish with butter, sprinkle thereon some raspings of bread, season with chopped parsley and shalots, pepper, and salt ; then place the smelts in a row ; pour over them a little Harvey, anchovy, and a glass of wine ; repeat the butter, seasoning, and the raspings, and having placed them in the oven for about a quarter of an hour, when thoroughly done, serve quite hot.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Baked Smelts.
First skin and draw the eels by splitting down the vent; then cut them into pieces of about three inches long, and remove the backbone by loosening it on both sides with a knife, and cut it out with scissors. This done, season the pieces of eel with chopped parsley and shalot, pepper, and salt, a very little oil, and a few dropa of vinegar or lemon-juice ; dip each piece in beaten egg, and bread-crumb them without disturbing any portion of the seasoning. When about to send to table, fry the pieces of eel in hot frying fat, dish them in a circular row, pour some piquante sauce in the centre, and serve.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Eels Spitchcocked.
See Stewed Lampreys, No. 265.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Stewed Eels.
Skin, draw, and cut the eels into pieces an inch long ; half cook them by gently and partially boiling them in water with a little salt and vinegar; and when drained and cold, bread·crumb and fry them ; dish up the pieces of eel upon some Tartar sauce, No. 38, already poured in the centre of the dish for that purpose.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Eels à la Tartare.
Cut up the eels as in the foregoing cases, and stew them with the same seasoning and a little French white wine ; stir in the kneaded butter, and finish by adding a little chopped parsley and a lesson of three yolks of eggs and half a gill of cream.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's White Stewed Eels.
To fry carp, the fish must be scaled and drawn, split down the back, and laid open ; a small angular stone which lies deeply set at the base of the skull, and which is called the gall-stone, must be taken out, for if allowed to remain, it is liable to impart a bitter taste to the fish. Season the carp with pepper and salt, flour it over, and fry it in hot fat; and when done, dish it up with fried parsley, and serve either Italian, ravigotte, or piquante sauce, in a ;sauce·boat.
Carp may also be bread-crumbed in the usual way, if preferred.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Fried Carp.
These may be stewed whole or cut in pieces; the preparation is the same as for stewed eels or lampreys, No. 265.
Large-sized carp should be stuffed either with veal stuffing, or with forcemeat of any kind of fish; and stewed in a little stock with a small quantity of carrot, onion, &c., and a glass of red wine ; and when done, dish up the carp ; strain the liquor into a stew pan, to be boiled down and incorporated with either matelotte sauce, No. 86 or No. 20 ; garnish with crayfish and quenelles, and serve.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Stewed Carp.
See Codfish, No. 219.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Stuffed and Baked Carp.
Place the tench in a stewpan with a small bunch of parsley, green onions, thyme, and bay-leaf, a little pepper and salt, and just enough common French wine or cider to cover it ; stew the tench gently over a slow fire till it is done ; then dish it up ; strain the liquor into a small stewpan ; thicken with an ounce of butter, kneaded with an ounce of flour; add a little mushroom-catsup, anchovy, nutmeg, chopped parsley, and some prepared mushrooms; stir the sauce over the stove for five minutes ; pour it over the tench, and send to table.
Note.—Tench bearing so great an affinity to carp, may also be dressed in every variety prescribed for that fish.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Stewed Tench.
Barble is but an indifferent kind of fish, and is hardly worth dressing for table ; yet, as we all have a tendency to be fondest of anything procured through our own exertions, sportsmen at least will find some gratification in knowing that even barbell, when properly treated, is susceptible of yielding a fair share of enjoyment to the gastronomist, who, armed with some little modicum of culinary knowledge, is enabled to turn the most indifferent kinds of food into a comparative delicacy. Barble may be cooked in the different fashions indicated for carp or tench. Roach and dace are scarcely worth any other mode of dressing than frying.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Barbel, Roach and Dace.
The easiest and at the same time the safest manner for removing the scales from any kind of fresh-water fish is to lay it in the sink, to pour boiling water from the spout of a kettle over both sides of the fish, and then as soon as—through the action of the scalding-hot water—the brightness of the scales of the fish has become dulled, immerse the fish in cold water, and you will then find it an easy matter to remove the scales with a blunt knife, or even with the fingers : and thus the pike being scaled, drawn, and washed clean, fill the inside with veal stuffing ; truss it in the form of an S; put it in a baking-dish with a pint of common wine, or cider, or a little stock ; half a pound of butter, a glass of catsup, a little anchovy, and some chopped parsley and shallot ; set the pike in the oven to bake until it is done, remembering that it must be frequently basted with its own liquor, and that the heat of the oven must not be fierce, as in that case it would bum up the moisture and spoil the fish.
When thoroughly done through, lift the pike carefully on to the dish, with two fish·slices ; strain the liquor it has been baked with into a stew pan ; thicken it with two ounces of butter kneaded with two ounces of flour ; add a spoonful of Oude sauce (to be had in greatest perfection at Crosse and Blackwell’s warehouse, Soho-square), a few sliced gherkins, and a glass of sherry ; stir the sauce over the fire for ten minutes, pour it over the fish, and send to table.
Small pike may also be cut up and stewed in similar manner to eels, carp, &o.; larger fish of this kind may be cut in thin slices, which, being placed in very cold pump water, will by that means become crimped, providing that the fish be nearly alive. When treated in this manner, crimped slices of pike form a great luxury; and may be served when boiled, or fried, as prescribed for dressing crimped cod, with every variety of sauce directed to be served with cod-fish or salmon.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Baked Pike.
Perch, when caught in limpid waters, constitutes very sweet delicate eating: this fish may be successfully dressed in every mode already described for the preparation of carp, trout, eels, &c. ; in addition to which it is peculiarly well adapted for making water souchet ; for which see No. 264.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Perch.
This fish is generally sold cut in strips and curled round with a piece of the liver in the centre; it is then called crimped skate; and is considered by many delicious eating. The general fashion for dressing this fish is to boil it in salt and water, and serve it with white or brown caper sauce, or with shrimp or anchovy sauce.
Skate is also excellent when bread-crumbed and fried, and served with either of the sauces above named, and also with tomato, Indian, or piquante sauce.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Skate.
Boil the skate in water with salt and a little vinegar ; and when done, dish it up with some of the liver and fried parsley ; pour some carefully-prepared brown butter sauce, No. 54, over it, and serve.
This mode of dressing skate, once tried, will ever after continue a favourite with true epicures.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Crimped Skate with Brown Butter.
White-bait is a great favourite with all who visit London during the months of May, June, and July, when this delicacy is in greatest perfection. They are a very small, silvery-looking fish; and their claim to notice is their sweet savour. It was formerly believed that to obtain white-bait in perfection it was necessary to travel to Blackwall : this fable has long since become obsolete ; and certainly, with the assistance of the following in striations, my readers may henceforth indulge in the luxury of white-bait without its becoming a matter of necessity to go to Blackwall for that purpose.
To fry white·bait, drain it on a sieve, and then sprinkle it out of your hand lightly upon plenty of flour strewn thickly over a cloth; and, with the fingers of both hands spread apart, quickly and lightly handle the white·bait ; and as in a few seconds it will by these means have be come well covered with flour, having put it by handfuls into a wire frying basket (see Adamsʼ Illustrations), shake away all the superfluous flour, and dip the basket containing the prepared white-bait into some very hot clean lard. A few minutes will suicide to fry the whitebait of a silvery tinge, yet perfectly crisp ; pile it up on a napkin, garnish with fried parsley, and serve it quite hot and crisp, with cayenne, quarters of lemons, and brown bread and butter, separately.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Whitebait.
To devil white-bait, it must be fried a first time in the usual way; and then after being sprinkled over with ground black pepper and salt, is to be fried a second time in very hot frying fat: this being done, season it again with cayenne pepper and salt, and serve quite hot.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Devilled White-bait.
Scale and beard—that is, remove the beards from some dozens of oysters ; strain the liquor into a stewpan, add thereto two ounces of butter, mixed or kneaded with two ounces of flour, a little cream, anchovy, nutmeg, and cayenne ; stir the sauce over the fire to boil and reduce for ten minutes ; then add a couple of yolks of eggs and a little lemon·juice, and some chopped parsley ; add the oysters cut each into halves, stir altogether over the fire for a few minutes, and fill some scollop-shells with this preparation ; cover them over with a thick coating of fried bread·crumbs ; place them on a baking·sheet in the oven for five minutes, and serve them quite hot.
Note. —If you have no scollop-shells, the deep shell of the oyster, well scoured, will serve the purpose.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Scolloped Oysters.
These are prepared similarly to oysters, and placed in scollop-shells likewise. Both oysters and muscles, being first prepared as described in No. 283, may also be served upon neatly shaped pieces of dry toast: this constitutes oyster toast, or muscle toast.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Scolloped Mussels.
Split a fresh-boiled lobster into halves, by cutting it through with a strong knife from head to tail ; take out all the meat without damaging the shell ; trim away the ragged edges from the two halves of the body-shel1, and likewise from the tail and claw-pieces ; let all the meat be cut into small scollops or squares, and reserved in a plate. Pound the pith, coral, and spawn of the lobster in a mortar with a small bit of butter; rub it through a sieve, and put this into a stew pan with a little white sauce of any kind, a little anchovy, nutmeg, cayenne, and lemon-juice, and having stirred the sauce over the fire to boil for a few minutes, add the lobster and the yolks of two raw eggs; stir again over the fire to make it hot ; fill the prepared lobster·shells with this ; cover them over with fried bread-crumbs ; salamander them, and dish up on a folded napkin, with fried parsley.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Scolloped Lobster.
These are a species of shellfish but seldom exhibited for sale in London; they are more plentiful at Brighton, where they are much esteemed as a great relish, when properly cooked and well seasoned; indeed this last qualification is of great importance, inasmuch an collops being of difficult digestion, it is essential that in order to render them comparatively harmless to persons of somewhat delicate digestive organs, they should be thoroughly cooked, and plentifully seasoned with cayenne pepper. First, it is necessary, as soon as the collops are removed without tearing them from the_shells, that they should be soaked in water with a little salt, frequently handling them, and changing the water, in order to free them from the sand and grit which, if allowed to remain after all the trouble of cooking, render them uneatable. And thus the collops having been thoroughly cleansed, let them be parboiled for five minutes in their own liquor, and when drained, set aside on a plate. Next, put the liquor from the collops into a small stew pan with a piece of butter, a spoonful of flour, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, a little anchovy, lemon-juice, and cream; stir this sauce over the fire to boil for ten minutes, and place the cools each back in its respective deep shell ; cover them individually with a good spoonful of the sauce; finish with a thick layer of fried bread-crumbs ; make them thoroughly hot in the oven, and dress them on a folded napkin.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Scolloped Collops.
These are to be prepared with all care as to cleanliness, as they contain much grit, &c. : and in all respects proceed as recommended for dressing collops; and when the preparation is ready, as their own shells are too small, use scollop-shells, or pieces of dry toast, in their stead.
Here you will find the modern redaction for Francatelli's Scolloped Cockles.