Fish: Heat
Heat and oil an oak plank made for the purpose; spread upon this, skin side down, a fish, dressed and cleaned and split down the under side; brush over with butter or oil, and set in the dripping pan in the lower gas oven, at first near the burners; after cooking a few minutes, remove to the floor of the oven to finish cooking. Cook about twenty-five minutes, basting often. Set the plank upon a platter. Spread over the fish 3 tablespoonfuls butter, creamed and mixed with salt, pepper, and a tablespoonful lemon juice. Garnish the edge of the plank with mashed potatoes, slices of lemon and parsley.
How to Sauté Fish.
Fish may be fried in oil, salt pork fat, lard, or clarified drippings.
Whatever fat is used, it should be deep enough to cover the fish and hot enough to brown a piece of bread in thirty seconds. The pork fat is obtained by trying out thin slices of fat salt pork, being careful not to let it burn. Pork gives the fish a flavor not to be obtained by any other oil or fat. When pork fat is used, salt should be added sparingly. Fried fish should be seasoned while cooking.
After wiping dry, fish should be rolled in Indian meal, flour, or sifted crumbs before frying. If the fish has been on ice, or is very cold, do not put it in the fat fast enough to cool it perceptibly. Watch carefully while cooking; don't break or mutilate in turning; cook brown, drain on a sieve, colander, or paper, and serve hot on a napkin. Unless fish are very small, they should be notched on each side before rolling in meal previous to frying.
How to Broil Fish. a Broiling is probably the simplest as well as the best method of cooking many kinds of fish, the flavor and juices being better preserved. Salt pork is the best thing to use. The double broiler is the best utensil, though they may be cooked on a griddle or a spider. Heat and butter well before laying in the fish, the flesh side first; when that is perfectly browned, turn and finish cooking.
Serve on a hot platter, spread with butter or cream or both, and season to taste. A fish may be broiled in a dripping pan, and if the oven is hot it will cook nicely. Baste once or twice with butter or cream while cooking.
How to Boil Fish.
Boiling is the most insipid way of cooking fish, yet there are certain varieties that are better cooked this way if accompanied by a rich sauce. Fish, if boiled in a common kettle, should first be wrapped in cheese cloth, to preserve its shape. The head is the best part of a boiled fish, and the nearer the head the better the portions. Boiled fish should be served on a napkin and the sauce in a tu- A fish of 6 pounds should boil or steam in thirty or thirty-five minutes. The water should always be salted. A boiled fish may be stuffed if desired. reen.
How to Bake Fish.
A baked fish presents a more attractive appearance when served in an upright position on the platter; it also cooks better. To keep it upright, press it down enough to flatten the under side, then, if necessary, brace with skewers or potatoes placed against it until it is well under way for cooking, then it will keep its position until cooked and dished. Sometimes it is advisable to bend the fish half-moon shape and cook it that way, or if the fish is long and slender, the tail may be tied to the mouth, either of which methods will keep the fish in upright position.
How to Fry Fish.
Small fish may be broiled, but in nearly every case they are better sautéd or fried. There are tiny fish, smelts for instance, which cannot be treated in any other way. Lard may FISH be used as a frying material; a mixture of suet and lard is better, but best of all, if it can be afforded, is a clear frying oil, which leaves no greasy taste. To prepare a fish for frying, such as perch, brook trout, catfish, smelts, or tiny mackerel, wash in cold water, clean thoroughly, and wipe dry inside and out. Small fish must be gently handled; they are tender and the flesh bruises easily.
Roll them in flour, then in beaten egg, to which a tablespoonful water has been added, and roll again in finely sifted bread crumbs. Have the oil boiling hot, put 4 fish at a time into the frying basket, and cook five or seven minutes. Do not allow them to get dark brown. Drop on absorbent paper and drain off as much of the fat as possible. Lay on a folded napkin on a hot platter, garnish with parsley and points of lemon. When smelts are very tiny, run a skewer through the heads of three or four of them and fry in bunches. Fish which is sliced, then cut in fillets, can be cooked in the same fashion. The easiest way to prepare it is to roll each fillet and fasten with a toothpick.