Planked Shad, Ravigote Butter

Procure a very dry cherrywood plank, three-quarters of an inch thick, fourteen inches long, and ten inches wide; it should be beveled on the bottom edge with two crosspieces of wood which should be screwed on underneath. Open the shad by splitting it down the back, remove the spinal bone and season with salt; cut off the head and thin tail part, and fasten the shad on the plank; set it in front of the fire to cook, or better still underneath a gas salamander (Fig. 123.) When the fish is done--which will be in about thirty minutes--lay both the plank and shad on a dish, and cover the top of the fish with ravigote butter (No. 583); servo it immediately.