the soft roes are, but mind that it is liquid enough to penetrate the roes. Above all, send up quite hot. This entrée is much esteemed by the daintiest epicures.

If you have a grand dinner, four mackerel will make two dishes without any connoisseur having occasion to find fault, as they will both differ in flavour as well as in form and appearance.

Observe, that you give the soft roes for pâtés, and the fillets for a dish of fillets of mackerel.

611. Soft Roes of Mackerel in Cases.

Broil them till

Take six very fresh soft-roed mackerel, well done, then take the roes from them, and put them into small cases, with parsley chopped fine, a little rasped crust of bread, salt, pepper, and a little butter; then put them into the oven; when they are very hot, send them to table with a drop of white sharp sauce, and the juice of a lemon. This will only make a small dish, but when you want to make it larger, put more soft roes, and use the mackarel for fillets as a fish dish.

SEA-DRAGON.

Sea-Dragon is a fish seldom eaten in England, although in France it is frequently sent up to table. Towards the gills there is a most venomous bone. In France it is broiled, and served up with a butter of anchovies, a maître d'hôtel, or a provençale.

ANCHOVIES.

Anchovy is a salt fish of great utility, and is frequently used in cookery. Essence of anchovies is a thing which a skilful cook must use with great care, as it is not always made with the fish only, but also with the brine of it, which makes it very unwholesome. Make butter of anchovies yourself, in the following manner:

Anchovy Butter.-For a dozen of anchovies, a quarter of a pound of fresh butter will do. First wash the anchovies, so that no slime whatever may remain. Take off the

bones and fins. Pound the meat with the butter. When well pounded, rub the whole through a hair sieve, and secure it in a gallipot well covered. Use butter of anchovies when wanted, for salads, fish sauce, &c.; anchovies are very seldom used with meat.

SMELTS.

Smelts are generally fried. After they have been cleaned and emptied wipe them very dry, and dip them into an omelet of two eggs, and into crumbs of bread mixed with flour. Fry them of a fine colour, and send them up with fried parsley round them.

SKATE.

612. Skate with Caper Sauce, French fashion*, Stew the skate in a vessel with water, vinegar, salt, pepper, a sliced onion, parsley, green onions, bay-leaves, and thyme. When it is done, pick it neatly, and remove it into another clean vessel; pour over it some of the liquor in which it has been boiling, then drain it and send it up to table, either entire or in pieces, with caper sauce; or in hearts, covered with the same sauce.

613. Skate au Beurre noir-(with Black Butter.) Fry some parsley very green. Dish the skate according to your fancy. For a first-course dish you must either cut it into the shape of kites, or rounds. Put the fried parsley in the middle of the dish, and the butter under the fish.

614. Skate plain Boiled.

Take off the skin. Boil it in salt and water, and send it up on a clean cloth, with shrimp sauce, or any other sauce in a boat.

It may be proper to notice, that in France, where the fish is not so fresh as in this country, one is obliged to season this preparation more highly, to overcome the stench of the skate.

615. Small Skates Fried.

When the skates are very small, pickle them in vinegar, salt, pepper, a sliced onion, some parsley, and lemonjuice for about an hour. Next drain them and dip them into an omelet, and then into flour. Then fry them in hot dripping, and send them up either with or without sauce. This fish is very seldom used for first-course dishes in England: when it is boiled with marinade, the skin must remain while boiling, otherwise the colour of the marinade will dye the fish: take off the skin after it is done, and dress it in the dish immediately.

FLOUNDERS.

616. Miroton of Flounders à l'Italienne-(With Italian Sauce.)

Cut each flounder in two, and take out all the small bones. Butter a dish, and dish the flounders in the miroton way; dust them over with salt, pepper, grated nutmeg, chopped mushrooms, parsley, green onions, and raspings of bread; to which add a little butter. Then bake them. When they are done, drain the butter, and send them up with an Italienne (No. 23), or caper sauce; add a little essence of anchovies and lemon-juice. This fish, as well as plaice, is seldom used for first-course dishes in England. When you give them as fish, they are to be dressed the same as soles, either fried or boiled.

PLAICE.

See Flounders. Plaice can only be fried, or dressed miroton way, as above.

Observation relative to all sorts of Fish Sauces. Fish sauces should always be thick enough to adhere to the fish. When the sauce is too liquid it is abominable; of the two, the thick is preferable, as it can be made thinner at table, by adding some of the cruet sauces.

290

CHAP. XVII.

SHELL FISH.-LOBSTER, MUSSELS, CRABS,

OYSTERS.

LOBSTER.

LOBSTERS are boiled in the same manner as crawfish, but they would have a better flavour if sea-water could be had to boil them in. Several ragoûts are made of lobsters. Pies for first-course dishes; salads for second-course dishes; fish sauce, and minces in the shell, &c. You must pay attention to the proper time required for boiling a lobster, if you boil it too long, the flesh becomes thready and disagreeable; and if not done enough, the spawn is not red through: this must be obviated by great attention.

617. Small Timballes of Lobster with Velouté Sauce.

Cut, according to their size, the white flesh of one or two lobsters into small dice; put them into a sauce similar to that of pâtés of fillets of soles, and serve them up quite hot. The spawn will serve for fish sauce, or for any other use; as quenelles, or salads, &c. &c.

618. Scollops of Lobster in the Shell.

This is a second-course dish. Take one or two lobsters, according to the size of the dish, or the number of people you have to dinner. Cut the lobster in two without breaking the shell. Clean the inside of the shell, cut the meat of the lobsters into small dice, and preserve the kind of farce that is inside. Then take one or two spoonsful of velouté (No. 21), a small bit of butter, a little salt and

Cayenne pepper, and keep stirring the whole over the fire. When it is quite hot, throw the meat and the kind of farce that you found in the lobster into the sauce, and lay the whole in the shells. Level with your knife and strew over crumbs of bread twice, and keep basting with a little melted butter. Give it a colour with the salamander, and keep the scollops very hot. Never let it colour in the oven, as it would then taste too strong.

619. Lobster Sauce.

See No. 58, page 26.

620. Lobster Salad.

See Salad of Fillets of Soles (No. 596), and mayonaise (No. 61); the sauce is to be found among the other sauces. The shape you give to the salad depends on the form of the dish you use. Jelly of meat is not properly used for salads of fish, unless it is as an ornament. Roots and vegetables are more appropriate; and the salad sauce only, or the Montpelier butter (see No. 596). Lobster may be dressed also without any sauce: merely break the shell, and give an agreeable shape to the dish by putting the body in the middle, the tail cut in two on each side, and the claws at the ends. The flesh of this fish is very firm, and can be used in cookery for petits pâtés of all kinds.

MUSSELS.

621. Mussels with Parsley.

Wash the muscles; be particular in taking off all the threads that are found about the joint of the shell, and be cautious of the small crabs, as they are very dangerous eating. Put the mussels into a stewpan over a brisk fire, and keep them covered that they may be done equally. When they are done, take off one of the shells, dip the mussel into the liquor that has issued from them, in order to wash off the sand. When they have all been picked,