Page:Art of Cookery 1774 edition.djvu/269

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231

To pot eels.

TAKE a large eel, skin it, cleanse it, and wash it very clean, dry it in a cloth, and cut it into pieces as long as your finger, fear on them with a little beaten mace and nutmeg, pepper, salt and a little sal prunella beat fine; lay them in a pan, then your as much good butter over them as will cover them, and clarified as above. They must be baked half an hour in a quick oven; if a flow oven longer, till they are enough, but that you must judge by the largeness of the eels. With a fork take them out, and lay them on a coarse cloth to drain. When they are quite cold, season them again with the same seasoning, lay them in the pot close; then take oft the butter they were baked in clear from the gravy of the fish, and set it in a dish before the fire. When it is melted pour the dear butter over the eels, and let them be covered with the butter.

In the same manner you may pot what you please. You may bone your eels if you chuse it, but then don't put in any sal-prunella.

To pot lampreys.

SKIN them, cleanse them with salt, and then wipe them dry; beat fome black-pepper, mace, and cloves, mix them with salt, and season them. Lay them in a pan, and cover them with clarified butter. Bake them an hour; order them as the eels, only let them be seasoned, and one will be enough for a pot. You must season them well, let your butter be good, and they will keep a long time.

To pot lampreys.

AFTER having cleansed them, cut off the fins, tails, and heads, then lay them in rows in a long baking-pan; cover them with butter, and order them as above.

To pot a pike.

YOU must scale it, cut off the head, split it, and take out the chine-bone, then strew all over the inside some bay-salt and pepper, roll it up round, and lay it in a pot. Cover it, and bake it an hour. Then take it out, and lay it on a coarse cloth to drain; when it is cold, put it into your pot, and cover it with clarified butter.