Recipes Tried and True/Fish

by Freda R. Lavine

 

"Yet so for you my love doth thrive
That I'd be gladly boiled alive."

 

FISH

 

BOILED FISH

Clean, salt and pepper and let stand several hours. Boil enough water to almost cover fish with one onion cut up, one tablespoon carrot. Add fish (cut in pieces is better) and let simmer until the flesh leaves the bones. Strain and reserve fish stock if wanted. Serve with lemon, hollandaise, egg or mustard sauce.

 

BROILED LIVE LOBSTER

Split lobster and glaze with olive oil or butter. Broil on hot fire with meat side to the fire. When well done season with salt, cayenne and plenty of melted butter; or place in spider, season, place in oven and baste. Same for any broiling fish.

 

CREAMED SALMON

Remove skin and bone from canned salmon or cooked salmon. Shred and add one tablespoon lemon juice to white sauce. Serve hot on toast.

 

DEVILED CRABS

• 1 doz. live crabs,
• 2 eggs,
• Salt, pepper,
• 2 teaspoons mustard,
• 3 crackers,
• Cracker dust
• Butter,
• Lemon, parsley.

Boil crabs till red. When cold, pick out all the meat, crack claws, pick, reserving small ones for soup. Mix meat with eggs, salt, pepper, mustard according to taste, crackers soaked in water and pressed well. Fill shells, sprinkle with cracker dust, flakes of butter and bake from twenty to thirty minutes until light brown. Serve with slices of lemon and parsley.

 

FILLED FISH

• 3 lbs. fish,
• 1 onion,
• Salt, pepper,
• 1 tablespoon chopped almonds,
• 3 eggs,
• ½ cup soft bread crumbs,
• or ¼ cup cracker crumbs,
• fish stock.

Clean fish thoroughly, remove skin without breaking and flesh by scraping from the bones, begin at the neck. With care, the back bone may be removed with all the small bones attached. Chop flesh fine with onion juice or cut fine, salt, pepper, eggs, bread crumbs, almonds. Wash skin and fill with mixture. Sew up with coarse thread. Shake and place in gently boiling stock. Boil slowly until the stock is nearly absorbed.

 

FILLET OF FLOUNDERS

Use very large flounders, (fluke) or small ones which are meaty. Have all bone and skin removed. Season with salt and pepper, roll in egg and cracker dust and fry slowly in plenty of butter till brown. Serve with tartar sauce.

 

FRIED FISH

Clean fish, wipe dry as possible. Season with salt and pepper, dip in flour. Fry a golden brown in deep pot fat or butter, turning on both sides.

 

FISH BALLS

• ½ lb. fish,
• ½ cup fine bread crumbs,
• ½ cup milk,
• 1 egg,
• 1 teaspoon grated onion,
• 1 teaspoon salt,
• ¼ teaspoon pepper,
• Water.

Remove skin and bone from fish and chop fine. Cook bread crumbs and milk to a paste. Remove, from stove, add egg, season with onion, salt, pepper. Mix with' fish, form into balls the size of a walnut. Drop into boiling salted water and cook slowly twenty minutes. Serve with fish sauce.

 

FISH CAKES

• Cold mashed potatoes,
• Shredded cold fish,
• Or cod fish shreds in boxes,
• 1 egg,
• Salt, pepper,
• Celery salt,
• Butter,
• Flour.

Take equal quantities of potatoes and fish. Mix well, add beaten egg, salt pepper. Shape in round cakes, dip in flour. Cook in spider with butter or fat until nicely brown.

 

FISH OR COURT BOUILLON
(For cooking any kind of fish)

• Sliced carrots,
• 1 onion,
• 1 piece celery cut up,
• 1 clove,
• 1 bay leaf,
• 2 sprigs parsley,
• Salt, pepper,
• 1 teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice.

Cook all together with enough water to cover fish.

 

HALIBUT SOUFFLE

Chop very fine two pounds raw halibut, which have been skinned and boned. Salt well, add yokes of three eggs and ½ pint beaten cream with well beaten whites. Butter form well, put in mixture, set in warm water about half way up the form and bake like custard for about twenty minutes. Serve immediately with hollandaise sauce. Six portions.

 

IMPERNADO

Butter deep baking dish, cover bottom with layer of sliced raw potatoes. Sprinkle with pieces butter, salt and paprika. Cover with layer, finely cut, fresh fish, catsup and flour dusted over all. Repeat these layers alternately until the dish is nearly full leaving the flour for the top. Stand in cold water and bake from three to four hours.

 

PLANKED FISH WITH POTATO ROSES

Split a fine fish and remove the back bone. Spread with soft butter, dredge with flour, salt and pepper. Have fish plank heated in a pan in the oven, place fish on it, bake about fifteen minutes. Then remove, surround with potatoes, and return to hot oven till brown. Garnish with lemon and parsley.

 

POTATO ROSES

Prepare mashed potatoes as usual with less cream or milk and place in pastry bag. Force through in the shape of a rose (using a star tube) all around the fish. Brush with yolk of egg mixed with a little water and brown quickly in oven.

 

SALMON LOAF

• ½ can salmon (or fresh salmon)
• 4 tablespoons butter,
• 4 eggs,
• 1½ cup bread crumbs,
• Salt,
• Paprika,
• ½ teaspoon onion,
• ½ teaspoon vinegar.

Chop fish, rejecting skin, bones and oil. Cream butter, add bread crumbs, eggs, salt, paprika, onion and vinegar. Mix altogether; steam or bake in buttered bowl about one hour.

 

SCHARF FISH

• 3 lbs. sliced fish,
• 1 tablespoon olive oil,
• 1 chopped onion,
• 2 tablespoons flour,
• 1 large tomato,
• 3 cups cold water,
• 1 tablespoon parsley,
• Toe of garlic,
• Salt, pepper.

Heat oil, add onion, brown and stir in flour and brown also. Add slowly water. When smooth, add parsley, garlic, salt, pepper and tomato cut in quarters. Add fish and cook until tender. Serve cold.

 

STUFFED BAKE FISH
(Bluefish, Shad, Sea Trout or any Large Fish)

• ½ cup bread crumbs,
• ¼ cup melted butter,
• 1½ cup cracker crumbs,
• Few drops onion juice,
• ¼ teaspoon salt,
• ⅛ teaspoon pepper,
• Dash paprika,
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley,
• ½ teaspoon chopped onion,
• 1 teaspoon chopped pickle,
• 1 teaspoon grated carrot.

Six portions.

Prepare a stuffing with above ingredients and very little hot water mixed well together. Stuff fish and bake one hour with little water and tomatoes in pan and a few flakes of butter on fish; baste often. Serve whole and garnish with parsley and lemon.

 

SWEET & SOUR FISH

• Pike, trout, shad or other fish,
• Water to cover,
• 1 tablespoon carrots cut fine,
• ¼ teaspoon whole pepper,
• ¼ cup seeded raisins,
• 1 lemon sliced and seeded,
• 1 tablespoon onion cut fine,
• 1 tablespoon celery cut fine,
• 4 ginger snaps or 5c. worth lebkuchen,
• ½ cup brown sugar,
• ¼ cut vinegar.

Clean, slice, salt and let stand over night. Boil water with carrots, pepper, anion, celery. Add fish and boil ten minutes. Add ginger snaps, brown sugar, vinegar, raisins and lemon. Cook till sauce is smooth and thick. Serve cold.

 

TOMATO ASPIC WITH SHRIMPS

• 1 lb. shrimps,
• 1 can tomatoes or
• 8 medium tomatoes or
• 1 can tomato soup,
• 1 lemon, rind and juice,
• ½ cup cold water,
• 2 tablespoons granulated gelatine,
• Pepper, salt,
• 1 green pepper.

Boil shrimps till red. Boil tomatoes (strain if necessary) add lemon, pepper, salt, chopped peppers and shrimps. Dissolve gelatine in water a few minutes, add to mixture and cook till thick. Pour into molds, set in ice-box overnight. Serve in lettuce with mayonnaise.