Clean a four-pound pike and put into a b.u.t.tered baking-pan with enough hot water to keep from burning. Score the upper side deeply, cover with chopped salt pork, sprinkle with salt and pepper and dredge with flour. Bake for half an hour, basting as required.

Serve with any preferred sauce.

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BAKED PIKE--II

Put the cleaned fish into a b.u.t.tered baking-dish with two onions sliced, two bay-leaves, pepper and salt to season, and one cupful of sour cream. Rub the fish with b.u.t.ter, sprinkle thickly with bread crumbs and grated Parmesan cheese, and bake until brown.

Pour the liquid remaining in the pan around the fish and serve.

BAKED PIKE a LA FRANcAISE

Marinate the prepared fish for two hours in oil and lemon-juice, seasoning with salt, pepper, chopped onion, and minced parsley.

Put into the oven in the marinade, adding one cupful of stock and a winegla.s.sful of white wine. Bake slowly, basting as required. Take up the fish, strain the sauce, thicken with a tablespoonful each of b.u.t.ter and flour cooked together, season with anchovy essence, add two tablespoonfuls of b.u.t.ter and two tablespoonfuls of capers.

Pour over the fish and serve.

STUFFED AND BAKED PIKE

Clean and draw the fish, stuff with seasoned crumbs, sew up and put into a b.u.t.tered baking-dish in the form of a circle. Score the [Page 249]

fish deeply, sprinkle with pepper and salt, minced parsley, chopped onion, and chopped mushrooms. Add a cupful of Sherry and a cupful of beef stock, cover, and bake, basting frequently with the liquid.

Take up the fish carefully, and add to the liquid enough stock to make the required quant.i.ty of sauce. Thicken with two tablespoonfuls of flour cooked brown in b.u.t.ter, add two tablespoonfuls of b.u.t.ter, lemon-juice, red pepper, and anchovy essence to season. Pour over the fish, and serve.

PIKE BAKED IN SOUR CREAM.

Clean a four-pound pike, cut into steaks, and free from skin and bone. Put into a b.u.t.tered baking-dish with two small onions chopped and two bay-leaves. Season with salt and cayenne, add one cupful of sour cream and bake. Put on a serving-dish, cover with crumbs and dots of b.u.t.ter and brown in the oven. Add enough stock to the liquid to make the required quant.i.ty of sauce, thicken with b.u.t.ter and flour, season, add a dash of lemon-juice, pour around the fish, sprinkle with minced parsley and serve.

PIKE SALAD

Flake cold cooked pike with a silver fork, [Page 250]

mix with Mayonnaise and chopped capers, and serve very cold on lettuce leaves.

ROASTED PIKE

Prepare a large fish, stuff with seasoned crumbs, and sew up. Spread with b.u.t.ter, sprinkle with chopped onion, minced parsley, minced pickle, and pounded anchovies. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, put in a b.u.t.tered baking-dish, and bake slowly for an hour, basting with melted b.u.t.ter as required. Add half a cupful of white wine and one cupful of white stock to the drippings. Thicken with a tablespoonful each of b.u.t.ter and flour cooked together, take from the fire, add two tablespoonfuls of b.u.t.ter and the yolks of three eggs beaten with the juice of a lemon. Bring to the boil, pour over the fish and serve.

PIKE a L'ALLEMANDE

Prepare according to directions given for Carp a l'Allemande.

CRIMPED PIKE a LA HOLLANDAISE

Prepare and clean the fish and cut into steaks. Soak in ice-water for two hours. Boil until tender in salted and acidulated water to cover and serve with Hollandaise Sauce.

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PIKE a LA FRANcAISE

Cut a cleaned and prepared pike into thick steaks, and marinate for two hours in oil and lemon-juice, seasoned with salt, pepper, minced onion and parsley, and a pinch of sweet herbs. Drain, dip in crumbs, and broil. Serve with any preferred sauce.

PIKE a LA NORMANDY

Clean and draw a large fish and tie in a circle. Put into a fish-kettle with sliced onion, a bay-leaf, a pinch of thyme, a sprig of parsley, and salt and pepper to season. Add two cupfuls each of white wine and white stock and enough water to cover. Add a tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter, cover and simmer for forty minutes. Take up the fish, strain the sauce and thicken with two tablespoonfuls each of b.u.t.ter and flour cooked together. Take from the fire, add the yolks of four eggs beaten with the juice of a lemon, and two tablespoonfuls of b.u.t.ter. Strain over the fish and serve.

PICKLED PIKE

Draw and clean a pike, put into a fish-kettle, cover with Claret, add three bay-leaves, and simmer until tender. Let cool in the liquor. Serve with French dressing, Mayonnaise, or Tartar Sauce.

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TEN WAYS TO COOK POMPANO

BROILED POMPANO--I

Clean and split the fish, sprinkle with salt and pepper, rub with b.u.t.ter, and broil. Squeeze lemon-juice over it and serve.

BROILED POMPANO--II

Split the fish, remove the backbone, season with salt and pepper, and put on a tin sheet. Rub with b.u.t.ter and broil under the gas flame.

BROILED POMPANO--III

Clean and split the fish, rub with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, roll in crumbs, and broil.

BROILED POMPANO a LA MAiTRE D'HoTEL

Clean and split the fish, rub with salt, pepper, and olive-oil, and broil. Serve with Maitre d'Hotel Sauce.

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FRIED POMPANO--I

Cut the cleaned fish into slices, dredge with flour, and fry brown in b.u.t.ter. Serve with any preferred sauce.

FRIED POMPANO--II

Cut the cleaned fish into strips, season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, dip in egg and crumbs and fry in fat to cover.

FILLETS OF POMPANO

Cut a prepared and cleaned pompano into strips. Marinate for an hour in oil and vinegar, seasoned with salt and pepper. Drain, dip in crumbs, then in egg, then in crumbs, and put in a b.u.t.tered paper and bake until done. Serve with Tomato Sauce.

FILLETS OF POMPANO a LA d.u.c.h.eSSE

Cut a cleaned pompano into strips, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and onion-juice, and put into a small baking-pan. Steam until done, take up carefully and spread each one with seasoned mashed potato mixed with well-beaten egg. Bake in the oven until puffed and brown and serve immediately.

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FILLETS OF POMPANO AU GRATIN

Split the fish in two lengthwise, and remove the bone and skin.

Cut into strips, season with salt, pepper, and b.u.t.ter, roll up, and tie or fasten with toothpicks or skewers. Simmer slowly until done in equal parts of white wine and water, adding a little Maitre d'Hotel Sauce.