BLACKFISH WITH FINE HERBS

Put the cleaned fish into a baking-dish with chopped onions, parsley and mushrooms. Gash the fish and fill the incisions with b.u.t.ter and chopped onion. Moisten with equal parts [Page 66]

of white wine and stock, cover with b.u.t.tered paper, and cook in a moderate oven for half an hour, basting frequently. Take out the fish, strain the sauce, and add stock to make the necessary quant.i.ty. Thicken with a tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter rolled in flour, and pour over the fish. Cover with crumbs, dot with b.u.t.ter, and brown in the oven. Sprinkle with lemon-juice before serving.

BROILED BLACKFISH WITH CHILLI SAUCE

Clean the fish, season with salt and pepper, rub with oil, and broil slowly. Fry in b.u.t.ter a chopped shallot and two chilli peppers.

Add two chopped tomatoes, a winegla.s.sful of Catawba wine, and a cupful of stock. Boil to the consistency of a thick sauce, add two tablespoonfuls of b.u.t.ter and a little chopped parsley. Spread over the fish.

MATELOTE OF BLACKFISH

Cover four pounds of cleaned blackfish with equal parts of Claret and water. Add salt and pepper to season, two small cloves of garlic, two onions sliced, and a bunch of parsley. Boil for half an hour and strain the liquid. Thicken it with two tablespoonfuls of b.u.t.ter blended with a little flour. Add two tablespoonfuls [Page 67]

of b.u.t.ter, a tablespoonful of anchovy paste, and lemon-juice to season. Strain over the fish and garnish with fresh fried mushrooms and small white onions sprinkled with sugar and fried brown in clarified b.u.t.ter.

STEWED BLACKFISH a LA NEWPORT

Cook four pounds of blackfish in Catawba wine and water to cover, seasoning with parsley and onion, three cloves, salt, and half a dozen pepper-corns. Boil for half an hour, strain the sauce, and thicken with two tablespoonfuls of flour browned in b.u.t.ter.

Cook until thick, add two tablespoonfuls of b.u.t.ter and the juice of half a lemon. Strain over the fish and surround with a border of baked tomatoes.

BAKED BLACKFISH--I

Put two cleaned blackfish into a b.u.t.tered baking-pan with one cupful of Port wine and two cupfuls of water. Add salt, white and red pepper, grated nutmeg, minced parsley, and sweet herbs to season.

Dot the fish with b.u.t.ter, cover with b.u.t.tered paper, and bake for forty-five minutes, basting as required. Take out the fish, strain the sauce, and put it into a saucepan with two cupfuls of stock.

Thicken with two tablespoonfuls of b.u.t.ter [Page 68]

blended with an equal quant.i.ty of flour, and boil for ten minutes.

Skim, add two tablespoonfuls each of b.u.t.ter and anchovy paste, and lemon-juice to taste. Reheat, pour over the fish, and serve.

BAKED BLACKFISH--II

Remove the skin and fins from a six-pound fish and place in a baking-pan. Cover with two cupfuls of bread-crumbs moistened with hot water, and seasoned with b.u.t.ter, salt, pepper, sage, summer savory, and sweet marjoram. Bake for an hour and a half and serve with any preferred sauce.

BLACKFISH WITH PORT WINE SAUCE

Put two cleaned blackfish into a pan with one cupful of Port wine, one cupful of water, one cupful of white stock, and salt, pepper, minced parsley, and sweet herbs to season. Cover and simmer for forty minutes. Take out the fish, add two cupfuls of stock to the sauce, thicken with one tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter blended with two of flour, and cook until of the proper consistency. Strain through a cloth, add two tablespoonfuls of b.u.t.ter, and lemon-juice and red pepper to season. Pour over the fish and serve.

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TWENTY-SIX WAYS TO COOK BLUEFISH

BAKED BLUEFISH a L'ITALIENNE

Score and scale the bluefish and put it into a b.u.t.tered pan with three tablespoonfuls each of white wine and mushroom liquor, a tablespoonful of chopped onion, half a dozen chopped mushrooms and salt and pepper to season. Cover with b.u.t.tered paper and bake for fifteen minutes. Take out the fish and add to the sauce half a teaspoonful of beef extract, dissolved in half a cupful of boiling water. Add a winegla.s.sful of white wine and thicken with one tablespoonful each of b.u.t.ter and browned flour. Pour the sauce over the fish, sprinkle with chopped parsley, and serve.

BAKED BLUEFISH--I

Clean, sc.r.a.pe, and split the fish and take out the backbone. Gash the flesh and insert a thin slice of salt pork under the skin.

Make a stuffing of one cupful of bread-crumbs, two tablespoonfuls of chopped salt pork, and salt, [Page 70]

minced parsley, chopped onion, red pepper, kitchen bouquet, and tomato catsup to season. Add one egg well beaten. Fill the fish and sew up. Lay on thin slices of salt pork and bake, basting frequently with the fat. Garnish with cress and lemon.

BAKED BLUEFISH--II

Clean a large bluefish, put into a baking-pan, pour over it a cupful of boiling salted water, cover and bake for an hour, basting frequently.

Put on a serving platter, and thicken the sauce with browned flour, seasoning with salt, pepper, Worcestershire and tomato catsup.

Serve with a garnish of sliced lemon.

BAKED BLUEFISH--III

Make a stuffing of bread-crumbs, two tablespoonfuls of minced onion, a teaspoonful of minced parsley, three tablespoonfuls of b.u.t.ter, one egg well-beaten, and salt and pepper to season. Stuff the fish and tie securely. Bake in a pan with a cupful of hot water and a tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter, basting frequently. Take out the fish, boil up the sauce, add a tablespoonful of catsup, a tablespoonful of browned flour wet with four tablespoonfuls of cold water, and the juice of a lemon. Cook until thick, and strain.

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BAKED BLUEFISH--IV

Prepare a stuffing of crumbs, grated onion, beaten egg and capers.

Stuff a large bluefish and sew up. Season with salt and pepper, rub with b.u.t.ter, and add sufficient boiling water. Bake, baste frequently, and serve with any preferred sauce.

BAKED BLUEFISH--V

Make a stuffing of one cupful of bread-crumbs, a tablespoonful of melted b.u.t.ter, and salt and pepper to season. Fill the fish and sew firmly. Gash the fish and lay strips of pork in the gashes.

Cover with crumbs, dot with b.u.t.ter and add sufficient boiling water to keep from burning. Bake for an hour, basting frequently. Garnish with parsley and lemon and serve with tomato sauce.

BAKED BLUEFISH--VI

Slit a large bluefish, take out the bone, put in a b.u.t.tered baking-dish and season with salt and pepper. Fry a chopped onion in b.u.t.ter, add half a dozen chopped mushrooms, three tablespoonfuls of chopped cooked egg-plant, and a teaspoonful of minced parsley. Add two cupfuls of stock, and cook for fifteen minutes. Thicken with a tablespoonful or more of flour rubbed smooth in cold water, [Page 72]

and pour over the fish. Sprinkle with crumbs, dot with b.u.t.ter, and bake for an hour in a moderate oven.

BAKED BLUEFISH WITH WHITE WINE SAUCE

Put a cleaned bluefish into a b.u.t.tered pan with salt, pepper, minced parsley, sweet herbs, a sliced onion, two cupfuls of white wine, and one cupful of white stock. Cover with a b.u.t.tered paper and cook for forty minutes, basting as required. Take out the fish, strain the sauce, and thicken with a tablespoonful of flour cooked in b.u.t.ter. Boil for ten minutes, add three tablespoonfuls of b.u.t.ter, the juice of half a lemon and three egg yolks well beaten. Bring to the boil, pour over the fish, and serve.

BAKED BLUEFISH a LA NAPLES

Prepare the fish according to directions given for Baked Bluefish--II.

Fry in b.u.t.ter for five minutes two tablespoonfuls each of chopped onion, carrot, and lean raw ham. Add twelve pepper-corns, two cloves, and a sprig of marjoram. Add two and one half tablespoonfuls of flour and cook until brown. Add gradually one cupful of brown stock and one and one fourth cupfuls of white wine. Cook until [Page 73]

thick, stirring constantly, strain, reheat, pour over the fish, sprinkle with minced parsley, and serve.

BOILED BLUEFISH

Prepare according to directions given for Boiled Ba.s.s.

BROILED BLUEFISH--I

Split the fish down the back and soak for half an hour in brine.

Rinse in fresh water, dry on a towel and broil on a b.u.t.tered broiler.

Serve on a hot platter with melted b.u.t.ter poured over, and garnish with watercress and sliced lemon.

BROILED BLUEFISH--II