128 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



the heat. The fat does uot bubble. W'heu a thin bluish steam begins 

 to show itself, or when a drop of water thrown on the fat immediately 

 evaporates with a crackling sound, it has the required temperature. 

 The degree of heat may also be ascertained by sticking the tail of the 

 fish into the fat. If the fat is hot enough the tail becomes brown and 

 brittle in a few seconds. The pieces of fish thrown into the fat first 

 sink to the bottom, but soon rise again. When they are suflQcieutly 

 brown they are taken out and laid on a i^erforated board, so that the 

 fat can run off. They should be served immediately, and should not be 

 covered, as the crust soon looses its brittleuess. When the fat is not 

 burned it can be used a number of times. If the fish has been rolled in 

 bread, cracker-crumbs, eggs, &g., the fat should be strained every time 

 before it is returned to the vessel in which it is kept, or poured into 

 water, where the impurities will either sink to the bottom or gather at 

 the bottom of the cake of fat, when they can be scraj^ed off. 



Cooking pike : a receipt from the year 1G48. — Take a large 

 pike, make a slit in its belly and take out the entrails with the excep- 

 tion of the liver. Scale and salt the front and hind parts, but leave the 

 scales on the middle part. Lay it in vinegar, so that it gets a nice blue 

 color; then stick it on a spit. Take a clean cloth soaked in wine and 

 tie it around the middle part tightly enough to prevent the fat, with 

 which the two other parts are basted, from entering the middle part. 

 When the fish is on the spit, a mixture, half wine and half water, 

 should be poured on the cloth as soon as it begins to get dry. The 

 front part of the pike should be sprinkled with flour ; then hot butter 

 should be poured over it ; then again flour, &c., until it is deemed suffi- 

 cient. The hind part should be sprinkled with ginger and salt, and hot 

 butter should be poured on it from time to time until it is well baked. 

 Care should be taken in putting the fish on the spit, so that it does not 

 break. When ready, serve the "fish whole on a flat dish. 



Soaked fish with green peas. — After the fish has been well 

 beaten with a wooden mallet, lay it for several days in strong 13^, and 

 then in soft water, until it has become comi)letely soaked. Before it is 

 used it should be soaked for a good while in warm salt water, but not 

 boiled. The peas are cooked in a little water with salt and butter, a little 

 flour is added, and they are boiled up once more with chopi^ed parsley. 



Fresh herring with brown sauce. — The herring are cleaned and 

 sprinkled with salt half an hour before they are used. They are then 

 dried in a cloth, rolled in flour or bread-crumbs, and fried in butter or 

 lard. For the sauce take a medium-sized onion, about ] i)ound of lean 

 bacon, some ])ep])er ground fine, a table-spoonful of flour, and two 

 table s])oonfuls of good vinegar. The onion is chopped fine and steamed 

 nntil it has become quite soft, and the bacon is added cut in small 

 cubes; finally the flour is stirred in. Then ad<l I pint of water, and 

 boil the whole until you have an evenly thi(;k brown sauce, which is 

 poured over the fish. 



