BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 127 



47 SOME KECIPES I Olt COOKING FISH.* 



Roe cheese. — The li^hermeu of the Dardauelles prepare a kind of 

 cheese from the roe of several kinds of lish by drying it in the air and 

 then pressing it. By dipping it in melted wax a crust is formed over it, 

 which prevents its being affected by the air. Inside this crust the roe 

 undergoes a sort of fermentation, giving it a very piquant flavor, so 

 much so, in fact, that one can eat but little of it at a time. It is said 

 to taste like a mixture of fine sardines, caviare, and old cheese. Be- 

 fore it is eaten the crust of wax is taken off", and if it has become 

 moldy — which frequently happens — it is soaked in strong vinegar. 



CooKTNa FISH. — The Paris Figaro recommends to cook fresh-water 

 fish in a mixture of white wine and water ; and salt-water fish in a mix- 

 ture of water and milk, equal parts, seasoning with salt and pepper. 



Cooking fish in fat. — While boiling water, which evaporates freely, 

 keeps a steady temperature of about 212° F., fat can be brought up to 

 a much higher temperature, as its boiling point is about 600° F. For 

 every-day use it is sufficient to heat it to about 400° F. Wlien fish are 

 thrown into such fat a dry, brown crust forms round them immediately', 

 inside of which the meat is soon cooked. The difference between fish 

 cooked in this way and fish fried in a frying-pan is, that the latter, by 

 absorbing a great quantity of fat, lose by evaporation a good deal of 

 the water contained in them, whereby they are fried unevenly and apt 

 to get burned; while the former, owing to the quickly-forming crust, 

 neither absorb the fat nor lose any of their strength. The best fot for 

 this purpose is beef fat, but mutton fat can also be used, after first hav^- 

 ing been cooked in milk. Olive oil may also be used. Butter, on the 

 other hand, should not be used, partly on account of the water con- 

 tained in it, and partly because the caseine, when exposed to heat for 

 any length of time, is apt to burn and make it dark. 



Beef fat may be prepared by chopping it up in small ijieces and boil- 

 ing it in .water until the water has evaporated, all the fat has been 

 rendered, and the threads have become brown and hard. To prevent 

 its burning, it should frequently be stirred after the water has evapo- 

 rated. The fat is then strained through a cloth and is ready for use. 



The following, however, is a bettor method : After the fat has been 

 chopped fine, it is boiled in water for a quarter of an hour, taken up, 

 and the water squeezed out, whereupon it is again boiled in water for 

 from one-half to one hour. While slill hot it is strained through a 

 cloth. AVhen cold the fat will form a cake on the toj). The lower side 

 is cleaned, and the fat is melted once more in order to remove any 

 water which it may still contain. 



To use the fat a sufficient quantity is placed in a deep pan, not porce- 

 lain lined, however, as the i)orcelain frequently cracks on account of 



* From the Norsk Fishcrilidende, Vol. V, No. 2, Bergen, April, 1886. Translated from 

 the Daniali lt>y Herman Jacobso:!^. 



