THE BOOK OF THE PIKE 



can of "coves" in the commissary, they can be chopped 

 up or used whole, as fancy may dictate, and used in 

 place of the bacon. Endless variations will occur to 

 the mind of the natural outdoor cook. This "stuffing" 

 can be placed in the body of the fish and the opening 

 closed with several windings of string, or it can be 

 heaped in one end of the pan. Some people like the 

 "stuffing" well browned. So cooked, the flesh of a 

 great pike from the north country or muskellunge is 

 dry, flaky, sweet, and toothsome. A better and more 

 tasty dish it is hard to imagine. 



A sauce is not needed for baked pike, but can be 

 prepared, of course, if the cook so desires. There are 

 any number of sauces, though a simple butter sauce 

 may serve for the base. Put two large tablespoons of 

 sweet butter in a pan and add a tablespoon of flour, 

 a teaspoon of salt, and a liberal dose of black pepper. 

 Rub these ingredients together until thoroughly 

 mixed, then add about half a cup of boiling water, 

 place in a fry-pan and cook two minutes, and pour 

 over the fish. This can be varied by the use of milk 

 in the place of water; or, the butter can be melted in 

 the pan, and when it bubbles, add the flour and cook 

 thoroughly; remove from the hot fire, but keep sim- 

 mering and stir in the milk slowly. This makes a white 

 sauce. Chopped onions, chopped watercress, pickles, 

 green peppers, in fact any highly flavored relish can 

 be added; young wild mustard leaves are not half 

 bad. It is simply wonderful the amount of vegetables 

 the woods afford, vegetables that can be eaten in the 

 place of well-known domestic varieties, and that can 

 be used for seasoning and garnishes. Personally, I do 

 not much care for a sauce for baked fish, for baked 



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