214 THE SALMON 



sticking ; turn with steak-tongs, and serve piping 

 hot.' 



Mrs. Margaret Sims, in her clever 'Cookery Book,' 

 agrees with us as to the thickness. She suggests 

 cutting the salmon in slices of an inch, rubbing them 

 with salad oil or fresh butter — so that the chalk may 

 be dispensed with — and basting frequently with the 

 butter or oil. As for the thinner slicing, it recom- 

 mends itself to common sense, for the object is to 

 cook thoroughly yet quickly. 



We can have no great opinion of baked salmon, 

 though we must confess we never tried it. It is 

 baked in a deep pan with abundance of butter. But 

 as it is to be seasoned with sauce or other spices, it 

 resembles the counsels of adulterating imperfection in 

 the ' Noble Book,' and suggests that the relics of some 

 former meal have got beyond a creditable resurrection. 

 Braising is a more pleasing alternative, for it 

 gives opportunity for artistic seasoning. This is Cre- 

 fydd's recipe : ' Spread some strong white paper 

 thickly with butter : wipe the salmon dry and fold it 

 in the paper : place it in a drainer over the warm 

 water and steam for three-quarters of an hour. Take 

 off the paper, put the fish in a hot dish, and pour the 

 following sauce over it : mix half a pint of stock, a 

 table spoonful of capers, a dessert spoonful of soy ' — 



