322 PIKE AND OTHER COARSE FISH. 



cold for breakfast. If you try it; I think you will siy they afe an 

 excellent relish for breakfast, and nearly as good as anchovies. 

 The secret lies in well drying them in the sun, and eating them 

 cold. 



Another angler lately wrote to the Field : — 



Although the chub is generally a much despised fish, he is 

 capable during the days of winter, the colder and more frosty 

 ^the weather the better, of being elevated to a dish by no means 

 despicable. , At a dinner recently I was ' helped twice ' from a plat 

 of this ifiish, not knowing what it was composed of, and being in- 

 duced by its delicious flavour to commit this solecism. When 

 told that I had been regaling so earnestly upon chub from a neigh- 

 bouring stream, and expressing my desire for the recipe, my hostess 

 very kindly upon my quitting gave me the following, telling me at 

 the same time she had received it, while residing in Italy, from a 

 Jewish family : ' Take four or five large onions, boil them until they 

 give to the pressure of the spoon, slice them ; take the back bone 

 out of the fishj and cut it, if large, into pieces of 3 in. or 4 in. ; 

 strew equally over the bottom of a stew-pan a little ginger in 

 powder, salt and pepper ; place the fish on these, and almost cover 

 the fish with fresh water, then the sliced onions over all ; put the 

 lid on close; and let it simmer gently till all is done. While this is 

 proceeding beat up the yolks of four eggs, with a good quantity 

 of parsley chopped very fine, and a little of the liquor from the 

 stew-pan, and while it is amalgamating, squeeze the juice from two 

 lemons into it, very gi-adually, or the juice will curdle the egg. 

 Take up the fish with the onions upon it in a deep dish, and pour 

 the mixture over it.' I ought to add that I tasted the dish again 

 when cold next morning at breakfast, and that it had lost nothing of 

 its relish, and I do not think that many who sat down before it with- 

 out prejudice would come to any other than such a favourable con- 

 clusion. Perhaps vinegar instead of lemon might cheapen the dish, 

 but as the recipe is given, it maybe classed as economical. 



The principal Characteristics of the Chub are : — The whole 

 length of the fish, body, head, and tail fin being considered 

 as s, the length of the head alone is a little more than as i. 

 Depth of body, a little greater than length of head, which is 

 rather blunt at the muzzle. Back fin commencing half-wa^ 

 between point of nose and extremity of tail fin, and rather 



