Everyday Luncheons/Dainty Dishes of Fish
The fish commonly found in market are: Bluefish, Cod, Haddock, Flounder, Herring, Mackerel, Perch, Pike, Red Snapper, Salmon, Shad, Smelt, Weakfish, Whitefish, Halibut, and Trout.
Bass, Halibut, Flounder, and Weakfish are in season all the year, or nearly so. Bluefish are in season from June to October, fresh Cod during the Spring months. Haddock from September to February, Herring from December to April, Mackerel from Spring to Fall, Perch from June to October, Pike from September to February, Red Snapper during the Winter months, Salmon from March to September, Shad from March to June, Smelt from October to April, Whitefish from October to March, Brook Trout from March to August, and Lake Trout from October to March.
All fish are unwholesome out of season. To be eatable, they must be perfectly fresh, with bright eyes and scales. The gills must be red, the flesh firm, and nearly free from odor. Cod, Haddock, and Halibut may be kept one day before using, but other varieties must be cooked as soon as possible.
The simple preparations of fish are ideal for luncheon, being light and nourishing and rich in phosphates. The various kinds of canned fish, also, deserve to be better known. Among the imported canned fish will be found several varieties which are well worthy of frequent use, and are valuable in emergencies.
Clean the steaks, sprinkle with salt and pepper, brush lightly with beaten egg, and dip in flour, crumbs, or corn-meal. Fry in pork or bacon fat, and drain on brown paper.
Sprinkle slices of fresh cod with lemon-juice, salt, pepper, and minced parsley. Dip in egg and crumbs, then fry in deep fat.
Butter a small earthen baking-dish, flake cold, boiled cod with a silver fork, and put a layer in the bottom of the baking-dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and add a layer of oysters. Add a little grated onion, melted butter, and a dash of lemon-juice, salt, and red pepper, cover lightly with crumbs, add another layer of cod, and so on until the dish is full, having buttered crumbs on top. Bake about twenty minutes.
Put one tablespoonful of butter in a saucepan and when it froths, add two tablespoonfuls of flour. Stir until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan, then add two cupfuls of cold milk. Season with salt and pepper, and stir constantly until the sauce is thick. Have ready a can of salmon drained, freed from skin, fat, and bone, and flaked fine with a silver fork. Add to the sauce, let boil up once, and serve.
Remove the skin and bones from boiled haddock, and flake it fine. Make the cream sauce according to directions given for creamed salmon, and use equal parts of cream sauce and flaked fish. Put into a baking-dish or buttered shells or ramekins. Mix half a cupful of melted butter with the same amount of bread-crumbs and spread over the fish. Bake until brown.
Use a cupful of cold boiled haddock flaked fine, then follow directions given for creamed salmon. Serve on toast.
Rub the fish with salt and vinegar. Skewer their tails in their mouth and boil gently for ten or twelve minutes. Drain, and serve with melted butter and minced parsley.
Split the fish, remove the bone, and rub inside and out with melted butter or olive-oil. Grease the broiler, and proceed as with any other fish. Butter it, sprinkle with minced parsley, and serve very hot.
These little fish are nearly always fried. Dip in flour or corn-meal and fry in pork or bacon fat.
Prepare and cook as codfish steaks.
Prepare creamed salmon according to directions given above. Put a layer of the fish in a baking-dish, sprinkle with crumbs, add another layer offish, then crumbs, and so on until the dish is full, having crumbs on top. Dot with butter, sprinkle with grated cheese, and brown in a hot oven. Individual dishes or shells may be used.
Prepare creamed salmon according to directions given above, or use any cold, boiled fish in the same way. Put a layer of creamed fish into a baking-dish, cover with a layer of cold, mashed potato, then add another layer of fish, and so on until the dish is full, having potato on top. Dot with butter, sprinkle with crumbs and grated Parmesan cheese, and bake in a hot oven until brown. Shells or ramekins may be used instead of the baking-dish.
Line a buttered mould with cold, boiled rice left from breakfast, fill the centre with creamed salmon, cover with more rice, put the cover on the mould, and steam half an hour or more. Serve with cream sauce, which may be seasoned with lemon-juice or curry powder or minced parsley.
Two eggs, a tablespoonful of butter melted, two cupfuls of rolled and sifted bread-crumbs, and a can of salmon. Mix together thoroughly, put in a buttered mould, and steam for half an hour. Serve either hot or cold.
Clean, split, remove the bone, rub with lemon-juice and soft butter or olive-oil, and broil slowly.
Put a pound of the fish into a saucepan and cover it with fresh water. Add a slice of onion, a slice of carrot, a pinch of salt, and a teaspoonful of vinegar. Cover the water and cook about five minutes after the water begins to boil, then remove the fish, drain, and serve with melted butter.
Place the fish on a plate in the steamer, sprinkle lightly with salt, pepper, and vinegar and steam until very tender. It will take but a few minutes.
Season first with salt and pepper, then place the steaks on a buttered gridiron, and broil slowly.
Season with salt and pepper, dip in egg and crumbs, and fry in deep fat.
Cut the fish into pieces about three inches square and half an inch thick. Dip each one into beaten egg, then cover with crumbs. Lay them in a large baking-pan, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and grated onion. Dot with butter, and bake about twelve minutes in a very hot oven.
Skin twelve large sardines, bring to a boil in a little water, reserving the oil which was drained from the fish. Add a cupful of water, a teaspoonful of Worcestershire, a teaspoonful of made mustard, a teaspoonful of vinegar, salt and pepper to season. Arrange the fish on a stone platter which will bear the heat of the oven and let get very hot. When the sauce is boiling hot add the beaten yolk of an egg and stir until thick. Pour the sauce over the fish and serve at once.
Raw oysters are best served in their own shells, on plates of cracked ice. Blue points are the favorite. Salt, red pepper, lemon quarters, horseradish, and tabasco sauce are served with raw oysters.
Mix in a bowl a heaping teaspoonful of salt, a scant teaspoonful of white pepper, a medium-sized onion, grated, and a teaspoonful of chopped parsley. Add a teaspoonful of olive-oil, six drops of tabasco sauce, half a teaspoonful of Worcestershire sauce, and six tablespoonfuls of good vinegar. Dip raw oysters in this sauce before serving.
Dip large oysters in well-beaten egg, then in dry bread-crumbs that have been seasoned with salt, pepper, and a grating of nutmeg. Put the oysters into their shells, dot with butter, put the shells into a dripping-pan, and bake until brown. Serve at once in the shells.
Use a cupful of cold finnan haddie, flaked, or a cupful of the canned fish. Shred green peppers or cut them into circles. Boil the shredded peppers until tender, drain, and set aside. Prepare the finnan haddie according to the directions given for creamed salmon. Add the peppers and serve on toast.
Sprinkle the cold, flaked fish with lemon-juice, and arrange in a baking-dish with cold mashed potato in alternate layers. Dot with crumbs and butter. Add a little milk, and bake until brown.
Butter squares of toast, and lay them buttered side down on a stoneware platter that will stand the heat of the oven. Drain the oysters, reserving the liquor, and lay the oysters on the toast. Season the liquor with salt, pepper, and butter, and bring it to the boil. Pour it over the oysters and toast. Put the platter into a very hot oven and cook until the edges of the oysters ruffle. Serve at once on the same dish with lemon quarters.
Cut thin slices of stale bread to fit patty-pans. Toast the slices, spread with butter, and put into the pans. Moisten with oyster liquor and put a layer of oysters on each round of toast. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, dot with butter, place all the pans in a baking-pan, cover tightly, and bake from ten to fifteen minutes in a brisk oven. Serve in the pans, with a small fringed doily pinned around each one. Small earthen dishes may be used instead of the patty-pans.
Cover the bottom of the baking-dish with oysters and a little of the liquor — not enough to float them. Cover tightly and bake from five to ten minutes in a hot oven. Serve on buttered toast, and pour over the hot juice from the pan.
Make the cream sauce according to directions given in the recipe for creamed salmon. When the sauce is thick, add a cupful of oysters, and cook until the edges of the oysters ruffle. Add a teaspoonful of finely minced parsley and serve at once on toast.
Put a tablespoonful of butter into a saucepan, season with salt, pepper, curry powder, and add a tablespoonful of minced onion. When the onion is partially fried, add two tablespoonfuls of flour. Stir until the mixture leaves the pan. Add two cupfuls of cold milk, and stir until the sauce is thick. Add a cupful of drained oysters, a teaspoonful of finely minced parsley, and cook until the edges of the oysters ruffle. Serve at once on toast.
Put a layer of oysters in the bottom of the baking-dish, cover with crumbs, season with salt and pepper, and dot with butter. Add another layer of oysters, and so on, until the dish is full, having crumbs and butter on top. Pour a little milk into the pan and bake about twenty minutes. A cupful of oysters, a cupful of crumbs and a cupful of milk will make it about right. A sprinkle of Parmesan cheese may be added.
Prepare creamed oysters according to directions given above. Fill the oyster shell, cover with crumbs, dot with butter and bake until brown. Serve in the shells.
One cupful of oysters, one cupful of cooked macaroni broken into half-inch pieces, two cupfuls of bread-crumbs, and two cupfuls of milk mixed with two well-beaten eggs. Prepare according to directions given for escalloped oysters.
Drain large oysters on a cloth and then wipe dry. Dust with salt and pepper, dredge with flour, and broil on a well-buttered gridiron. Serve on squares of buttered toast.
Prepare as above, dip in beaten egg, then in crumbs, and broil on a well-buttered gridiron.
Bring two cupfuls of oysters to the boil in their own liquor, add a tablespoonful of butter, the juice of half a lemon, a dash of red pepper, and a grating of nutmeg. Beat the yolks of three eggs with three tablespoonfuls of sherry, add to the oysters, stir until thick, and serve at once.
Drain large oysters on a cloth and wipe dry. Dip in egg and crumbs, and fry in a wire basket in deep fat.
Open and drain the required number of oysters. Place in a steamer over boiling water, cover closely, and steam ten minutes. Serve in the shells with melted butter.
Bring two cupfuls of oysters to the boil in their own liquor. Scald four cupfuls of milk, season with salt and pepper, and thicken with butter and flour, or with two tablespoonfuls of cracker crumbs. When the edges of the oysters curl, pour them into the milk, let boil up once, and serve immediately.
Make as above, using water instead of milk. Season with butter, pepper, and salt, and a grating of mace or nutmeg.
Boil oysters for five minutes in their own liquor. Season with salt, white pepper, and butter, and serve on buttered toast.
Drain a quart of oysters and put the liquor on to boil. Make a paste of the yolks of three hard-boiled eggs, a tablespoonful of olive-oil, and half a teaspoonful of dry mustard. Add half a cupful of the boiling liquor and mix thoroughly. Add the oysters to the boiling liquor, cook until the edges curl, then add the liquor containing the paste, let boil up once, and pour over slices of toast. Season with salt and pepper.
Dissolve a teaspoonful of beef extract in two cupfuls of boiling water. Add two cupfuls of milk, a heaping teaspoonful of butter, and season with salt, white pepper, and mace. Add a cupful of finely cut celery, and simmer until the celery is transparent. Add a cupful of oysters, parboiled in their own liquor, and half a cupful of cracker crumbs. Bring to a boil and serve at once.
Use large oysters. Drain on a cloth and wipe dry. Pin a thin slice of bacon around each one, using a wooden toothpick to fasten it. Sauté in a frying-pan until the bacon is crisp.
Mix three tablespoonfuls of olive-oil with one of vinegar. Season highly with salt, pepper, Worcestershire, and a few drops of tabasco sauce. Let large oysters stand five minutes in this sauce, lift out with a fork, dip in crumbs, then in beaten egg, then in crumbs again, and fry in deep fat, using a wire basket.
Cut thin slices of bacon into squares and alternate with oysters on toothpicks or skewers. Long, slender steel skewers are the best. Cook in a brisk oven until the bacon is crisp, and serve on toast.
Two tablespoonfuls of butter and one of flour rubbed together with the yolks of three hard-boiled eggs. Add to a cupful of milk and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Season with salt and red pepper, and add two cupfuls of oysters brought to a boil in their own liquor.
Prepare creamed oysters according to directions given above. Add the yolks of three eggs well beaten and a wineglassful of sherry. Cook until the oysters ruffle, add a wineglassful of Madeira, beat hard for a moment, and serve at once.
One cupful of chopped oysters, one cupful of cold roast veal, finely minced, one teaspoonful of minced parsley, a tablespoonful of grated onion, salt and pepper to season, and a teaspoonful of tomato catsup. Bind with a raw egg or half a cupful of very thick cream sauce. Shape into balls, dip into beaten egg, then into crumbs, and fry in deep fat.
Put half a cupful of butter into a frying-pan. Mix a cupful of cracker crumbs with three well-beaten eggs, and put into the frying-pan. Add two cupfuls of oysters with their liquor, season with salt and pepper, and cook ten minutes, stirring constantly.
One tablespoonful of butter, one teaspoonful of grated onion, and one teaspoonful of chopped parsley. Make very hot in a saucepan. Add three eggs well beaten, one cupful of grated cheese, and one cupful of oysters which have been parboiled in their own liquor and drained. Cook until creamy, stirring constantly, and serve on toast. The cheese used should be very mild.
Put a tablespoonful of butter into a saucepan, with a pinch of salt and a dash of paprika. When hissing hot, add two cupfuls of drained oysters. Cover closely and shake the pan to keep the oysters from sticking. Cook five minutes and serve on buttered toast.
Bring a cupful of cream to the boil. Add one third of a cupful of dried bread-crumbs, a dash of paprika, a pinch of salt, a grating of nutmeg, and a tablespoonful of butter. Add one cupful of chopped oysters, and cook until very hot.
Drain one pint of oysters. Cook a cupful of finely cut celery in the oyster liquor until transparent, adding water if needed. When the celery is done, add a tablespoonful of butter, the juice of half a lemon, a slight grating of the peel, and a wineglassful of sherry. Bring to the boil, add the oysters, cook until the edges curl and serve on toast.
Put three tablespoonfuls of olive-oil in a saucepan, add a small onion, sliced, and a shredded green pepper. Fry slowly until the onion and pepper are done. Then add a quart of oysters, a pinch of salt, a dash of red pepper, and a wineglassful of white wine. Cook five minutes, then add a tablespoonful of tomato catsup. Boil up once and serve.
Chop fine a clove of garlic, a green. pepper, and a small onion. Season with salt and paprika and cook in two tablespoonfuls of butter. Add a cupful of tomatoes, either fresh or canned, and a cupful of parboiled oysters. Serve very hot on toast, or cover with buttered crumbs and bake.
Make a sauce of one tablespoonful of butter, two tablespoonfuls of flour, and a cupful of tomato juice. Add one tablespoonful of chopped onion and two tablespoonfuls of sherry. Put two cupfuls of oysters into this sauce, cover and cook slowly until the edges curl.
Chop one medium-sized onion and fry brown in two tablespoonfuls of butter. Add two dozen clams chopped fine, or a can of minced clams, one cupful of canned tomatoes, a teaspoonful each of chopped parsley and Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper to taste, and half a cupful of dried bread-crumbs. When the tomatoes are cooked through, add two eggs well beaten, stir until smooth, and take from the fire. Fill clam shells or ramekins with the mixture. Cover with crumbs and dots of butter and brown in the oven.
A quart of clams, chopped fine, and a cupful or more of dried bread-crumbs. Season with salt and pepper, a teaspoonful of tomato catsup and a teaspoonful of minced parsley. Bind with raw egg, or with a little very thick cream sauce. Shape into cutlets, dip in egg and crumbs, and fry in deep fat.
Trim off the tough necks of soft-shell clams, and fry brown with rashers of bacon. Serve with toast points.
Fry a chopped onion brown in a tablespoonful of olive-oil. Add a teaspoonful of curry powder and a tablespoonful of flour. Add two cupfuls of clams with their liquor and cook five minutes.
Prepare according to directions given for escalloped oysters.
Split a boiled lobster lengthwise and remove the spongy substance and the intestine. Rub the cut surface with butter or olive-oil and broil slowly. Serve in the shell.
Use boiled lobster meat and prepare according to directions given for creamed oysters.
A can of minced crab meat, or two cupfuls of the meat picked from boiled crabs. Prepare according to directions given for creamed oysters. Add the yolks of two hard-boiled eggs, mashed fine, a teaspoonful of Worcestershire sauce, salt, paprika, the juice of half a lemon, a teaspoonful of dried mustard and a few drops of tabasco sauce. Add enough dried breadcrumbs to make into a paste. Fill the crab shells with the mixture, cover with crumbs, dot with butter, and bake until brown. Ramekins may be used.
Use one cupful of crab meat and prepare according to directions given for oysters à la Creole.
Dip clean, soft crabs into melted butter and sprinkle thickly with dry bread-crumbs. Put into a dripping-pan and brown in a very hot oven. Serve with a cream sauce seasoned with made mustard.
Use the canned shrimps and prepare according to directions given for creamed oysters.
Prepare creamed shrimps and arrange in a baking-pan with alternate layers of seasoned crumbs, having crumbs and dots of butter on top. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese if desired and bake brown. Individual dishes may be used.
Cook a cupful of tomatoes with a cupful of water and a small onion finely chopped. Rub through a sieve and thicken into a sauce, using one tablespoonful of butter and two of flour. Season with salt and paprika, add a can of well-washed shrimps, and serve very hot with plain boiled rice.
Make the cream sauce and add to it half a cupful of shrimps picked fine, and half a cupful of cooked peas.
Parboil two sweet green peppers and shred. Prepare creamed shrimps according to directions previously given. Add the parboiled peppers. Heat thoroughly and serve on toast.
Drain, dip in eggs and crumbs and fry in deep fat. Serve with rashers of bacon.
Make a cupful of very thick cream sauce. While hot mix with a can of minced crab meat and set aside to cool. When cold, shape into croquettes, dip into egg and crumbs, and fry in deep fat. Lobster, shrimp, clam, and oyster croquettes are made in the same way.
Prepare creamed salmon according to directions previously given. Fill buttered ramekins two thirds full. Break a fresh egg into each dish and bake until the egg is set.
Use creamed salt codfish left from breakfast. Butter ramekins and fill two thirds full of the codfish, alternating with layers of crumbs. Break a fresh egg into each dish and bake until the egg is set.
Butter ramekin dishes and fill half full of any kind of creamed fish. Beat the white of an egg to a stiff froth and stir it into a cupful of cold, mashed potato. Beat with a fork until very light. Fill the ramekin dishes with the potato, piling it in roughly. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and bake in a very hot oven until the potato is well puffed and brown.
Open a can of salmon, drain, and free from skin, fat, and bone. Arrange on a platter, keeping the pieces of salmon as large as possible. Put into a saucepan one tablespoonful of butter, and when it froths add two tablespoonfuls of flour. Stir until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan. Add two cupfuls of cold water and stir constantly until the sauce is thick. Season with salt and paprika, add a tablespoonful of capers and a tablespoonful of the vinegar from the caper bottle. Pour over the salmon while hot and set away to cool. Serve very cold.
Mix a cupful of canned salmon with an equal quantity of cold, mashed potatoes. Bind with beaten egg or a very thick cream sauce. Shape into croquettes, dip in egg and crumbs and fry in a wire basket in deep fat.
Two cupfuls of freshened and shredded fish. Two cupfuls of raw, sliced potato, one tablespoonful of butter, half a cupful of milk, two eggs, and a sprinkle of white pepper. Put the potatoes into a pan, spread the fish on top, cover with cold water and boil until the potatoes are done. Drain, mash together, then add the butter, pepper, milk, and beaten egg. Beat until very light. Shape into small flat cakes, dredge in flour and fry brown in deep fat. Serve with a poached egg on each one.
Cover one cupful of shredded salt codfish with boiling water and set aside. Beat together two cupfuls of cold, mashed potatoes, two cupfuls of milk, two eggs beaten separately, and half a cupful of melted butter. Season with black pepper. Drain the codfish, mix with the potato, put into a buttered baking-dish, and bake about half an hour. Half of this recipe is sufficient for a small family.
Chop an onion fine, and fry light brown in butter. Add a cupful of canned tomatoes and a cupful of freshened codfish. Cook ten minutes, stirring constantly. Serve on buttered toast.
Line a small buttered mould with cold, mashed potato, fill the centre with creamed salt codfish left from breakfast, cover with more mashed potato and steam half an hour. Individual dishes may be used.
One cupful of cold, flaked fish, seasoned with salt and pepper and moistened with milk. One cupful of cold, mashed potatoes and two hard-boiled eggs chopped fine. Butter a small mould and put in alternate layers of potato, fish, and egg. Steam twenty minutes, and turn out on a hot plate. Individual dishes may be used.
Break into bits one cupful of cold, boiled macaroni. Add one cupful of cold, boiled codfish flaked fine. Put into a buttered baking-dish, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and crumbs. Dot with butter, sprinkle with grated cheese, and add sufi&cient milk to moisten. Bake until brown in a hot oven.
Use any cold fish which has been baked or boiled, free from skin, fat, and bone, and pile in the centre of a platter. Make a ring of sliced hard-boiled eggs around the base of the fish. Make a sauce of three tablespoonfuls of olive-oil, one tablespoonful of tarragon vinegar, a pinch of salt, a dash of paprika, and one tablespoonful of finely chopped pickle. Pour over the fish, garnish with lettuce leaves, sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.
Use cold, creamed codfish left from breakfast, heat thoroughly, spread on buttered toast, and slip a poached egg on each slice.
Chop a small onion very fine and fry brown in one tablespoonful of butter. Mix one teaspoonful of curry powder with one tablespoonful of flour and a pinch of salt. Stir into the butter. Add slowly one cupful of hot water, stirring briskly. When the sauce is thick, add one cupful of flaked salmon and cook until the salmon is thoroughly hot.
Soak one package of gelatine in cold water to cover, then add enough more water to make a cupful, and dissolve by gentle heat until the liquid is transparent. Have ready four cupfuls of flaked, cooked fish. Season highly with salt, pepper, and lemon-juice or tarragon vinegar. Add the hot gelatine to the fish and stir until it begins to thicken. Pack into an earthen mould which has been rinsed out in cold water, and set away to harden.
Use finnan haddie, salt mackerel, herring, or codfish left from breakfast. Mix with an equal quantity of cold, mashed potato, and warm in a frying-pan with a little butter. A bit of grated onion may be added for seasoning. The fish and potato may be made into small flat cakes and fried brown in a little butter, or, buttered ramekins may be filled two thirds full of the hash and a fresh egg broken into each dish. Bake in a hot oven until the egg is set.
Boil three pounds of fresh cod half an hour in slightly salted and acidulated water. Make a drawn-butter sauce of one tablespoonful of butter, two tablespoonfuls of flour and two cupfuls of cold water. Stir constantly until the sauce is thick. Take from the fire, and add two hard-boiled eggs finely chopped, a teaspoonful of chopped parsley, and the juice of half a lemon. Drain the fish, pour the sauce over and serve. Any firm-fleshed fish of delicate flavor may be used in this way.
Prepare according to directions given for codfish balls. Shape into cutlet form, dip in egg and crumbs and fry in deep fat. Stick a piece of macaroni in the small end of the cutlet and garnish with a paper frill. Serve with lemon and parsley.
Rub with butter and broil with the flesh side towards the fire. Serve on a hot platter with lemon quarters, melted butter, and parsley.
Trim the crust from thin slices of bread and cut into fingers. Butter the toast and arrange the pieces in a baking-pan. Drain anchovies from the oil and lay one on each piece of toast. Sprinkle with pepper and lemon-juice and cook ten minutes in a very hot oven.
Drain and skin large sardines. Prepare according to directions given for anchovy toast.
Rub sardines to a paste with lemon-juice, and spread on thin slices of toast. Put into a hot oven until heated through, and slip a poached egg on each slice. The same recipe may be used for any salt fish.