little hay-salt beat fine, take a little beaten mace, a few cloves brat fine, black and white pepper beat fine; mix; little salt, rub them inside and out with the spice, lay them in a pan, and between every lay of the mackrel put a few bay-leaves; then cover them with vinegar, tie them down close with brown paper put them into flow oven they will take a good while doing; when they are enough, uncover them, let them stand till cold, then pour away all that vinegar, and put as much good vinegar as will cover them, and put in an onion stuck with cloves. Send
them to the oven again, let them stand two hours in a very flour even, and they will keep all the year; but you must not put in your hands to take out the mackrel, if you can avoid it, but take a slice to take them out with. The great bones of the mackrel taken out and broiled, is a pretty little plate to fill up the corner of a table.
To souse mackrel.
YOU must wash them clean, gut them, and boil them in salt and water till they are enough; take them out, lay them in a clean pan, cover them with the liquor, add a little vinegar; and when you fend them to table, lay fennel over them.
To pot a lobster.
TAKE a live lobster, boil it in salt and water, and peg it that no water gets in; when it is cold, pick out all the flesh and body, take out the gut, beat it fine in a mortar, and season it with beaten mace, grated nutmeg, pepper, and salt. Mix all together, melt a little piece of butter as big as a large walnut, and mix it with the lobster as you are beating it; when it is beat to a paste, put it into your potting-pot, and put it down as close and hard as you can; then set some fresh butter in a deep broad pan before the fire, and when it is all melted, take off the scum at the top, if any, and pour the clear butter over the meat as thick as a crown-piece. The whey and churn-milk will settle at the bottom of the pan; but take great care none of that goes in, and always let your butter be very good, or you will spoil all; or only put the meat whole, with the body mixed among it, laying them as close together as you can, and pour the butter over them. You must be sure to let the lobster be well boiled. A middling one will take half an hour boiling.
