EIGHT WAYS TO COOK BLACKFISH

BLACKFISH A L'AMERICAINE

Draw two large blackfish, trim, and clean thoroughly. Put into a baking-dish with two chopped onions fried in butter. Add two cupfuls of cold water and half a cupful of Port wine. Season with salt and pepper, a pinch of powdered cloves, mace, allspice, and thyme, two bay-leaves, a small bunch of parsley, and two leeks. Cover tightly and cook for an hour. Lift out the fish and strain the liquid. Thicken it with a tablespoonful of butter, blended with an equal quantity of flour. Bring to the boil, add two tablespoonfuls of butter, and minced parsley and lemon-juice to season. Pour over the fish and serve.

BLACKFISH WITH FINE HERBS

Put the cleaned fish into a baking-dish with chopped onions, parsley and mushrooms. Gash the fish and fill the incisions with butter and chopped onion. Moisten with equal parts [Page 66] of white wine and stock, cover with buttered paper, and cook in a moderate oven for half an hour, basting frequently. Take out the fish, strain the sauce, and add stock to make the necessary quantity. Thicken with a tablespoonful of butter rolled in flour, and pour over the fish. Cover with crumbs, dot with butter, and brown in the oven. Sprinkle with lemon-juice before serving.

BROILED BLACKFISH WITH CHILLI SAUCE

Clean the fish, season with salt and pepper, rub with oil, and broil slowly. Fry in butter a chopped shallot and two chilli peppers. Add two chopped tomatoes, a wineglassful of Catawba wine, and a cupful of stock. Boil to the consistency of a thick sauce, add two tablespoonfuls of butter and a little chopped parsley. Spread over the fish.

MATELOTE OF BLACKFISH

Cover four pounds of cleaned blackfish with equal parts of Claret and water. Add salt and pepper to season, two small cloves of garlic, two onions sliced, and a bunch of parsley. Boil for half an hour and strain the liquid. Thicken it with two tablespoonfuls of butter blended with a little flour. Add two tablespoonfuls [Page 67] of butter, a tablespoonful of anchovy paste, and lemon-juice to season. Strain over the fish and garnish with fresh fried mushrooms and small white onions sprinkled with sugar and fried brown in clarified butter.

STEWED BLACKFISH A LA NEWPORT

Cook four pounds of blackfish in Catawba wine and water to cover, seasoning with parsley and onion, three cloves, salt, and half a dozen pepper-corns. Boil for half an hour, strain the sauce, and thicken with two tablespoonfuls of flour browned in butter. Cook until thick, add two tablespoonfuls of butter and the juice of half a lemon. Strain over the fish and surround with a border of baked tomatoes.

BAKED BLACKFISH--I

Put two cleaned blackfish into a buttered baking-pan with one cupful of Port wine and two cupfuls of water. Add salt, white and red pepper, grated nutmeg, minced parsley, and sweet herbs to season. Dot the fish with butter, cover with buttered paper, and bake for forty-five minutes, basting as required. Take out the fish, strain the sauce, and put it into a saucepan with two cupfuls of stock. Thicken with two tablespoonfuls of butter [Page 68] blended with an equal quantity of flour, and boil for ten minutes. Skim, add two tablespoonfuls each of butter and anchovy paste, and lemon-juice to taste. Reheat, pour over the fish, and serve.

BAKED BLACKFISH--II

Remove the skin and fins from a six-pound fish and place in a baking-pan. Cover with two cupfuls of bread-crumbs moistened with hot water, and seasoned with butter, salt, pepper, sage, summer savory, and sweet marjoram. Bake for an hour and a half and serve with any preferred sauce.

BLACKFISH WITH PORT WINE SAUCE

Put two cleaned blackfish into a pan with one cupful of Port wine, one cupful of water, one cupful of white stock, and salt, pepper, minced parsley, and sweet herbs to season. Cover and simmer for forty minutes. Take out the fish, add two cupfuls of stock to the sauce, thicken with one tablespoonful of butter blended with two of flour, and cook until of the proper consistency. Strain through a cloth, add two tablespoonfuls of butter, and lemon-juice and red pepper to season. Pour over the fish and serve.