SIXTEEN WAYS TO COOK SHEEPSHEAD

BOILED SHEEPSHEAD

Clean and salt the fish and soak in cold water for an hour. Drain, wipe dry, and cut several deep gashes across both sides. Put the fish on the drainer of the fish-kettle, pour the juice of a lemon over it, and cover with equal parts of milk and water. Add salt and pepper and minced parsley to season and simmer gently until the fish is done. Drain carefully and serve the sauce separately, thickening if desired.

BOILED SHEEPSHEAD WITH OYSTER SAUCE

Boil a prepared and cleaned fish in salted and acidulated water with a bunch of parsley, a sliced onion, and some sweet herbs. Drain, garnish with parsley, and serve with a Holandaise Sauce to which cooked oysters have been added.

[Page 356] BROILED SHEEPSHEAD

Prepare and clean a large sheepshead, score the sides deeply, and broil, seasoning with salt and pepper, and basting with oil. Melt half a cupful of butter and add to it the juice of a lemon and two tablespoonfuls of anchovy essence. Pour over the fish and serve.

FRIED FILLETS OF SHEEPSHEAD

Prepare and clean the fish and cut in fillets. Dip into salted milk, then in flour, then in beaten egg, then in seasoned crumbs, and fry in deep fat. Serve with any preferred sauce.

SHEEPSHEAD WITH CAPER SAUCE

Boil according to directions previously given and serve with Caper Sauce.

SHEEPSHEAD WITH DRAWN BUTTER

Clean a medium sized fish, rub with salt and pepper, steam for an hour, take up carefully, garnish with parsley and lemon, and serve with Drawn-Butter Sauce.

SHEEPSHEAD WITH PARSLEY SAUCE

Cook the prepared and cleaned fish in salted and acidulated water to cover, drain, and serve with Parsley Sauce.

[Page 357] SHEEP SHEAD A LA BAHAMA

Prepare and clean a large sheepshead and remove the fins. Score deeply to the bone on both sides and put into a buttered fish-pan with a chopped onion, a small bunch of parsley, four sliced tomatoes, and four chopped chilli peppers. Add salt and pepper to season, one cupful of Catawba wine, and enough white stock to cover. Cover with a buttered paper and boil until done. Drain, strain the liquid through a coarse sieve, and add enough stock to make the required quantity of sauce. Thicken with flour cooked in butter, take from the fire, add two tablespoonfuls of butter, a teaspoonful of minced parsley, and the juice of half a lemon. Cover the fish with broiled tomatoes, pour the sauce around, and serve.

SHEEPSHEAD A LA BIRMINGHAM

Prepare and clean a large sheepshead and put into a buttered fish-pan with four tablespoonfuls of butter, a bunch of parsley, a shredded green pepper, a chopped onion, six peeled and sliced tomatoes, two cupfuls each of white wine and water, and salt and paprika to season. Simmer until the fish is done, drain, and keep warm. Strain the liquid and thicken with flour browned in butter. Pour [Page 358] over the fish and serve with rice and baked green peppers.

SHEEPSHEAD A LA CAROLINE

Clean a sheepshead, cut off the fins and score to the bone on each side. Put into a buttered baking-pan with two tablespoonfuls of butter, a bunch of parsley, a small chopped onion, a shredded green pepper, and salt and pepper to season. Add one cupful of white wine and two cupfuls of water or white stock. Cover with buttered paper and bake in a moderate oven, basting often with the liquid. Take up the fish, strain the liquid, thicken with flour cooked in butter, take from the fire, add two tablespoonfuls of butter, the juice of a lemon and a teaspoonful of minced parsley. Pour over the fish and serve.

SHEEPSHEAD A LA CREOLE

Chop together an onion, a green pepper, a tomato, four mushrooms, a clove of garlic and a bunch of sweet herbs. Fry in olive-oil, add a tablespoonful of flour and cook until the flour is brown. Add one cupful of beef stock and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Put six slices of sheepshead into a buttered baking-pan, spread with the sauce, and bake slowly for an hour.

[Page 359] SHEEPSHEAD A LA HOLLANDAISE

Prepare and clean a sheepshead, cover with salted and acidulated water, and simmer until done. Drain and serve with Hollandaise Sauce.

SHEEP SHEAD A L'INDIENNE

Cook a large sheepshead in a fish-boiler with two cupfuls each of water and white wine, two tablespoonfuls of butter, two chopped onions, a chopped green pepper, a bunch of parsley, and salt, pepper, and sweet herbs to season. Cover with buttered paper, boil until done and drain. Cook three tablespoonfuls of butter with two tablespoonfuls each of flour and curry powder, add the liquid drained from the fish, and enough stock to make the required quantity of sauce. Cook until thick, stirring constantly, and skim off the fat. Add two tablespoonfuls each of butter and chutney sauce, take from the fire, add the juice of a lemon, pour over the fish, and serve with plain boiled rice.

SHEEPSHEAD A LA LOUISIANNE

Prepare and clean a large sheepshead and put into a buttered baking-dish with two sliced onions, a chopped green pepper, a cupful of stewed and [Page 360] strained tomatoes, two cupfuls of white wine, a bunch of parsley, a tablespoonful of butter, and salt and white pepper to season. Cover with buttered paper and bake for forty minutes, basting as necessary. When done, drain the fish and keep it warm. Strain the liquid and add enough brown stock to make the required quantity of sauce. Thicken with flour browned in butter, add the juice of a lemon and a little minced parsley. Pour over the fish and serve with a border of plain boiled rice.

SHEEPSHEAD A LA MAJESTIC

Butter a baking-pan and line it with sliced onions and tomatoes, sprinkled with salt, pepper, and minced parsley. Lay upon it a cleaned sheepshead weighing three pounds. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and flour, and add enough stock and white wine to keep from burning. Baste as required and serve with the onions and tomatoes around the platter.

SHEEPSHEAD A LA MOBILE

Prepare and clean a large fish and cut it into thin slices. Put into a buttered saucepan with half a dozen sliced tomatoes, two sliced onions, a bunch of parsley, two bruised beans of garlic, and [Page 361] salt, paprika, and sweet herbs to season. Add equal parts of Claret and white stock to cover. Cover with buttered paper, bring to the boil, and simmer for forty minutes. Drain, strain the sauce, thicken with flour browned in butter, take from the fire, add a tablespoonful of butter and the juice of a lemon, pour over the fish and serve.