 Section 16 of the Book of Household Management. Baked Mackerel Number 279. Ingredients. Four middling-sized mackerel, a nice delicate force meat, sea force meats, three ounces of butter, pepper, and salt to taste. Mode. Clean the fish, take out the rose, and fill up with force meat, and sew up the slit. Flour, and put them in a dish, heads and tails alternately with the rose. And between each layer, put some little pieces of butter and pepper and salt. Bake for one half an hour, and either serve with plain melted butter or a metrodotel sauce. Time, one half hour. Average cost for this quantity, one shilling 10 pence. Seasonable, from April to July. Sufficient for six persons. Note, baked mackerel may be dressed in the same way as baked herrings, see number 268, and may also be stewed in wine. Weight of the mackerel. The greatest weight of this fish seldom exceeds two pounds, whilst their ordinary length runs between 14 and 20 inches. They die almost immediately after they are taken from their element, and for a short time exhibit a phosphoric light. Boiled mackerel, number 280. Ingredients, one quarter pound of salt to each gallon of water. Mode, cleanse the inside of the fish thoroughly, and lay it in the kettle with sufficient water to cover it with salt as above. Bring it gradually to boil, skim well, and simmer gently till done. Dish them on a hot napkin, heads and tails alternately, and garnish with fennel. Fennel sauce and plain melted butter are the usual accompaniments to boiled mackerel. But caper or anchovy sauce is sometimes served with it. See colored plate F. Time, after the water boils, 10 minutes. For larger mackerel, allow more time. Average cost, from four pence. Seasonable, from April to July. Note, when variety is desired, fillet the mackerel, boil it, and pour over parsley and butter. Send some of this besides in a tourine. Broiled mackerel, number 281. Ingredients, pepper and salt to taste, a small quantity of oil. Mode, mackerel should never be washed when intended to be broiled, but merely wiped very clean and dry after taking out the gills and insides. Open the back and put in a little pepper, salt, and oil. Broil it over a clear fire, turn it over on both sides, and also on the back. When sufficiently cooked, the flesh can be detached from the bone, which will be in about 15 minutes for a small mackerel. Chop a little parsley, work it up in the butter with pepper and salt to taste, and a squeeze of lemon juice, and put it in the back. Serve before the butter is quite melted with a maitre d'hôtel sauce in a tourine. Time, small mackerel 15 minutes. Average cost, from four pence. Seasonable, from April to July. Illustration, the mackerel. The mackerel, this is not only one of the most elegantly formed, but one of the most beautifully colored fishes when taken out of the sea that we have. Death, in some degree, impairs the vivid splendor of its colors, but it does not entirely obliterate them. It visits the shores of Great Britain in countless shoals, appearing about March, off the land's end, in the bays of Devonshire, about April, off Brighton, in the beginning of May, and on the coast of Suffolk, about the beginning of June. In the Orkneys they are seen till August, but the greatest fishery is on the west coasts of England. To choose mackerel. In choosing this fish, purchasers should, to a great extent, be regulated by the brightness of its appearance. If it has a transparent, silvery hue, the flesh is good. But if it be read about the head, it is stale. Filets of mackerel, 282. Ingredients. Two large mackerel, one ounce butter, one small bunch of chopped herbs, three tablespoons of medium stock, number 105, three tablespoons fulls of bechamel, sea sauces, salt, cayenne, and lemon juice to taste. Mode. Clean the fish and filet it, scald the herbs, chop them fine, and put them with the butter and stock into a stew pot. Lay in the mackerel and simmer very gently for 10 minutes. Take them out and put them on a hot dish. Dredge in a little flour and the other ingredients, give one boil and pour it over the mackerel. Time, 20 minutes. Average cost for this quantity, one shilling six pence. Seasonable from April to July, sufficient for four persons. Note, filets of mackerel may be covered with egg and breadcrumbs and fried of a nice brown, served with metredotel sauce and plain melted butter. The veracity of the mackerel. The veracity of this fish is very great and from their immense numbers they are bold in attacking objects of which they might otherwise be expected to have a wholesome dread. Funtopeten relates an anecdote of the sailor belonging to a ship lying in one of the harbors on the coast of Norway who, having gone into the sea to bathe, was suddenly missed by his companions. In the course of a few minutes, however, he was seen on the surface with great numbers of mackerel clinging to him by their mouths. His comrades hastened in a boat to his assistance, but when they had struck the fishes from him and got him up, they found he was so severely bitten that he shortly afterward expired. Pickled mackerel, 283, ingredients, 12 peppercorns, two bay leaves, one half pint of vinegar, four mackerel. Mode, boil the mackerel as in the recipe number 282 and lay them in a dish. Take half the liqueur they were boiled in, add as much vinegar, peppercorns and bay leaves, boil for 10 minutes and when cold, pour over the fish. Time, one half hour. Average cost, one shilling six pence. Mackerel garum, this brine, so greatly esteemed by the ancients, was manufactured from various kinds of fishes. When mackerel was employed, a few of them were placed in a small vase with a large quantity of salt, which was well stirred and then left to settle for some hours. On the following day, this was put into an earthen pot which was uncovered and placed in a situation to get the rays of the sun. At the end of two or three months it was hermetically sealed after having had added to it a quantity of old wine equal to one third of the mixture. Gray mullet, 284, ingredients, one quarter pound of salt to each gallon of water. Mode, if the fish be very large it should be laid in cold water and gradually brought to a boil. If small, put it in boiling water salted in the above proportion. Serve with anchovy sauce and plain melted butter. Time, according to size, one quarter to three quarters hour. Average cost, eight pence per pound. Seasonable from July to October. Illustration of the gray mullet. The gray mullet, this is quite a different fish from the red mullet, is abundant on the sandy coast of Great Britain and ascends rivers for miles. On the south coast it is very plentiful and is considered a fine fish. It improves more than any other saltwater fish when kept in ponds. Red mullet, 285, ingredients, oiled paper, thickening of butter and flour, one half teaspoon full of anchovy sauce, one glass of sherry, cayenne and salt to taste. Mode, clean the fish, take out the gills, but leave the inside, fold in oiled paper and bake them gently. When done, take the liqueur that flows from the fish, add a thickening of butter needed with flour, put in the other ingredients and let it boil for two minutes. Serve the sauce in a terrine and the fish either with or without the paper cases. Time, about 25 minutes. Average cost, one shilling each. Seasonable at any time but more plentiful in summer. Note, red mullet may be broiled and should be folded in oiled paper, the same as in the preceding recipe and seasoned with pepper and salt. They may be served without sauce, but if any is required use melted butter, Italian or anchovy sauce. They should never be plain boiled. Illustration, the striped red mullet. This fish was very highly esteemed by the ancients, especially by the Romans who gave the most extravagant prices for it. Those of two pounds weight were valued at about 15 pound each. Those of four pounds at 60 pound and in the reign of Tiberius three of them were sold for 209 pound. To witness the changing loveliness of their color during their dying agonies was one of the principal reasons that such a high price was paid for one of these fishes. It frequents our Cornish and Sussex coasts and is in high request, the flesh being firm, white and well flavored. Fried oysters, 286. Ingredients, three dozen oysters, two ounces butter, one tablespoon of ketchup, a little chopped lemon peel, one half teaspoon full of chopped parsley. Mode, boil the oysters for one minute in their own liqueur and drain them. Fry them with the butter, ketchup, lemon peel and parsley. Lay them on a dish and garnish with fried potatoes, toasted zippits and parsley. This is a delicious delicacy and is a favorite Italian dish. Time, five minutes. Average cost for this quantity, one shilling nine pence. Seasonable from September to April. Sufficient for four persons. Illustration of the edible oyster. The edible oyster. This shellfish is almost universally distributed near the shores of seas in all latitudes and they especially abound on the coasts of France and Britain. The coasts most celebrated in England for them are those of Essex and Suffolk. Here they are dredged up by means of a net with an iron scraper at the mouth that is dragged by a rope from a boat over the beds. As soon as taken from their native beds, they are stored in pits formed for the purpose, furnished with sluices through which at the spring tides the water is suffered to flow. This water being stagnant soon becomes green in warm weather and in a few days afterwards the oysters acquire the same tinge which increases their value in the market. They do not however attain their perfection and become fit for sale till the end of six or eight weeks. Oysters are not considered proper for the table till they are about a year and a half old so that the brood of one spring are not to be taken for sale till at least the September 12 month afterwards. Scalloped oysters. Number one. 287. Ingredients. Oysters say one pint. One ounce butter, flour, two tablespoonfuls of white stock, two tablespoonfuls of cream, pepper and salt to taste, breadcrumbs, oiled butter. Mode. Scall the oysters in their own liqueur, take them out, beard them and strain the liqueur free from grit. Put one ounce of batter into a stoopan. When melted, dredge insufficient flour to dry it up. Add the stock, cream and strained liqueur and give one boil. Put in the oysters and seasoning, let them gradually heat through but not boil. Have ready the scallop shells buttered. Lay in the oysters and as much of the liquid as they will hold. Cover them over with breadcrumbs over which drop a little oiled butter. Brown them in the oven or before the fire and serve quickly and very hot. Time altogether one quarter hour. Average cost for this quantity three shilling six pence. Sufficient for five or six persons. Number two. Prepare the oysters as in the preceding recipe and put them in a scallop shell or saucer and between each layer sprinkle over a few breadcrumbs, pepper, salt and grated nutmeg. Place small pieces of butter over and bake before the fire in a Dutch oven. Put sufficient breadcrumbs on the top to make a smooth surface as the oysters should not be seen. Time about one quarter hour. Average cost three shilling two pence. Seasonable from September to April. Stood oysters number 288. Ingredients one pint of oysters, one ounce of butter, flour, one third pint of cream, cayenne and salt to taste. A blade of pounded mace. Mode, scald the oysters in their own liqueur, take them out, beard them and strain the liqueur. Put the butter into a stew pan, dredge in sufficient flour to dry it up, add the oyster liqueur and mace and stir it over a sharp fire with a wooden spoon. When it comes to a boil, add the cream, oysters and seasoning. Let all simmer for one or two minutes, but not longer or the oysters would harden. Serve on a hot dish and garnish with croutons or toasted snippets of bread. A small piece of lemon peel boiled with the oyster liqueur and taken out before the cream is added will be found an improvement. Time altogether 15 minutes. Average cost for this quantity three shilling six pence. Seasonable from September to April. Sufficient for six persons. The oyster and the scallop. The oyster is described as a bivalve shellfish, having the valves generally unequal. The hinge is without teeth, but furnished with a somewhat oval cavity and mostly with lateral transverse grooves. From a similarity in the structure of the hinge, oysters and scallops have been classified as one tribe, but they differ very essentially both in their external appearance and their habits. Oysters adhere to rocks or, as in two or three species, to roots of trees on the shore, while the scallops are always detached and usually lurk in the sand. Oyster patties and entree. Number 289. Ingredients, two dozen oysters, two ounces butter, three tablespoons of cream, a little lemon juice, a blade of pounded mace, cayenne to taste. Mode. Scall the oysters in their own liqueur, beard them and cut each one into three pieces. Put the butter into a stupan, dredge insufficient flour to dry it up. Add the strained oyster liqueur with the other ingredients. Put in the oysters and let them heat gradually, but not boil fast. Make the patty cases as directed for the lobster patties, number 277. Fill with the oyster mixture and replace the covers. Time, two minutes for the oysters to simmer in the mixture. Average cost, exclusive of the patty cases, one shilling one pence. Seasonable from September to April. The oyster fishery. The oyster fishery in Britain is esteemed of so much importance that it is regulated by a court of admiralty. In the month of May, the fishermen are allowed to take the oysters in order to separate the spawn from the colch, the latter of which is thrown in again, to preserve the bed for the future. After this month, it is felony to carry away the colch and otherwise punishable to take any oyster between the shells of which, when closed, a shilling will rattle. To keep oysters, 290. Put them in a tub and cover them with salt and water. Let them remain for 12 hours when they are to be taken out and allowed to stand for another 12 hours without water. If left without water every alternate 12 hours, they will be much better than if constantly kept in it. Never put the same water twice to them. Oysters fried in batter. Number 291. Ingredients, one half pint of oysters, two eggs, one half pint of milk. Sufficient flour to make the batter, pepper and salt to taste. When liked, a little nutmeg. Hot lard. Mode. Scald the oysters in their own liqueur, beard them and lay them on a cloth to drain thoroughly. Break the eggs into a basin, mix the flour with them, add the milk gradually with nutmeg and seasoning, and put the oysters in the batter. Make some lard hot in a deep frying pan. Put in the oysters one at a time. When done, take them up with a sharp pointed skewer and dish them on a napkin. Fried oysters are frequently used for garnishing boiled fish and then a few breadcrumbs should be added to the flour. Time five or six minutes. Average cost for this quantity one shilling 10 pence. Seasonable from September to April. Sufficient for three persons. Excellence of the English oyster. The French assert that the English oysters which are esteemed the best in Europe were originally procured from Cancal Bay near St. Malo. But they assign no proof for this. It is a fact, however, that the oysters eaten in ancient Rome were nourished in the channel which then parted the Isle of Thane from England and which has since been filled up and converted into Meadow. Boiled perch, number 292. Ingredients, one quarter pound of salt to each gallon of water. Mode. Scale the fish, take out the gills and clean it thoroughly. Lay it in boiling water salted as above and simmer gently for 10 minutes. If the fish is very large, longer time must be allowed. Garnish with parsley and serve with plain melted butter or Dutch sauce. Perch do not preserve so good a flavor when stewed as when dressed in any other way. Time, middling-sized perch, one quarter hour. Seasonable, from September to November. Note, tench may be boiled the same way and served with the same sauces. Illustration, the perch. The perch, this is one of the best as it is one of the most common of our freshwater fishes and is found in nearly all the lakes and rivers in Britain and Ireland as well as through the whole of Europe within the temperate zone. It is extremely voracious and it has the peculiarity of being gregarious which is contrary to the nature of all freshwater fishes of prey. The best season to angle for it is from the beginning of May to the middle of July. Large numbers of this fish are bred in the Hampton Court and Bushey Park ponds all of which are well supplied with running water and with plenty of food yet they rarely attain a large size. In the Regents Park they are also very numerous but are seldom heavier than three quarters of a pound. Fried perch, 293. Ingredients, egg and breadcrumbs, hot lard. Mode, scale and clean the fish, brush it over with egg and cut with breadcrumbs. Have ready some boiling lard, put the fish in and fry a nice brown. Serve with plain melted butter or anchovy sauce. Time, 10 minutes. Seasonable from September to November. Note, fry tench in the same way. Perch stewed with wine, number 294. Ingredients, equal quantities of stock number 105 and sherry. One bay leaf, one clove of garlic, a small bunch of parsley, two cloves, salt to taste, thickening of butter and flour, pepper, grated nutmeg, one half teaspoon full of anchovy sauce. Mode, scale the fish and take out the gills and clean them thoroughly. Lay them in a stoop end with sufficient stock and sherry just to cover them. Put in the bay leaf, garlic, parsley, cloves and salt and simmer till tender. When done, take out the fish, strain the liqueur, add a thickening of butter and flour, the pepper, nutmeg and the anchovy sauce. And stir it over the fire until somewhat reduced when pour over the fish and serve. Time, about 20 minutes. Seasonable from September to November. Boiled pike, 295. Ingredients, one quarter pound of salt to each gallon of water, a little vinegar. Mode, scale and clean the pike and fasten the tail in its mouth by means of a skewer. Lay it in cold water and when it boils, throw in the salt and vinegar. The time for boiling depends, of course, on the size of the fish, but a middling-sized pike will take about one half an hour. Serve with dutch or anchovy sauce and plain melted butter. Time, according to size, one half to one hour. Average cost, seldom bought. Seasonable from September to March. Illustration, the pike. The pike, this fish is, on account of its veracity, termed the freshwater shark and is abundant in most of the European lakes, especially those of the northern parts. It grows to an immense size, some attaining to the measure of eight feet in Lapland and Russia. The smaller lakes of this country in Ireland vary in the kinds of fish they produce. Some affording trout, others pike and so on. Where these happen to be together, however, the trout soon becomes extinct. Within a short distance of castle bars, as a writer on sports, there was a small bog lake called Doreen's. 10 years ago, it was celebrated for its numerous well-sized trout. Accidentally, pike affected a passage into the lake from the Manola River and now the trouts are extinct or at least none of them are caught or seen. Previous to the intrusion of the pikes, half a dozen trouts would be killed in an evening in Doreen's, whose collective weight often amounted to 20 pounds. As an eating fish, the pike is in general dry. Baked pike, 296. Ingredients, one or two pike, a nice delicate stuffing, see force meats, one egg, breadcrumbs, one quarter pound butter. Mode, scale the fish, take out the gills, wash and wipe it thoroughly dry. Stuff it with force meat, sew it up and fasten the tail in the mouth by means of a skewer. Brush it over with egg, sprinkle with breadcrumbs and baste with butter, before putting it in the oven, which must be well heated. When the pike is of a nice brown color, cover it with buttered paper as the outside would become too dry. If two are dressed, a little variety may be made by making one of them green with a little chopped parsley mixed with the breadcrumbs. Serve anchovy or Dutch sauce and plain melted butter with it. Time, according to size, one hour more or less. Average cost, seldom bought, seasonable from September to March. Note, pike a la Genovese may be stewed in the same manner as salmon a la Genovese. Fried place, 297. Ingredients, hot lard or clarified drippings, egg and breadcrumbs. Mode, this fish is fried in the same manner as souls. Wash and wipe them thoroughly dry and let them remain in a cloth until it is time to dress them. Brush them over with egg and cover with breadcrumbs mixed with a little flour. Fry of a nice brown in hot dripping or lard and garnish with fried parsley and cut lemon. Send them to table with shrimp sauce and plain melted butter. Time, about five minutes. Average cost, three pence each. Seasonable from May to November. Sufficient, four place for four persons. Note, place may be boiled plain and served with melted butter. Garnish with parsley and cut lemon. Stewed place, 298. Ingredients, four or five place, two onions, one half ounce ground ginger, one pint of lemon juice, one quarter pint water, six eggs cayenne to taste. Mode, cut the fish into pieces about two inches wide, salt them and let them remain one fourth hour. Slice and fry the onions a light brown. Put them in a stew pan on the top of which put the fish without washing and add the ginger, lemon juice and water. Cook slowly for one half hour and do not let the fish boil or it will break. Take it out and when the liquor is cool, add six well beaten eggs. Simmer till it thickens when pour over the fish and serve. Time, three quarters hour. Average cost for this quantity one shilling nine pence. Seasonable from May to November. Sufficient for four persons, according to size. Illustration, the place. The place, this fish is found both in the Baltic and Mediterranean and is also abundant on the coast of England. It keeps well and like all ground fish is very tenacious of life. It's flesh is inferior to that of the soul and as it is a low priced fish it is generally bought by the poor. The best brought to the London market are called Dower's Place from there being caught in the Dower's or flats between Hastings and Folkstone. To boil prawns or shrimps, two hundred ninety nine, ingredients, one quarter pound salt to each gallon of water. Mode, prawns should be very red and have no spawn under the tail. Much depends on their freshness and the way in which they are cooked. Throw them into boiling water, salted as above and keep them boiling for about seven or eight minutes. Shrimps should be done in the same way but less time must be allowed. It may easily be known when they are done by their changing color. Care should be taken that they are not overboiled as they then become tasteless and indigestible. Time, prawns about eight minutes, shrimps about five minutes. Average cost, prawns two shillings per pound, shrimps six pence per pint. Seasonable all the year. To dress prawns, 300, cover a dish with a large cup reversed and over that lay a small white napkin. Arrange the prawns on it in the form of a pyramid and garnish with plenty of parsley. Boiled salmon, 301, ingredients, six ounces of salt to each gallon of water, sufficient water to cover the fish. Mode, scale and clean the fish and be particular that no blood is left inside. Lay it in the fish kettle with sufficient cold water to cover it, adding salt in the above proportion. Bring it quickly to a boil, take off all the scum and let it simmer gently till the fish is done, which will be when the meat separates easily from the bone. Experience alone can teach the cook to fix the time for boiling fish, but it is especially to be remembered that it should never be underdressed as then nothing is more unwholesome. Neither let it remain in the kettle after it is sufficiently cooked as that would render it insipid, watery and colorless. Drain it and if not want it for a few minutes, keep it warm by means of warm cloths laid over it. Serve on a hot napkin, garnish with cut lemon and parsley and send lobster or shrimp sauce and plain melted butter to table with it. A dish of dressed cucumber usually accompanies this fish. Time, eight minutes to each pound for large thick salmon. Six minutes for thin fish. Average cost in full season, one shilling three pence per pound. Seasonable from April to August. Sufficient one half pound or rather less for each person. Note, cut lemon should be put on the table with this fish and a little of the juice squeezed over it is considered by many persons a most agreeable addition. Boiled peas are also by some connoisseurs considered especially adapted to be served with salmon. To choose salmon. To be good the belly should be firm and thick which may readily be ascertained by feeling it with the thumb and finger. The circumstance of this fish having red gills though given as a standing rule in most cookery books as a sign of its goodness is not at all to be relied on as this quality can be easily given them by art. Salmon and capersauce, 302. Ingredients. Two slices of salmon, one quarter pound batter, one half teaspoon full of chopped parsley, one shallot, salt, pepper and grated nutmeg to taste. Mode. Lay the salmon in a baking dish, place pieces of butter over it and add the other ingredients rubbing a little of the seasoning into the fish. Based it frequently when done take it out and drain for a minute or two. Lay it in a dish, pour capersauce over it and serve. Salmon dressed in this way with tomato sauce is very delicious. Time, about three fourths hour. Average cost, one shilling three pence per pound. Seasonable from April to August. Sufficient for four or five persons. The migratory habits of the salmon. The instinct with which the salmon revisits its native river is one of the most curious circumstances in its natural history. As the swallow returns annually to its nest so it returns to the same spot to deposit its ova. This fact would seem to have been repeatedly proved. Monsieur Deland fastened a copper ring round a salmon's tail and found that for three successive seasons it returned to the same place. Dr. Block states that gold and silver rings have been attached by eastern princes to salmon to prove that a communication existed between the Persian Gulf and the Caspian and northern seas and that the experiment succeeded. Collard salmon, three hundred three. Ingredients, a piece of salmon say three pounds, a high seasoning of salt, pounded mace and pepper, water and vinegar, three bay leaves. Mode, split the fish, scale, bone and wash it thoroughly clean. Wipe it and rub it in the seasoning inside and out. Roll it up and bind firmly. Lay it in a kettle, cover it with vinegar and water, one third vinegar in proportion to the water. Add the bay leaves and a good seasoning of salt and whole pepper and simmer till done. Do not remove the lid, serve with melted butter or anchovy sauce. For preserving the collard fish, boil up the liqueur in which it was cooked and add a little more vinegar, pour over when cold. Time, three quarters hour or rather more. Habitat of the salmon. The salmon is styled by Walton, the king of freshwater fish and is found distributed over the north of Europe and Asia, from Britain to Kempschatka, but is never found in warm latitudes, nor has it ever been caught even so far south as the Mediterranean. It lives in fresh as well as in salt waters, depositing its spawn in the former, hundreds of miles from the mouths of some of those rivers to which it has been known to resort. In 1859 great efforts were made to introduce this fish into the Australian colonies and it is believed that the attempt after many difficulties which were very skillfully overcome has been successful. Crimped salmon. 304. Salmon is frequently dressed in this way at many fashionable tables, but must be very fresh and cut into slices two or three inches thick. Lay these in cold salt and water for one hour. Have ready some boiling water, salted as in recipe number 301, and well skimmed. Put in the fish and simmer gently for a quarter hour or rather more should it be very thick. Garnish the same as boiled salmon and serve with the same sauces. Time, one quarter hour more or less according to size. Note, never use vinegar with salmon as it spoils the taste and color of the fish. Illustration, the salmon. The salmon tribe. This is the abdominal fish forming the fourth of the orders of Linnaeus. They are distinguished from the other fishes by having two dorsal fins of which the hindmost is fleshy and without rays. They have teeth both on the tongue and in the jaws whilst the body is covered with round and minutely striated scales. Curried salmon. 305. Ingredients. Any remains of boiled salmon, three quarter pint of strong or medium stock, number 105, one onion, one tablespoon full of curry powder, one teaspoon full of Harvey's sauce, one teaspoon full of anchovy sauce, one ounce of butter, the juice of one half lemon, cayenne and salt to taste. Mode. Cut up the onions into small pieces and fry them of a pale brown in the butter. Add all the ingredients but the salmon and simmer gently till the onion is tender, occasionally stirring the contents. Cut the salmon into small square pieces, carefully take away all skin and bone, lay it in the stupan and let it gradually heat through but do not allow it to boil long. Time three fourths of an hour, average cost exclusive of the cold fish nine pence. Growth of the salmon. At the latter end of the year, some as soon as November, salmon begin to press up the rivers as far as they can reach in order to deposit their spawn which they do in the sand or gravel about 18 inches deep. Here it lies buried till the spring when about the latter end of March it begins to exclude the young which gradually increased to four or five inches in length and are then termed smelts or smelts. About the beginning of May the river seems to be alive with them and there is no forming an idea of their numbers without having seen them. A seasonable flood however comes and hurries them to the great deep whence about the middle of June they commence their return to the river again. By this time they are 12 or 16 inches long and progressively increase both in number and size till about the end of July when they have become large enough to be denominated gril sea. Early in August they become fewer in numbers but of greater size having advanced to a weight of from six to nine pounds. This rapidity of growth appears surprising and realizes the remark of Walton that the samlet becomes a salmon in as short a time as a gozzling becomes a goose. Recent writers have however thrown considerable doubts on this quick growth of the salmon. Salmon cutlets 306. Cut the slices one inch thick and season them with pepper and salt. Butter a sheet of white paper. Lay each slice on a separate piece with their ends twisted. Broil gently over a clear fire and serve with anchovy or capersauce. When higher seasoning is required add a few chopped herbs and a little spice. Time five to 10 minutes. Salmon a la Genovese 307. Ingredients. Two slices of salmon, two chopped shallots, a little parsley, a small bunch of herbs, two bay leaves, two carrots, pounded mace, pepper and salt to taste. Four tablespoonfuls of Madeira, one half pint of white stock, number 107. Thickening of butter and flour, one teaspoonful of essence of anchovies, the juice of one lemon, cayenne and salt to taste. Mode. Rub the bottom of a stupian over with butter and put in the shallots, herbs, bay leaves, carrots, mace and seasoning. Stir them for 10 minutes over a clear fire and add the Madeira or sherry, simmer gently for one half hour and strain through a sieve over the fish, which stew in this gravy. As soon as the fish is sufficient cooked, take away all the liquor, except a little to keep the salmon moist and put it into another stupian. Add the stock, thicken with butter and flour and put in the anchovies, lemon juice, cayenne and salt. Lay the salmon on a hot dish, pour over it part of the sauce and serve the remainder in a terrine. Time, one and one quarter hour. Average cost for this quantity, three shilling six pence, sufficient for four or five persons. Pickled salmon, 308. Ingredients. Salmon, one half ounce of whole pepper, one half ounce of whole allspice, one teaspoon full of salt, two bay leaves, equal quantities of vinegar and the liquor in which the fish was boiled. Mode, after the fish comes from table, lay it in a nice dish with a cover to it, as it should be excluded from the air and take away the bone. Boil the liquor and vinegar with the other ingredients for 10 minutes and let it stand to get cold. Pour it over the salmon and in 12 hours this will be fit for the table. Time, 10 minutes. To cure salmon, this process consists in splitting the fish, rubbing it with salt and then putting it into pickle in tubs provided for the purpose. Here it is kept for about six weeks when it is taken out, pressed and packed in casks with layers of salt. Potted salmon, 309. Ingredients. Salmon, pounded mace, cloves and pepper to taste. Three bay leaves, one quarter pound butter. Mode, skin the salmon and clean it thoroughly by wiping with a cloth. Water would spoil it. Cut it into square pieces which rub with salt. Let them remain till thoroughly drained then lay them in a dish with the other ingredients and bake. When quite done, drain them from the gravy, press into pots for use and when cold, pour over it clarified butter. Time, one half hour. An aversion in the salmon. The salmon is said to have an aversion to anything red, hence fishermen engaged in catching it do not wear jackets or caps of that color. Pantopidin also says that it has an abhorrence of carrion and if any happens to be thrown into the place it haunts, it immediately forsakes them. The remedy adopted for this in Norway is to throw into the polluted water a lighted torch. As food, salmon when in perfection is one of the most delicious and nutritive of our fish. End of section 16. Section 17 of the Book of Household Management. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Read by Betsy Bush, November 2009. The Book of Household Management by Isabella Beaton. Recipes, chapter eight, part four. Baked sea bream, 310, ingredients. One bream, seasoning to taste of salt, pepper, and cayenne. Quarter pound of butter, mode. Well wash the bream, but do not remove the scales and wipe away all moisture with a nice dry cloth. Season it inside and out with salt, pepper, and cayenne and lay it in a baking dish. Place the butter and small pieces upon the fish and bake for rather more than half an hour. To stuff this fish before baking will be found a great improvement. Time, rather more than half an hour. Seasonable in summer. Note, this fish may be broiled over a nice clear fire and served with a good brown gravy or white sauce or it may be stewed in wine. The sea bream. This is an abundant fish in Cornwall and it is frequently found in the fish market of Hastings during the summer months but it is not in much esteem. Mr. Yarrow's recipe. When thoroughly cleansed the fish should be wiped dry but none of the scales should be taken off. In this state it should be broiled turning it off in and if the skin cracks flour it a little to keep the outer case entire. When on table the whole skin and scales turn off without difficulty and the muscle beneath saturated in its own natural juices which the outside covering has retained will be of good flavor. To dress shad, 3-11. Ingredients, one shad, oil, pepper and salt. Mode. Scale, empty and wash the fish carefully and make two or three incisions across the back. Season it with pepper and salt and let it remain in oil for half an hour. Broil it on both sides over a clear fire and serve with capersauce. This fish is much esteemed by the French and by them is considered excellent. Time, nearly one hour. Average cost seldom bought. Seasonable from April to June. The shad. This is a saltwater fish but is held in little esteem. It enters our rivers to spawn in May and great numbers of them are taken opposite the isle of dogs in the Thames. Potted shrimps, 3-12. Ingredients, one pint of shelled shrimps, quarter pound of fresh butter, one blade of pounded mace, cayenne to taste, when liked a little nutmeg. Mode. Have ready a pint of picked shrimps and put them with the other ingredients into a stew pan. Let them heat gradually in the butter but do not let it boil. Pour into small pots and when cold, cover with melted butter and carefully exclude the air. Time, quarter hour to soak in the butter. Average cost for this quantity, one shilling four pence. The shrimp. This shellfish is smaller than the prawn and is greatly relished in London as a delicacy. It inhabits most of the sandy shores of Europe and the isle of white is especially famous for them. Boiled skate, 3-14. Ingredients, quarter pound of salt to each gallon of water. Mode. Cleanse and skin the skate, lay it in a fish kettle with sufficient water to cover it, salted in the above proportion. Let it simmer very gently till done. Then dish it on a hot napkin and serve with shrimp, lobster or capersauce. Time, according to size from half to one hour. Average cost four pence per one pound. Seasonable from August to April. Crimped skate, 3-15. Ingredients, one eighth pound of salt to each gallon of water. Mode, clean skin and cut the fish into slices which roll and tie round with string. Have ready some water highly salted, put in the fish and boil till it is done. Drain well, remove the string, dish on a hot napkin and serve with the same sauces as above. Skate should never be eaten out of season as it is liable to produce diarrhea and other diseases. It may be dished without napkin and the sauce poured over. Time, about 20 minutes. Average cost four pence per pound. Seasonable from August to April. To choose skate. This fish should be chosen for its firmness, breadth and thickness and should have a creamy appearance. When crimped, it should not be kept longer than a day or two as all kinds of crimped fish soon become sour. The skate. This is one of the Ray tribe and is extremely abundant and cheap in the fishing towns of England. The flesh is white, thick and nourishing but we suppose from it being so plentiful it is esteemed less than it ought to be on account of its nutritive properties and the ease with which it is digested. It is much improved by crimping in which state it is usually sold in London. The thornback differs from the truth skate by having larger spines in its back of which the other is destitute. It is taken in great abundance during the spring and summer months but its flesh is not so good as it is in November. It is in regard to quality inferior to that of the true skate. Skate with capersauce, a la Française. 316, ingredients, two or three slices of skate, half pint of vinegar, two ounces of salt, half teaspoon of pepper, one sliced onion, a small bunch of parsley, two bay leaves, two or three sprigs of thyme, sufficient water to cover the fish. Mode. Put in a fish kettle all the above ingredients and simmer the skate in them till tender. When it is done, skin it neatly and pour over it some of the liquor in which it has been boiling. Drain it, put it on a hot dish, pour over it capersauce and send some of the latter to table in a terrine. Time, half hour. Average cost, four pence per pound. Seasonable from August to April. Note, skate may also be served with onion sauce or parsley and butter. Small skate fried. 317, ingredients. Skate, sufficient vinegar to cover them, salt and pepper to taste, one sliced onion, a small bunch of parsley, the juice of half lemon, hot dripping. Mode. Cleanse the skate, lay them in a dish with sufficient vinegar to cover them. Add the salt, pepper, onion, parsley and lemon juice and let the fish remain in this pickle for one and a half hour. Then drain them well, flour them and fry of a nice brown and hot dripping. They may be served either with or without sauce. Skate is not good if dressed too fresh unless it is crimped. It should therefore be kept for a day but not long enough to produce a disagreeable smell. Time, 10 minutes, average cost. Four pence per pound. Seasonable from August to April. Other species of skate. Besides the true skate, there are several other species found in our seas. These are known as the white skate, the long-nosed skate and the hamelin ray which are of inferior quality though often crimped and sold for true skate. To bake smelts. 318, ingredients. 12 smelts. Breadcrumbs. Quarter pound of fresh butter. Two blades of pounded mace. Salt and cayenne to taste. Mode. Wash and dry the fish thoroughly in a cloth and arrange them nicely in a flat baking dish. Cover them with fine breadcrumbs and place little pieces of butter all over them. Season and bake for 15 minutes. Just before serving, add a squeeze of lemon juice and garnish with fried parsley and cut lemon. Time, quarter hour. Average cost, two shillings per dozen. Seasonable from October to May. Sufficient for six persons. To choose smelts. When good this fish is of the fine silvery appearance and when alive their backs are of a dark brown shade which after death fades to a light fawn. They ought to have a refreshing fragrance resembling that of a cucumber. The odor of the smelt. This peculiarity in the smelt has been compared by some to the fragrance of a cucumber and by others to that of a violet. It is a very elegant fish and formerly abounded in the Thames. The atherine or sand smelt is sometimes sold for the true one but it is an inferior fish being drier in the quality of its flesh. On the south coast of England where the true smelt is rare it is plentiful. To fry smelts. 319, ingredients. Egg and breadcrumbs, a little flour, boiling lard. Mode. Smelts should be very fresh and not washed more than is necessary to clean them. Dry them in a cloth, lightly flour, dip them in egg and sprinkle over with very fine breadcrumbs and put them into boiling lard. Fry of a nice pale brown and be careful not to take off the light roughness of the crumbs or their beauty will be spoiled. Dry them before the fire on a drainer and serve with plain melted butter. This fish is often used as a garnishing. Time, five minutes. Average cost, two shillings per dozen. The smelt. This is a delicate little fish and is in high esteem. Mr. Yarrow asserts that the true smelt is entirely confined to the western and eastern coasts of Britain. It very rarely ventures far from the shore and is plentiful in November, December and January. Baked souls, 320. Ingredients, two souls, quarter pound of butter, egg and breadcrumbs, minced parsley, one glass of sherry, lemon juice, cayenne and salt to taste. Mode. Clean skin and well wash the fish and dry them thoroughly in a cloth. Brush them over with egg, sprinkle with breadcrumbs mixed with a little minced parsley, lay them in a large, flat baking dish, white side uppermost. Or if it will not hold the two souls, they may each be laid on a dish by itself but they must not be put one on top of the other. Melt the butter and pour it over the hole and bake for 20 minutes. Take a portion of the gravy that flows from the fish, add the wine, lemon juice and seasoning. Give it one boil, skim, pour it under the fish and serve. Time, 20 minutes. Average cost, one shilling to two shillings, prepare. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for four or five persons. To choose souls, this fish should be both thick and firm. If the skin is difficult to be taken off and the flesh looks gray, it is good. Boiled souls, 321. Ingredients, quarter pound salt to each gallon of water. Mode, cleanse and wash the fish carefully, cut off the fins, but do not skin it. Lay it in a fish kettle with sufficient cold water to cover it. Salt it in the above proportion. Let it gradually come to a boil and keep it simmering for a few minutes, according to the size of the fish. Dish it on hot napkin after well draining it and garnish with parsley and cut lemon. Shrimp or lobster sauce and plain melted butter are usually sent to table with this dish. Time, after the water boils, seven minutes for a middling-sized soul. Average cost, one shilling to two shilling, prepare. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient, one middling-sized soul for two persons. Soul or cod pie. 322. Ingredients. The remains of cold-boiled soul or cod seasoning to taste of pepper salt and pounded mace. One dozen oysters to each pound of fish. Three tablespoons of white stock. One teacup full of cream thickened with flour. Puff paste. Mode, clear the fish from the bones. Lay it in a pie dish and between each layer put a few oysters in a little seasoning. Add the stock and when liked a small quantity of butter. Cover with puff paste and bake for half hour. Boil the cream with sufficient flour to thicken it. Pour in the pie and serve. Time, half hour. Average cost for this quantity ten pence. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for four persons. Souls with cream sauce. 323. Ingredients. Two souls. Salt, cayenne, and pounded mace to taste. The juice of half a lemon. Salt and water. Half a pint of cream. Mode, skin wash and fillet the souls and divide each fillet into pieces. Lay them in cold salt and water which bring gradually to a boil. When the water boils take out the fish. Lay it in a delicately clean stew pan and cover with the cream. Add the seasoning. Simmer very gently for ten minutes and just before serving put in the lemon juice. The fillets may be rolled and secured by means of a skewer but this is not so economical a way of dressing them as double the quantity of cream is required. Time. Ten minutes in the cream. Average cost from one shillings to two shillings per pair. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for four or five persons. This will be found a most delicate and delicious dish. The soul. A favorite with the ancient Greeks. This fish was much sought after by the ancient Greeks on account of its light and nourishing qualities. The bril, the flounder, the diamond and dutch playa switch with the soul were known under the general names of passerees were all equally esteemed and had generally the same qualities attributed to them. Filet de souls à l'italien. Three twenty-four. Ingredients. Two souls, salt, pepper and grated nutmeg to taste. Egg and breadcrumbs, butter and juice of one lemon. Mode. Skin and carefully wash the souls. Separate the meat from the bone and fide each filet in two pieces. Brush them over with white of egg. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and seasoning and put them in a baking dish. Place small pieces of butter over the hole and bake for half hour. When they are nearly done squeeze the juice of a lemon over them and serve on a dish with Italian sauce. Sea sauces. Pour it over. Time. Half hour. Average cost from one shilling to two shillings per pair. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for four or six persons. Whiting may be dressed in the same manner and will be found very delicious. The flavor of the soul. This, as a matter of course, greatly depends on the nature of the ground and bait upon which the animal feeds. Its natural food are small crabs and shellfish. Its color also depends on the color of the ground where it feeds. For if this be white then the soul is called the white or lemon soul. But if the bottom be muddy then it is called the black soul. Small sized souls, caught in shallow water on the coast, are the best in flavor. Fricasseed souls. 325. Ingredients. Two middling sized souls. One small one. Half a teaspoon full of chopped lemon peel. One teaspoon full of chopped parsley. A little grated bread. Salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste. One egg. Two ounces butter. Half a pint of good gravy. Two tablespoons full of port wine. Cayenne and lemon juice to taste. Mode. Fry the souls of a nice brown as directed in recipe number 327 and drain them well from fat. Take all the meat from the small soul, chop it fine and mix with it the lemon peel, parsley, bread and seasoning. Work all together with the yolk of an egg and the butter. Make this into small balls and fry them. Thicken the gravy with a dessert spoon full of flour. Add the port wine, cayenne and lemon juice. Lay in the two souls and balls. Let them simmer gently for 6 minutes. Serve hot and garnish with cut lemon. Time. 10 minutes to fry the souls. Average cost for this quantity three shillings. Seasonable at any time. Sufficient for four or five persons. How souls are caught. The instrument usually employed is a trawl net which is shaped like a pocket of from 60 to 80 feet long and open at the mouth from 32 to 40 feet and three deep. This is dragged along the ground by the vessel and on the art of the fisherman in its employment in a great measure depends the quality of the fish he catches. If for example he drags the net too quickly all that are caught are swept rapidly to the end of the net where they are smothered and sometimes destroyed. A medium has to be observed in order that as few as possible escape being caught in the net and as many as possible preserved alive in it. Fried filleted souls. 326 Souls for filleting should be large as the flesh can be more easily separated from the bones and there is less waste. Skin and wash the fish and raise the meat carefully from the bones and divide it into nice handsome pieces. The more usual way is to roll the fillets after dividing each one in two pieces and either bind them round with twine or run a small skewer through them. Brush over with egg and cover with breadcrumbs. Fry them as directed in the foregoing recipe and garnish with fried parsley when a pretty dish is desired this is by far the most elegant mode of dressing souls as they look much better than when fried whole. Instead of rolling the fillets they may be cut into square pieces and arranged in the shape of a pyramid on the dish. Time about ten minutes average cost from one shilling to two shillings per pair seasonable at any time sufficient two large souls for six persons. Fried souls Ingredients two middling sized souls hot lard or clarified dripping egg and breadcrumbs Skin and carefully wash the souls and cut off the fins wipe them very dry and let them remain in the cloth until it is time to dress them. Have ready some fine breadcrumbs and beaten egg dredge the souls with a little flour brush them over with egg and cover with breadcrumbs in a pan with plenty of clarified dripping or lard when the expense is not objected to oil is still better heated so that it may neither scorch the fish nor make them sodden. When they are sufficiently cooked on one side turn them carefully and brown them on the other they may be considered ready when a thick smoke rises lift them out carefully and lay them before the fire on a reversed sieve and soft paper to absorb the fat. The fish should be paid to this as nothing is more disagreeable than greasy fish. This may be always avoided by dressing them in good time and allowing a few minutes for them to get thoroughly crisp and free from greasy moisture. Dish them on a hot napkin garnish with cut lemon and fried parsley and send them to table with shrimp sauce and plain melted butter. Time ten minutes for large souls less time for small ones average cost one shilling to two shillings per pair seasonable at any time sufficient for four or five persons souls with mushrooms three twenty-eight ingredients one pint of milk one pint of water one ounce butter one ounce salt a little lemon juice two middling sized souls mode cleanse the souls milk, water, butter, salt, and lemon juice bring them gradually to boil and let them simmer very gently till done, which will be in about seven minutes. Take them up drain them well on a cloth put them on a hot dish and pour over with a good mushroom sauce see sauces time after the water boils seven minutes seasonable at any time sufficient for four persons Sprats Sprats should be cooked very fresh which can be ascertained by their bright and sparkling eyes wipe them dry fasten them in rows by a skewer run through the eyes dredge with flour and broil them on a gridiron over a nice clear fire the gridiron should be rubbed with suet serve very hot time three or four minutes average cost four pence per pound seasonable from November to March to choose Sprats choose these from their silvery appearance as the brighter they are so are they the fresher Sprats fried in batter 330 ingredients two eggs, flour, breadcrumbs seasoning of salt and pepper to taste mode wipe the Sprats and dip them in a batter made of the above ingredients brown, serve very hot and garnish with fried parsley Sprats may be baked like herrings see number 268 dried Sprats 331 dried Sprats should be put into a basin and boiling water poured over them they may then be skinned and served and this will be found a much better way than boiling them the Sprat this migratory fish is rarely found longer than four or five inches and visits the shores of Britain after the herring and other kinds of fish have taken their departure from them on the coasts of Suffolk Essex and Kent they are very abundant and from 400 to 500 boats are employed in catching them during the winter season besides plentifully supplying the London market they are frequently sold at six pence a bushel to farmers for manuring purposes they enter the Thames about the beginning remember and leave it in March at Yarmouth and Gravesend they are cured like red herrings baked sturgeon 332 ingredients one small sturgeon salt and pepper to taste one small bunch of herbs the juice of half a lemon quarter pound of butter one pint of white wine mowed cleanse the fish thoroughly skin it and split it along and evaporating it have ready a large baking dish in which lay the fish sprinkle over the seasoning and herbs very finely minced and moisten it with the lemon juice and wine place the butter in small pieces over the whole of the fish put it in the oven and baste frequently brown it nicely and serve it with its own gravy time nearly one hour average cost one shilling to one shilling seasonable from August to March the sturgeon this fish commences the sixth of Linnaean order and all the species are large seldom measuring when full grown less than three or four feet in length its flesh is reckoned extremely delicious and in the time of the emperor Severus was so highly valued by the ancients that it was brought to table by servants crowned with coronets greeted by a band of music it is an inhabitant of the Baltic the Mediterranean, the Caspian and the Black Sea and of the Danube, the Volga the Don and other large rivers it is abundant in the rivers of North America and is occasionally taken in the Thames as well as in the Eski and the Eaton it is one of those fishes considered as royal property it is from its row that Caviar a favorite food of the Russians its flesh is delicate, firm and white but is rare in the London market where it sells for one shilling or one shilling six pence per pound the Stirlit is a smaller species of sturgeon found in the Caspian Sea and some Russian rivers it also is greatly prized on account of the delicacy of its flesh Roast sturgeon 333 Ingredients veal stuffing, buttered paper full end of a sturgeon mode cleanse the fish, bone and skin it make a nice veal stuffing sea force meats and fill it with the part where the bones came from roll it in buttered paper find it up firmly with tape like a fillet of veal and roast it in a Dutch oven before a clear fire serve with good brown gravy or plain melted butter time, about one hour to one shilling six pence per pound seasonable from August to March note, sturgeon may be plain boiled and served with Dutch sauce the fish is very firm and requires long boiling estimate of the sturgeon by the ancients by the ancients the flesh of this fish was compared to the ambrosia of the immortals the poet Marshall passes a high eulogy on upon it and assigns it a place on the various tables of the palatine mount if we may credit a modern traveler in China the people of that country generally entirely abstain from it and the sovereign of the celestial empire confines it to his own kitchen or dispenses it to only a few of his greatest favourites Matalot of Tench 334 ingredients half pint of stock number 105 half pint of port wine one dozen button onions a few mushrooms a faggot of herbs two blades of mace one ounce of butter a teaspoon full of minced parsley thyme one shallot two anchovies one tea cup full of stock number 105 flour one dozen oysters the juice of half a lemon the number of tench according to size cut them into pieces and lay them in a stew pan add the stock, wine, onions, mushrooms herbs and mace and simmer gently for half hour put into another stew pan all the remaining ingredients but the oysters and lemon juice and boil slowly for ten minutes then add the strained liquor from the tench and keep stirring it over the fire until somewhat reduced rub it through a sieve pour it over the tench with the oysters which must be previously sculpted in their own liquor squeeze in the lemon juice and serve garnish with croutons thyme three quarter hour seasonable from October to June the tench this fish is generally found in foul and weedy waters and in such places as are well supplied with rushes they thrive best in standing waters and are more numerous in pools and ponds than in rivers those taken in the latter however are preferable for the table it does not often exceed four or five pounds in weight and is in England esteemed as a delicious and wholesome food as however they are sometimes found in waters where the mud is excessively fetid their flavor, if cooked immediately on being caught is often very unpleasant but if they are transferred into clear water they soon recover from the obnoxious taint tench stewed with wine three thirty five ingredients half pint of stock number one oh five half pint of mandira or sherry salt and pepper to taste one bay leaf thickening of butter and flour mode clean and crimp the tench carefully lay it in a saucepan with a stock wine salt and pepper and bay leaf let it stew gently for half an hour then take it out put it on a dish and keep hot strain the liquor and thicken it with butter and flour kneaded together and stew for five minutes if not perfectly smooth squeeze it through a tammy add a very little cayenne and pour over the fish garnish with balls of veal force meat time rather more than half hour seasonable from October to June a singular quality in the tench it is said that the tench is possessed by such healing properties among the finny tribes that even the voracious pike spares it on this account the pike fell tyrant of the liquid plain with ravenous waste devours his fellow train yet how so ever with raging famine pine the tench he spares a medicinal kind for when by wounds distressed or sore disease he courts the salutary fish for ease close to his scales the kind and sweats a healing balsam from his sides in our estimation however this self-denial in the pike may be attributed to a less poetical cause namely from the mud-loving disposition of the tench it is enabled to keep itself so completely concealed at the bottom of its aqueous haunts that it remains secure from the attacks of its predatory neighbor stewed trout 336 ingredients two middling sized trout half onion cut in thin slices a little parsley two cloves one blade of mace two bay leaves a little thyme salt and pepper to taste one pint of medium stock number 105 one glass of porth wine thickening of butter and flour washed the fish very clean and wipe it quite dry lay it in a stew pan with all the ingredients over and simmer gently for half hour or rather more should not the fish be quite done take it out, strain the gravy add the thickening and stir it over a sharp fire for five minutes pour it over the trout and serve thyme according to size half hour or more average cost seldom bought seasonable from May to September and fatter from the middle to the end of August than at any other time it is sufficient for four persons trout may be served with anchovy or capersauce baked in buttered paper or fried whole like smelts trout dressed a la Genovese is extremely delicate for this proceed the same as with salmon number 307 the trout this fish though esteemed by the moderns for its delicacy was little regarded by the ancients although it bounded in the lakes it is generally mentioned by writers only on account of the beauty of its colours about the end of September they quit the deep water to which they had retired during the hot weather for the purpose of spawning this they always do on a gravelly bottom or where gravel and sand are mixed among stones towards the end or by the sides of streams at this period they become black about the head and body and become soft and unwholesome never good when they are large with row but there are in all trout rivers some barren female fish which continue good throughout the winter in the common trout the stomach is uncommonly strong and muscular shellfish forming a portion of the food of the animal and it takes into its stomach gravel or small stones in order to assist in comminuting it end of section 17