Cassell's shilling cookery / edited by A.G. Payne.

Date:
1903
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Cassell's shilling cookery / edited by A.G. Payne. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Leeds Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Leeds Library.

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    of ketchup. A few drops of lemon- j uice can also be added. Serve the sauce separately. Shad.—Shad is a sea-fish very common on the Continent, especially in Belgium, where, under the head- ing of “Alose” in hills of fare, it has often puzzled strangers, as shad is seldom met with in England. It is a cheap fish, exceedingly nice— resembling herring in flavour. When small, it is best grilled; when large —i.e., over two pounds in weight—it is best baked. Serve mustard sauce with it. It can also, especially when large, be stuffed with veal-stuffing. Shad, Broiled.—No. 1. Scale a fish, cut off its head, empty and wash it carefully, split it open down the sides of the backbone, and, if liked, divide each fillet into pieces two or three inches wide. Wipe these pieces with a soft cloth, dip them in oil, and broil them gently until done enough. Remember to lay the inner part of the flesh to the fire first; and when one side is done, turn it upon the other. Work a teaspoonful of salt and a teaspoonful of pepper into four ounces of butter with a knife. Lay the paste on a hot dish, and turn the broiled fish two or three times in it. Put the dish-cover over it, and keep it in a hot place till wanted. No. 2. Clean, empty, and dry a fish weighing about two pounds, and score it across the back. Sprinkle a little pepper and salt over it, pour upon it as much oil as will cover it, and let it lie until it is well soaked. Broil it over a clear, steady fire; and when one side is done, turn it upon the other. Drain it, serve on a hot dish, and send up oil and vinegar, or caper sauce, sorrel sauce, or maitro d’hotel butter, with it. Time, half an hour to soak the fish, and about eighteen minutes to broil each side. Shrimps.—Shrimps must be boiled alive, and are not worth eating unless perfectly fresh. The brown shrimp is superior to the red or pink. Throw them into boiling salt and water. Time, about five minutes. Shrimps, Curried.—Pick a quart of shrimps. This will make about half a pint. Put the heads in a saucepan with a couple of table- spoonfuls of water, and crush the heads with a spoon, pressing out the goodness. Strain the liquor off ; see that it is not too salt. Add to it a little curry sauce; warm up the shrimps in it, and serve in a border of rice. Shrimps, To Shell.—It may seem trifling to those who know how to do it, to say anything about shelling shrimps ; but when there is a right way and a wrong way, it is surely worth while to practise the former. When shrimps are boiled alive, the muscle contracts, and folds the tail beneath the body; when the tail remains extended after boiling, it is because the shrimp was dead, and it will be found soft and worth- less. There is a difference in the shape of the different species of shrimps. The tail of the brown shrimp is quite rounded at the bend, like that of the lobster; whereas the tail of the red shrimp and the prawn presents a sort of knee or angle. To shell a brown shrimp, take the head between the right finger and thumb, with the left finger and thumb-nail raise on each side the shell of the tail nearest the head ; pinch the tail, and the shell will come away entire. At Honfleur and other parts of the Norman coast the finest brown shrimps are picked out to be sent to table as plates of hors-d'oeuvres; while the small ones are shelled, to make patties and rol-au-vents, by women who perform their task with incredible rapidity.