mixture, rub with melted b.u.t.ter, and bake with a little boiling water, basting as required.
BAKED Ba.s.s a LA NEWPORT
Clean the fish, gash the top, season with salt and pepper, and cover with thin slices of salt pork. Pour a little boiling water into the pan and bake slowly, basting as required. Serve with the pork. Bacon may be used instead.
BAKED Ba.s.s a LA MANHATTAN
b.u.t.ter a baking-dish, put in the cleansed fish, rub with melted b.u.t.ter, season with salt and pepper, and cover with thin slices of bacon and bread crumbs. Add a little boiling water and bake in a very hot oven, basting as required.
BAKED Ba.s.s AND TOMATOES
Select one large black ba.s.s or two small ones; clean the head and let it remain on the fish. Slice four tomatoes and cut in halves.
Make a plain bread dressing; open the fish, rub the inside lightly with salt and soft b.u.t.ter; lay a thick layer of tomatoes in, then a layer of the bread dressing, alternating them until the fish is well stuffed; then bind with a tape. Lard the fish with strips of salt pork. Lay in a baking-pan, add one cupful of hot water [Page 49]
and one tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter, and bake, basting often. In fifteen minutes take the pan out of the oven and spread the fish with a layer of thinly sliced tomatoes, seasoned with a sprinkling of salt, some melted b.u.t.ter, and a light sprinkling of grated cheese. Bake until the tomatoes are done, then carefully remove to a platter, taking off the tape first. Garnish with parsley and serve.
BAKED BLACK Ba.s.s a LA BABETTE
Clean the fish, salt it well, and put into a baking-pan with a cupful of water. Put lumps of b.u.t.ter on top, and season with salt, pepper, and minced parsley. Bake for an hour, basting often. Add a winegla.s.sful of Sherry and a little catsup to the sauce remaining in the pan. Thicken with a teaspoonful of flour, rubbed smooth with a little cold water.
BAKED FILLETS OF Ba.s.s
Cut ba.s.s into small fillets, sprinkle with salt and pepper, put into a shallow pan, cover with b.u.t.tered paper and bake for twelve minutes in a hot oven. Serve with a border of boiled rice and Hollandaise Sauce.
BLACK Ba.s.s a LA MONTMORENCY
Clean, skin, and bone a ba.s.s, and cut into [Page 50]
pieces. b.u.t.ter a baking-dish, put in the fish, season with salt, pepper, and white wine; cover with b.u.t.tered paper and set in the oven until the fish is partly cooked. Take out the fish and arrange in a baking-pan. Add to the remaining liquor a chopped onion, half a dozen mushrooms, and two sprigs of parsley finely chopped. Add a little stock and thicken with a teaspoonful of flour rubbed smooth in a little cold water. Pour this sauce over the fish, lay a large mushroom on each piece, cover with crumbs, dot with b.u.t.ter, and bake in the oven. Sprinkle with lemon-juice before serving.
STUFFED SEA-Ba.s.s
Clean the fish and cover it with a marinade of olive-oil and vinegar.
Soak for an hour. Fill the fish with chopped salt pork and mushrooms, put into a baking-pan with slices of salt pork underneath and on top, and sufficient boiling water. Bake for forty minutes, cover with slices of tomatoes and half of a sweet green pepper chopped fine. Dot with b.u.t.ter and bake for twenty minutes more. Take up the fish and rub the sauce through a colander. Stir in a tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter rolled in flour, add one teaspoonful of sugar and two teaspoonfuls of grated onion. Dilute with boiling [Page 51]
water if too thick, bring to the boil, pour over the fish, and serve.
Ba.s.s a LA BORDELAISE
Split a large sea-ba.s.s. Put into a baking-dish with a winegla.s.sful of Claret and salt and pepper to season. Sprinkle with chopped shallot, cover with b.u.t.tered paper, and cook in a moderate oven for fifteen minutes. Lay the ba.s.s on a platter, put the juice in a saucepan with half a teaspoonful of beef extract, four chopped mushrooms, and a bruised bean of garlic. Thicken with flour browned in b.u.t.ter, bring to the boil, pour over the fish, and serve very hot.
BOILED Ba.s.s
Clean the fish, put it into warm salted water and simmer for twenty minutes.
BOILED SEA-Ba.s.s WITH EGG SAUCE
Boil the fish according to directions previously given. Melt one tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter, add two tablespoonfuls of flour, and cook thoroughly. Add two cupfuls of the water in which the fish was boiled, and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Season with salt, pepper, minced parsley, and lemon-juice; add three hard-boiled eggs [Page 52]
coa.r.s.ely chopped, pour over the fish, and serve.
BOILED Ba.s.s WITH MUSHROOMS
Boil a ba.s.s in water to cover, adding to the water four tablespoonfuls of vinegar, six pepper-corns, and a little salt. Melt one tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter, add one tablespoonful of flour and cook thoroughly. Add one cupful or more of boiling water and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Add the juice of half a lemon, half a can of mushrooms chopped fine, and pepper and salt and minced parsley to season.
Bring to the boil, pour over the fish, and serve.
BOILED BLACK Ba.s.s WITH CREAM SAUCE
Clean the ba.s.s and sew it up in coa.r.s.e cheese-cloth. Boil in enough water to cover, adding half a cupful of vinegar, a sliced onion, six or eight whole peppers, a blade of mace, and salt to season.
Take up the fish and reduce the liquid by rapid boiling. Strain and set aside. Melt one tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter, add one tablespoonful of flour and cook thoroughly. Add a cupful of the strained liquid and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Season to taste, add half a cupful of cream, bring to the boil, pour over the fish, and [Page 53]
garnish with sliced lemons.
BLACK SEA-Ba.s.s a LA POULETTE
Prepare a Poulette Sauce and pour over a black sea ba.s.s boiled according to directions previously given.
COLD Ba.s.s WITH TARTAR SAUCE
Boil the fish in court bouillon and drain. Chop fine parsley, pickles, olives, and capers. Mix with a stiff Mayonnaise and spread over the fish. Serve with a border of sliced cuc.u.mbers.
BROILED Ba.s.s
Clean the fish, split it, and cut each half into two or three pieces.
Dip in oil or melted b.u.t.ter, sprinkle with flour, and broil carefully.
BROILED BLACK Ba.s.s
Clean and split the fish, remove the bone, rub with melted b.u.t.ter or oil, and broil carefully. Pour over a little melted b.u.t.ter, and garnish with lemon and parsley.
Ba.s.s STEWED WITH TOMATOES
Clean the fish, remove the bones and cut [Page 54]
into square pieces. Fry two sliced onions in olive-oil. Lay the fish upon it, season with salt and pepper and pour over a can of tomatoes which have been rubbed through a sieve. Season with salt and pepper, cover closely, and cook for an hour. Serve in the same dish.
FRIED Ba.s.s WITH BACON
Clean and cut up the fish, season with pepper and salt, roll in flour, and fry in hot lard. Serve with rashers of bacon fried separately. Garnish with parsley and lemon.
FRIED BLACK Ba.s.s
Scale, clean, and cut up the fish, season with salt and pepper, dredge with flour, and fry in deep fat.
BREADED FILLET OF Ba.s.s
Clean the fish and cut into convenient pieces. Season with salt and pepper, dip in beaten egg, then in crumbs, and fry in deep fat. Serve very hot with Tartar Sauce.
BREADED Ba.s.s WITH BACON
Clean the fish and cut into pieces. Season with pepper and salt, roll in flour, then in beaten egg, then in bread-crumbs. Fry in deep fat and serve with a border of rashers of bacon fried [Page 55]
separately. Garnish with parsley.
BOILED SEA-Ba.s.s WITH PARSLEY SAUCE