Croûtes de Poisson, or Fish Toasts.—Those are
very easy to prepare, thus: Flake the fish small,
season with pepper (white and red), salt if required,
and minced parsley, put this into a pan with a piece
of butter proportioned to the amount of fish (say
½oz. for 3oz. or 4oz. of fish), and stir it over the
fire, moistening it from time to time with lemon
juice and milk, or any melted butter left over from
the previous night. When very hot and well
blended, pour this mixture on to squares of hot
buttered toast, dust with coralline pepper and
minced parsley, and serve. If preferred, squares of
bread, fried till biscuit-crisp in plenty of hot fat, well
drained, and dusted with pepper and minced parsley,
may be used instead of the buttered toast; or, again,
take as many little dinner rolls as you choose (the
halfpenny size), cut off the top, scoop out the crumb,
and fry the little cases to a pale golden brown and
biscuit-crisp, and fill with the fish mince. Or, fry a
finely-minced onion in butter, then fry in the same pan
a spoonful of curry powder, moisten with a little milk
and a little tamarind or tomato pulp, and stew till all
is tender; then lay in the fish, dusted with coralline
pepper and minced parsley, and when thoroughly hot
serve on fried or toasted squares of bread. Lastly,
there is Kedgeree, or, more properly, Kitchri. For
this, flake or mince ½lb. of cold fish and stir it in a
pan with a full 1¼oz. of butter, two hard boiled eggs
cut into tiny dice, with pepper, salt, and cayenne to
taste, adding in at the last 3oz. or 4oz. of cooked
Patna rice. Stir it all well together over the fire,
and serve very hot. If preferred, one egg may be
hard, the other soft boiled (eggs left over being
capital for this), whilst many people use ¾oz. or 1oz.
more butter, frying in this at first a small onion or
a shallot sliced in rings; then stir in the rice, next the
fish and its seasoning, then enough turmeric (about
half a teaspoonful) to make it all a pale yellow tint,
and lastly the eggs, serving it very hot.