Boiled Brill

The Book of Household Management · Beeton, Mrs. (Isabella Mary) · 1861

Source: The Book of Household Management
Status: success · extracted 13 days ago
Not a recipe: No

Ingredients (9)

For boiling the brill

1/4 lb. of salt to each gallon of water ↝ Salt, table, iodized [Spices and Herbs]
a little vinegar ↝ Vinegar [Mustard and other condiments]

For preparing the brill

a little lemon-juice ↝ Lemon juice, raw [Fruits and Fruit Juices]

For serving

cut lemon ↝ Lemon, raw [Citrus fruits]
parsley ↝ Parsley, raw [Not included in a food category]
horseradish ↝ Horseradish [Mustard and other condiments]
a little lobster coral ↝ Lobster [Shellfish]
lobster or shrimp sauce ↝ Shrimp, NFS [Shellfish]
plain melted butter ↝ Butter, stick, unsalted [Dairy and Egg Products]

Instructions (5)

Clean the brill, cut off the fins, and rub it over with a little lemon-juice, to preserve its whiteness.
Set the fish in sufficient cold water to cover it; throw in salt, in the above proportions, and a little vinegar, and bring it gradually to boil.
Simmer very gently till the fish is done, which will be in about 10 minutes; but the time for boiling, of course, depends entirely on the size of the fish.
Serve it on a hot napkin, and garnish with cut lemon, parsley, horseradish, and a little lobster coral sprinkled over the fish.
Send lobster or shrimp sauce and plain melted butter to table with it.

Original Text

BRILL.

230. INGREDIENTS.—1/4 lb. of salt to each gallon of water; a little vinegar.

Mode.—Clean the brill, cut off the fins, and rub it over with a little lemon-juice, to preserve its whiteness. Set the fish in sufficient cold water to cover it; throw in salt, in the above proportions, and a little vinegar, and bring it gradually to boil; simmer very gently till the fish is done, which will be in about 10 minutes; but the time for boiling, of course, depends entirely on the size of the fish. Serve it on a hot napkin, and garnish with cut lemon, parsley, horseradish, and a little lobster coral sprinkled over the fish. Send lobster or shrimp sauce and plain melted butter to table with it.

Time.—After the water boils, a small brill, 10 minutes; a large brill, 15 to 20 minutes.

Average cost, from 4s. to 8s.

Seasonable from August to April.

[Illustration: THE BRILL.]

THE BRILL.—This fish resembles the sole, but is broader, and when large, is esteemed by many in a scarcely less degree than the turbot, whilst it is much cheaper. It is a fine fish, and is abundant in the London market.

TO CHOOSE BRILL.—The flesh of this fish, like that of turbot, should be of a yellowish tint, and should be chosen on account of its thickness. If the flesh has a bluish tint, it is not good.

CODFISH.

231. Cod may be boiled whole; but a large head and shoulders are quite sufficient for a dish, and contain all that is usually helped, because, when the thick part is done, the tail is insipid and overdone. The latter, cut in slices, makes a very good dish for frying; or it may be salted down and served with egg sauce and parsnips. Cod, when boiled quite fresh, is watery; salting a little, renders it firmer.

[Illustration: THE COD.]

THE COD TRIBE.—The Jugular, characterized by bony gills, and ventral fins before the pectoral ones, commences the second of the Linnaean orders of fishes, and is a numerous tribe, inhabiting only the depths of the ocean, and seldom visiting the fresh waters. They have a smooth head, and the gill membrane has seven rays. The body is oblong, and covered with deciduous scales. The fins are all inclosed in skin, whilst their rays are unarmed. The ventral fins are slender, and terminate in a point. Their habits are gregarious, and they feed on smaller fish and other marine animals.

Notes

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