Fillets of Mackerel

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

Source: The Book of Household Management
Time: Cook: 10 min Total: 20 min
Yield: 4.0 persons
Status: success · extracted 13 days ago
Not a recipe: No

Ingredients (9)

2 large mackerel ↝ Fish, mackerel, spanish, raw [Finfish and Shellfish Products]
1 oz. butter ↝ Butter, stick, unsalted [Dairy and Egg Products]
1 small bunch of chopped herbs
3 tablespoonfuls of medium stock, No. 105
3 tablespoonfuls of béchamel (see Sauces)
salt, cayenne, and lemon-juice to taste ↝ Salt, table, iodized [Spices and Herbs]
salt, cayenne, and lemon-juice to taste ↝ Peppers, raw, NFS [Other vegetables and combinations]
salt, cayenne, and lemon-juice to taste ↝ Lemon juice, raw [Fruits and Fruit Juices]

for dredging

a little flour ↝ Flour, 00 [Cereal Grains and Pasta]

Instructions (5)

Clean the fish, and fillet it.
Scald the herbs, chop them fine, and put them with the butter and stock into a stewpan.
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, add the other ingredients, give one boil, and pour it over the mackerel.

Original Text

FILLETS OF MACKEREL.

282. INGREDIENTS.—2 large mackerel, 1 oz. butter, 1 small bunch of chopped herbs, 3 tablespoonfuls of medium stock, No. 105, 3 tablespoonfuls of béchamel (see Sauces); salt, cayenne, and lemon-juice to taste.

Mode.—Clean the fish, and fillet it; scald the herbs, chop them fine, and put them with the butter and stock into a stewpan. 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, add the other ingredients, give one boil, and pour it over the mackerel.

Time.—20 minutes. Average cost for this quantity, 1s. 6d.

Seasonable from April to July.

Sufficient for 4 persons.

Note.—Fillets of mackerel may be covered with egg and bread crumbs, and fried of a nice brown. Serve with maître d'hôtel sauce and plain melted butter.

THE VORACITY OF THE MACKEREL.—The voracity 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. Pontoppidan relates an anecdote of a sailor belonging to a ship lying in one of the harbours 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.

Notes

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