and propping it with a few some vegetables (omitting
the carrot), and a bunch of herbs, with seasoning to
taste. Pour in sufficient acidulated water, court-
bouillon, or fish stock as you choose, to just cover it
nicely, let it reboil, then draw it to the side of the stove
and only let it simmer till the fish is cooked. It will
take about ten minutes to the pound. When cooked
lift the fish out, and let it stand till perfectly cold before
attempting to lift it from the strainer. It may now
be served as it is, if the skin is not damaged, a garnish
of any nice cold sauce to taste, mayonnaise, cold morne
saline, tomato cream, or any other nice sauce suitable
to the kind of fish, with seasoned salad, chopped
aspic, etc., neatly arranged round it. If the skin has
been broken, or the fish itself is a trifle overcooked and
so damaged, remove the skin very tenderly, and spread
the surface with any thick stiffened sauce appropriate,
making it smooth with a hot, broad-bladed or palette
knife. This surface may then be decorated with fillets
of anchovy, shapes of hard-boiled egg-white or the
sieved yolk, sliced cucumber, lines and dots of any fancy
butter applied with a bag and pipe, etc., as you please,
according to the time and skill available. Any fish, such
as bass, brill, dorey, haddock, halibut, mackerel, mullet,
salmon, etc., may be treated thus. It is wonderful
what pleasant variety may be obtained by applying
the method most cooks consider solely intended for
the very highest class of fish, to the commoner kinds.
Fish, Stuffed.—Flat fish, such as chicken turbot,
brill, large plaice, etc., are very good if the fish is lifted
off the bone on both sides, keeping each side whole, then
lay the under fillet on a well buttered baking tin, spread
it with a layer of any nice fish farce or stuffing, according
to the fish, cover this with the other half of the fish,