COLD FISH.
sensitive of suggestion, and to whom the idea of much
handling of their food is especially unpleasant. Tours
de force in this matter may be wonderful, perhaps, but
in most cases one prefers to leave them to the pages of
professional gastronomic works intended for the benefit
of chefs in royal houses, or large hotels. (I shall never
forget one truly awful specimen of this misdirected
energy I once encountered, in the shape of a rocky-
looking sea green jelly incrusted with waving stems of
tarragon, tiny shells, etc., and inclosing in its heart
a whole school of wee living goldfish ! Not even the
proud possessor’s naive remark that the fishlets were
really in a glass dish slipped into the centre of the jelly,
consoled me for the horror, especially as I had just been
reading a book on China, which gave a highly coloured
description of Celestial taste in the matter of live fish.)
If, however, an upright position is particularly
desired for the cold fish, this may be attained when
cooking it, by deftly insinuating a whole carrot, one
side trimmed to allow it to stand flat, into the inside
of the fish, as this will give the required firmness to
keep it in place, especially if the dish be garnished
with croûtons of aspic, and cleverly arranged little
heaps of cold cooked vegetables, tiny darioles of shrimps
en aspic, etc. To arrange, when the fish has been
opened for cleansing purposes, lay in the lightly-buttered
carrot, fasten up the fish again, and cook it in the
ordinary way, or en marinade, as above, keeping it
upright by means of the vegetables lining the pan.
In this case, however, omit the carrot from the court-
bouillon. Still, personally, I prefer a fish resting
naturally on its side, surrounded with seasoned water-
cress, or other salading, or chopped aspic to taste.
Trout of various sizes, grey and (though few people