FISH RE-COOKED.
COLD FISH of any kind gives us valuable material for little breakfast dishes. Fairly large slices of firm fish, not over-boiled in the first instance, may be advantageously warmed up whole au gratin, or, in the bain-marie, in a nicely made white or brown sauce flavoured according to taste, and accompanied by pieces of cooked cucumber or vegetable marrow. But if at all broken up, it is better to serve it in china cases or en coquilles, or to work it up into croquettes, cutlets, or croustades.
Broken fragments of cold fish are very nice when added to, and stirred about with, a goodly allowance of buttered egg. This can be served on fried toasts, or turned out upon a silver dish and garnished with sippets. A colouring of tomato sauce is an improvement.
Another tasteful way of serving cold fish is to shred or cut it into small pieces, like a coarse mince, and stir it about in a hot saucepan containing some previously boiled, hot macaroni cut into half-inch lengths, mixing in with it a bountiful supply of melted butter and a little tomato purée ketchup or sauce; when the contents of the saucepan are thoroughly well heated, to turn them out on a very hot dish, and serve at once. This can, of course, be composed upon a small gas stove in a few minutes if the ingredients are ready. Gentlemen, whose appetites require stimulating, may fancy some chopped green chilli, some cayenne or Nepal pepper, or a few drops of Tabasco; but, to my mind, the dish is better without a suspicion of the evil one. Boiled rice may be used instead of macaroni.
Cold fish is not infrequently presented to you in the form of fish pudding which, if properly made, is a very acceptable breakfast or luncheon dish. It may be described as a mixture of cooked fish and mashed potato, two-thirds of the former to one of the latter, well worked together over a low fire, moistened with any sauce that may have been left (or some ordinary melted butter with anchovy freshly made), one raw egg well beaten, and a seasoning of salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg; when well mixed and hot, turned into a buttered basin, shaken firmly down, and set in the oven for ten minutes or a quarter of an hour; finally turned out upon a hot dish with some finely rasped crumbs shaken over all. A little sauce may accompany if liked. Twice-laid, as this dish is called by some, may be mixed as described, and served in a simple mould like mashed potato, streaked with a fork outside, and baked till it takes a pale brown tint. Chopped hard-boiled egg may be stirred into the fish and potatoes with advantage.
A similar arrangement can be made with cooked rice, or macaroni (the latter cut up small), the pudding being steamed long enough to set firmly.
The best fish pudding, I think, is that made of pieces of cooked fish steamed in a savoury custard. Having mixed the custard and flavoured it slightly with anchovy sauce, choose a pudding mould and arrange the shredded fish therein, pouring the custard round them: when filled, steam the mould as you would a pudding. This should then be turned out, and served with any nice fish sauce. Or the mixture may be cooked in small moulds just large enough for one person each. Very nice cold with mayonnaise.
A purée of cooked fish, pounded, with a quarter of its weight of bread crumb, diluted with fish-bone stock, flavoured with a little anchovy, pepper, and mace, and bound by raw eggs, may be cooked in the same manner.