The Book of Household Management Part 33

279. INGREDIENTS.--4 middling-sized mackerel, a nice delicate forcemeat (_see_ Forcemeats), 3 oz. of b.u.t.ter; pepper and salt to taste.

_Mode_.--Clean the fish, take out the roes, and fill up with forcemeat, and sew up the slit. Flour, and put them in a dish, heads and tails alternately, with the roes; and, between each layer, put some little pieces of b.u.t.ter, and pepper and salt. Bake for 1/2 an hour, and either serve with plain melted b.u.t.ter or a _maitre d'hotel_ sauce.

_Time_.--1/2 hour. _Average cost_ for this quant.i.ty, 1s. 10d.

_Seasonable_ from April to July.

_Sufficient_ for 6 persons.

_Note_.--Baked mackerel may be dressed in the same way as baked herrings (_see_ No. 268), and may also be stewed in wine.

WEIGHT OF THE MACKEREL.--The greatest weight of this fish seldom exceeds 2 lbs., whilst their ordinary length runs between 14 and 20 inches. They die almost immediately after they are taken from their element, and, for a short time, exhibit a phosphoric light.

BOILED MACKEREL.

280. INGREDIENTS.--1/4 lb. of salt to each gallon of water.

_Mode_.--Cleanse the inside of the fish thoroughly, and lay it in the kettle with sufficient water to cover it with salt as above; bring it gradually to boil, skim well, and simmer gently till done; dish them on a hot napkin, heads and tails alternately, and garnish with fennel.

Fennel sauce and plain melted b.u.t.ter are the usual accompaniments to boiled mackerel; but caper or anchovy sauce is sometimes served with it.

(_See_ Coloured Plate, F.)

_Time_.--After the water boils, 10 minutes; for large mackerel, allow more time.

_Average cost_, from 4d.

_Seasonable_ from April to July.

_Note_.--When variety is desired, fillet the mackerel, boil it, and pour over parsley and b.u.t.ter; send some of this, besides, in a tureen.

BROILED MACKEREL.

281. INGREDIENTS.--Pepper and salt to taste, a small quant.i.ty of oil.

_Mode_.--Mackerel should never be washed when intended to be broiled, but merely wiped very clean and dry, after taking out the gills and insides. Open the back, and put in a little pepper, salt, and oil; broil it over a clear fire, turn it over on both sides, and also on the back.

When sufficiently cooked, the flesh can be detached from the bone, which will be in about 15 minutes for a small mackerel. Chop a little parsley, work it up in the b.u.t.ter, with pepper and salt to taste, and a squeeze of lemon-juice, and put it in the back. Serve before the b.u.t.ter is quite melted, with a _maitre d'hotel_ sauce in a tureen.

_Time_.--Small mackerel 15 minutes. _Average cost_, from 4d.

_Seasonable_ from April to July.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE MACKEREL.]

THE MACKEREL.--This is not only one of the most elegantly-formed, but one of the most beautifully-coloured fishes, when taken out of the sea, that we have. Death, in some degree, impairs the vivid splendour of its colours; but it does not entirely obliterate them. It visits the sh.o.r.es of Great Britain in countless shoals, appearing about March, off the Land's End; in the bays of Devons.h.i.+re, about April; off Brighton in the beginning of May; and on the coast of Suffolk about the beginning of June. In the Orkneys they are seen till August; but the greatest fishery is on the west coasts of England.

TO CHOOSE MACKEREL.--In choosing this fish, purchasers should, to a great extent, be regulated by the brightness of its appearance. If it have a transparent, silvery hue, the flesh is good; but if it be red about the head, it is stale.

FILLETS OF MACKEREL.

282. INGREDIENTS.--2 large mackerel, 1 oz. b.u.t.ter, 1 small bunch of chopped herbs, 3 tablespoonfuls of medium stock, No. 105, 3 tablespoonfuls of bechamel (_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 b.u.t.ter 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 quant.i.ty, 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 _maitre d'hotel_ sauce and plain melted b.u.t.ter.

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 s.h.i.+p 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 a.s.sistance; 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.

PICKLED MACKEREL.

283. INGREDIENTS.--12 peppercorns, 2 bay-leaves, 1/2 pint of vinegar, 4 mackerel.

_Mode_.--Boil the mackerel as in the recipe No. 282, and lay them in a dish; take half the liquor they were boiled in; add as much vinegar, peppercorns, and bay-leaves; boil for 10 minutes, and when cold, pour over the fish.

_Time_.--1/2 hour.

_Average cost_, 1s. 6d.

MACKEREL GARUM.--This brine, so greatly esteemed by the ancients, was manufactured from various kinds of fishes. When mackerel was employed, a few of them were placed in a small vase, with a large quant.i.ty of salt, which was well stirred, and then left to settle for some hours. On the following day, this was put into an earthen pot, which was uncovered, and placed in a situation to get the rays of the sun. At the end of two or three months, it was hermetically sealed, after having had added to it a quant.i.ty of old wine, equal to one third of the mixture.

GREY MULLET.

284. INGREDIENTS.--1/4 lb. of salt to each gallon of water.

_Mode_.--If the fish be very large, it should be laid in cold water, and gradually brought to a boil; if small, put it in boiling water, salted in the above proportion. Serve with anchovy sauce and plain melted b.u.t.ter.

_Time_.--According to size, 1/4 to 3/4 hour.

_Average cost_, 8d. per lb.

_Seasonable_ from July to October.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE GREY MULLET.]

THE GREY MULLET.--This is quite a different fish from the red mullet, is abundant on the sandy coasts of Great Britain, and ascends rivers for miles. On the south coast it is very plentiful, and is considered a fine fish. It improves more than any other salt-water fish when kept in ponds.

RED MULLET.

285. INGREDIENTS.--Oiled paper, thickening of b.u.t.ter and flour, 1/2 teaspoonful of anchovy sauce, 1 gla.s.s of sherry; cayenne and salt to taste.

_Mode_.--Clean the fish, take out the gills, but leave the inside, fold in oiled paper, and bake them gently. When done, take the liquor that flows from the fish, add a thickening of b.u.t.ter kneaded with flour; put in the other ingredients, and let it boil for 2 minutes. Serve the sauce in a tureen, and the fish, either with or without the paper cases.

_Time_.--About 25 minutes.