Cooking Your Catch - A Handy Guide to Cleaning, Scaling, Gutting, Dressing, Curing, Smoking, Kippering and Drying - Including Some Serving Suggestions

Various

Description

A handy guide to cleaning, scaling, gutting, dressing, curing, smoking, kippering and drying including some serving suggestions for pike, trout and salmon.

Sujets

• Sport
• Autour du sport
• Histoire du sport
• Autres sports
• Sports de plein air
• Sports
• Fishing
• Recreation

Informations

• Publié par: Read Books Ltd.
• Date de parution: 06 septembre 2016
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781473358515
• Langue: English

Extrait

Cooking Your Catch
A Handy Guide to Cleaning, Scaling, Gutting, Dressing, Curing, Smoking, Kippering and Drying
Including Some Serving Suggestions for Pike, Trout and Salmon
Contents
Cleaning Fish
Cooking Fish
Cutting and Serving Fish
Dressing, Curing, Smoking, Kippering and Drying
Dressing Fish
The Fine Art of Pike Cooking
Baked Great Pike
Boiled Great Pike
Pike Chowder
Planked Pike
Pike Baked in Clay
On the Packing of Salmon and Trout for Transit and a Few Recipes for Cooking Trout and Sea Trout
Copyright 2011 Read Books Ltd.
This book is copyright and may not be reproduced or copied in any way without the express permission of the publisher in writing
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
How to Cook Them
CLEANING FISH
Scaling Fish
Anglers should endeavor to keep their quarry moist from the time it leaves the water till it is to be cleaned, and not until after the gills and insides are removed should it be washed. Always scale a fish before the fins are cut, or the inside slit open, otherwise scaling is not done so quickly or so neatly. There are various fish scalers sold in the tackle shops, and that shown in cut is among the best. It is neat and compact, the sharp point being useful, though, to my mind, such a tool should close. If such a tool be not handy, use a blunt knife, near the haft. To scale a fish well, grasp the tail in the left hand, or pin the tail down on a board, scaling hard and quick as the scales slip out of their sockets easier by so doing. Scrape around all parts on both sides, then cut off the fins with a sharp knife or shears, and wipe the fish clean and dry with a cloth. The gills should then be cut from the lower jaw and back of the head, a slit being made from the head along the lower body to the vent. The gills being pulled will at the same time draw the insides away, and if done with care, a perfectly clean inside is the result. In most fish (if fresh) the blood is encased in a thin skin close to the backbone and can be pulled away entire. A fish so treated can and should be prepared without the use of water. After being cleaned and scaled it should be well washed in two waters, to thoroughly divest it of all slime and blood. If it is a fresh-water fish it can be placed in a vessel of salt and water to soak for half an hour; if they are coarse fish, caught in quiet, stagnant pools (such as carp, catfish, perch, eels, and pickerel), an hour s soak is better. Afterward they should be taken out of the bath, dried with a clean cloth, and they are ready for cooking. To skin eels, catfish, perch, etc., a slit is made a short distance down the back from the head; then take a pinch of salt or sand between the fingers, to stop the skin from slipping, pull steadily toward the lower part of the fish on one side and then on the other. This should be done before the belly is cut open, or else it tears away the shoulder bone. When the skin is pulled down to the lower under-fin, pull from the other side; then take both sides together, and it will tear off from the tail in one piece. This refers to the catfish, perch, and eels. After a good grip is secured the skin comes off entire from the body of an eel without trouble.

Fish knife and scaler.
Washing and Cleaning Fish
To Skin Fish
To Fillet a Fish
To fillet a fluke or flounder, before cleaning get a good sharp knife with a point, and cut along the backbone of the fish from head to tail; then shave it close to the bone, taking the fillet in the left hand as it leaves the fish; begin likewise on the other side and repeat the same. Turn over the fish, taking away two more fillets, making four pieces of boneless fish; nothing but the skeleton remains. All the bones being perfectly flat, the flesh is easily cut away, leaving the bone absolutely bare of flesh. Flat fish are more easily done, but all fish can be so treated by this method and made boneless.
To Fry Fish
All fish for the pan should be scaled, head and fins taken off, then cut down the back clear through the bone; then open up the fish flat and take away the inside (it is not so good to open it from the belly), wash well and dry with a cloth. For broiling it should be treated in the same manner. For baking either fresh or salt water fish, scale and remove the gills; leave the head on, but remove the inside; wash, and then dry.
Boiling Fish
To prepare a large fish for boiling, scale and then clean it, cut off the fins, leaving the head and tail intact. The fish should then be cut through the body in three parts, to allow its being placed in the kettle before being wrapped in the cloth. Take a piece of cord and wrap around the head, under and above the middle piece and around the tail piece so that the fish can be put together in its natural position on the dish after being cooked. Never sever the head from a fish, unless it is to be skinned, filleted or fried. Fish served at the table, headless and tailless, look queer and unnatural.
COOKING FISH
Frying
In cooking pan fish, both fresh-water and marine, some people prefer to dip them in bread crumbs or a batter of flour and eggs, or cracker crumbs and egg. In such a manner they may be either whole small fish, fillets or slices of large fish. Either way they should have salt and pepper scattered on before being placed in the pan; some parsley, along with a few slices of green onion tops, gives it a relish. Serve the fish with a garniture of water-cress.
Baking Fish
For baking trout, pike, striped bass, etc., scale the fish and remove the gills; leave the head on but remove the inside; wash, and then dry. Make a stuffing as follows: Beat two eggs, add four chopped oysters, two sliced and boned sardines, one cup of grated bread, some chopped onions, minced parsley, a little pounded mace, black pepper, allspice, and salt. Beat a piece of butter in the stew pan, stir the whole dressing together over the fire till of the consistency of a thick batter. Fill the fish with the stuffing and sew it up; put slices of fat pork into small holes made through the skin of the sides and back. Bake in a moderate oven, basting with plenty of butter, and serve garnished with pickled mushrooms, parsley, and anchovy sauce.
Brolling
To broil fresh or salt water fish, split it from the back and clean it, rub over with oil or butter to keep the skin from sticking, and grease the broiler with salt pork. Have the fire hot and clear, a wood fire being best, and keep constantly turning till done. Place the fish on a hot dish, season well with salt and pepper and a lump of butter, then spread over it anchovy or tomato sauce, with a garniture of water-cress and sliced lemon.
Camp Cooking
A primitive and simple camp method is to take a good-sized fish, just out of the water, and without cleaning it, wrap it up in a wet paper and place it in the red-hot coals, testing now and then with a fork. When the fork goes through the fish easily, it is cooked.