Part 66 (1/2)

SECTION XVIII.

or,

The Sixth Section of FISH.

_The A-la-mode ways of Dressing and Ordering of Sturgeon._

_To boil Sturgeon to serve hot._

Take a rand, wash off the blood, and lay it in vinegar and salt, with the slice of a lemon, some large mace, slic't ginger, and two or three cloves, then set on a pan of fair water, put in some salt, and when it boils put in the fish, with a pint of white-wine, a pint of wine vinegar, and the foresaid spices, but not the lemon; being finely boil'd, dish it on sippets, and sauce it with beaten b.u.t.ter, and juyce of orange beaten together, or juyce of lemon, large mace, slic't ginger, and barberries, and garnish the dish with the same.

_Otherways._

Take a rand and cut it in square pieces as big as a hens egg, stew them in a broad mouthed pipkin with two or three good big onions, fome large mace, two or three cloves, pepper, salt, some slic't nutmeg, a bay-leaf or two some white-wine and water, b.u.t.ter, and a race of slic't ginger, stew them well together, and serve them on sippets of French bread, run them over with beaten b.u.t.ter, slic't lemon and barberries, and garnish the dish with the same.

_Sturgeon b.u.t.tered._

Boil a rand, tail, or jole in water and salt, boil it tender, and serve it with beaten b.u.t.ter and slic't lemon.

_To make a hot Hash of Sturgeon._

Take a rand, wash it out of the blood, and take off the scales, and skin, mince the meat very small, and season it with beaten mace, pepper, salt, and some sweet herbs minced small, stew all in an earthen pipkin with two or three big whole onions, b.u.t.ter, and white-wine; being finely stewed, serve it on sippets with beaten b.u.t.ter, minced lemon, and boil'd chesnuts.

_To make a cold Hash of Sturgeon._

Take a rand of sturgeon being fresh and new, bake it whole in an earthen pan dry, and close it up with a piece of course paste; being baked and cold slice it into little slices as small as a three pence, and dish them in a fine clean dish, lay them round the bottom of it, and strow on them pepper, salt, a minced onion, a minced lemon, oyl, vinegar, and barberries.

_To marinate a whole Sturgeon in rands and joles._

Take a sturgeon fresh taken, cut it in joles and rands, wash off the blood, and wipe the pieces dry from the blood and slime, flour them, & fry them in a large kettle in four gallons of rape oyl clarified, being fryed fine and crisp, put it into great chargers, frayes, or bowls; then have 2 firkins, and being cold, pack it in them as you do boil'd sturgeon that is kept in pickle, then make the sauce or pickle of 2 gallons of white-wine, and three gallons of white-wine vinegar; put to them six good handfuls of salt, 3 in each vessel, a quarter of a pound large mace, six ounces of whole pepper, and three ounces of slic't ginger, close it up in good sound vessels, and when you serve it, serve it in some of its own pickle, the spices on it, and slic't lemon.

_To make a farc't meat of Sturgeon._

Mince it raw with a good fat eel, and being fine minced, season it with cloves, mace, pepper, and salt, mince some sweet herbs and put to it, and make your farcings in the forms of b.a.l.l.s, pears, stars, or dolphins; if you please stuff carrots or turnips with it.

_To dress a whole Sturgeon in Stoffado cut into Rands and Joles to eat hot or cold._

Take a sturgeon, draw it, and part it in two halves from the tail to the head, cut it into rands and joles a foot long or more, then wash off the blood and slime, and steep it in wine-vinegar, and white-wine, as much as will cover it, or less, put to it eight ounces of slic't ginger, six ounces of large mace, four ounces of whole cloves, half a pound of whole pepper, salt, and a pound of slic't nutmegs, let these steep in the foresaid liquor six hours, then put them into broad earthen pans flat bottom'd, and bake them with this liquor and spices, cover them with paper, it will ask four or five hours baking; being baked serve them in a large dish in joles or rands, with large slices of French bread in the bottom of the dish, steep them well with the foresaid broth they were baked in, some of the spices on them, some slic't lemon, barberries, grapes, or gooseberries, and lemon peel, with some of the same broth, beaten b.u.t.ter, juyce of lemons and oranges, and the yolks of eggs beat up thick.