Part 43 (1/2)

just before the close of the session. It is invariably the precursor of the prorogation of Parliament, and the repast is provided by the proprietor of the ”Trafalgar,” Greenwich.

FISH PIE, WITH TENCH AND EELS.

349. INGREDIENTS.--2 tench, 2 eels, 2 onions, a f.a.ggot of herbs, 4 blades of mace, 3 anchovies, 1 pint of water, pepper and salt to taste, 1 teaspoonful of chopped parsley, the yolks of 6 hard-boiled eggs, puff paste.

_Mode_.--Clean and bone the tench, skin and bone the eels, and cut them into pieces 2 inches long, and leave the sides of the tench whole. Put the bones into a stewpan with the onions, herbs, mace, anchovies, water, and seasoning, and let them simmer gently for 1 hour. Strain it off, put it to cool, and skim off all the fat. Lay the tench and eels in a pie-dish, and between each layer put seasoning, chopped parsley, and hard-boiled eggs; pour in part of the strained liquor, cover in with puff paste, and bake for 1/2 hour or rather more. The oven should be rather quick, and when done, heat the remainder of the liquor, which pour into the pie.

_Time_.--1/2 hour to bake, or rather more if the oven is slow.

FISH SCALLOP.

I.

350. INGREDIENTS.--Remains of cold fish of any sort, 1/2 pint of cream, 1/2 tablespoonful of anchovy sauce, 1/2 teaspoonful of made mustard, ditto of walnut ketchup, pepper and salt to taste (the above quant.i.ties are for 1/2 lb. of fish when picked); bread crumbs.

_Mode_.--Put all the ingredients into a stewpan, carefully picking the fish from the bones; set it on the fire, let it remain till nearly hot, occasionally stir the contents, but do not allow it to boil. When done, put the fish into a deep dish or scallop sh.e.l.l, with a good quant.i.ty of bread crumbs; place small pieces of b.u.t.ter on the top, set in a Dutch oven before the fire to brown, or use a salamander.

_Time_.--1/4 hour. _Average cost_, exclusive of the cold fish, 10d.

II.

351. INGREDIENTS.--Any cold fish, 1 egg, milk, 1 large blade of pounded mace, 1 tablespoonful of flour, 1 teaspoonful of anchovy sauce, pepper and salt to taste, bread crumbs, b.u.t.ter.

_Mode_.--Pick the fish carefully from the bones, and moisten with milk and the egg; add the other ingredients, and place in a deep dish or scallop sh.e.l.ls; cover with bread crumbs, b.u.t.ter the top, and brown before the fire; when quite hot, serve.

_Time_.--20 minutes. _Average cost_, exclusive of the cold fish, 4d.

WATER SOUCHY.

352. Perch, tench, soles, eels, and flounders are considered the best fish for this dish. For the souchy, put some water into a stewpan with a bunch of chopped parsley, some roots, and sufficient salt to make it brackish. Let these simmer for 1 hour, and then stew the fish in this water. When they are done, take them out to drain, have ready some finely-chopped parsley, and a few roots cut into slices of about one inch thick and an inch in length. Put the fish in a tureen or deep dish, strain the liquor over them, and add the minced parsley and roots. Serve with brown bread and b.u.t.ter.

353. SUPPLY OF FISH TO THE LONDON MARKET.--From Mr. Mayhew's work on ”London Labour and the London Poor,” and other sources, we are enabled to give the following table of the total annual supply of fish to the London market:--

Description of Fish. Number of Weight of Fish Fish in lbs WET FISH.

Salmon and Salmon-Trout(29,000 boxes, 14 fish per box) 406,000 3,480,000 Turbot, from 8 to 16 lbs. 800,000 5,600,000 Live Cod, averaging 10 lbs. each 400,000 4,000,000 Soles, averaging 1/4 lbs. each 97,520,000 26,880,000 Brill and Mullet, averaging 3 lbs. each 1,220,000 3,366,000 Whiting, averaging 6 oz. each 17,920,000 6,720,000 Haddock, averaging 2 lbs. each 2,470,000 4,940,000 Plaice, averaging 1 lb. each 33,600,000 33,600,000 Mackerel, averaging 1 lb ach 23,520,000 23,520,000 Fresh herrings (250,000 barrels, 700 fish per barrel) 175,000,000 42,000,000 Ditto in bulk 1,050,000,000 252,000,000 Sprats -- 4,000,000 Eels (from Holland princ.i.p.ally) England and Ireland 9,797,760 1,632,960 Flounders 259,200 48,200 Dabs 270,000 48,750

DRY FISH.

Barrelled Cod(15,000 barrels, 40 fish per barrel) 750,000 4,200,000 Dried Salt Cod, 5 lbs each 1,600,000 8,000,000 Smoked Haddock(65,000 barrels, 300 fish per barrel) 19,500,000 10,920,000 Bloaters, 265,000 baskets(150 fish per basket) 147,000,000 10,600,000 Red Herrings, 100,000 barrels(500 fish per barrel) 50,000,000 14,000,000 Dried Sprats, 9,600 large bundles (30 fish per bundle) 288,000 9,600

Sh.e.l.l FISH.

Oysters 495,896,000 Lobsters, averaging 1 lb each 1,200,000 1,200,000 Crabs, averaging 1 lb each 600,000 600,000 Shrimps, 324 to a pint 498,428,648 Whelks, 227 to a half-bushel 4,943,200 Mussels, 1000 to ditto 50,400,000 c.o.c.kles, 2000 to ditto 67,392,000 Periwinkles, 4000 to ditto 304,000,000

The whole of the above may be, in round numbers, reckoned to amount to the enormous number of 3,000,000,000 fish, with a weight of 300,000 tons.