Hand-Book of Practical Cookery, for Ladies and Professional Cooks: Containing the Whole Science and Art of Preparing Human Food

dust then the whole with bread-crumbs, put in a warm oven for about fifteen minutes, take off, place half a dozen _croutons_ all around the dish also, and serve. The _croutons_ are generally cut of a heart-shape. It will be easily done if the directions are followed properly and carefully. Commence by cutting the bread, then cut the potatoes, and set them on the fire with cold water and salt; while they are cooking, prepare the fish and set it in the oven; while this is baking, make the sauce, fry the _croutons_, and blanch the oysters. If the fish is baked before the rest are ready, take it off and keep warm till wanted. It makes a sightly and excellent dish. _The same fried._--Small flounders are fried like other small fish, and served either with or without a tomato-sauce or _à la Orly_. _The same, boned and fried._--Bone and skin small flounders as directed; mix together a tablespoonful of oil, a teaspoonful of chopped parsley, the juice of half a lemon, and salt; dip the pieces of fish in the mixture, dust them slightly with flour, and fry. Serve hot. _Pike, Pickerel, and Trout or Troutlet._--Those three fish, besides being prepared as directed for bass, etc., and in all its different ways, they are boiled as directed and served warm, with a _génoise_ sauce. A more delicious dish of fish can hardly be prepared. _Ray, Skate, and Angel or Monk fish._--Ray, though excellent, is very little known; there is only one place at which it can be bought--Washington Market, New York. It is unquestionably an excellent dish, prepared _au beurre noir_. When clean, boil the fish as directed, and dish it, sprinkling salt and pepper on it. While it is boiling, put about two ounces of butter to a pound of fish in a frying-pan, set it on a sharp fire, stir now and then, and when brown, throw into it about six sprigs of parsley, which you take off immediately with a skimmer. As soon as the parsley is taken off, pour the butter over the fish, quickly