Modern cookery for private families

caught, the white curd between the flakes of flesh being like that of extremely fresh salmon. As it is in full season in mid-winter, it can be sent to a distance without injury. It is a _very_ firm fish when large and in season; but, as purchased commonly at inland markets, is often neither fine in size nor quality. _One_ of the best modes of cooking it is, to take the flesh entire from the bones, to divide it, dip it into egg and bread-crumbs, mixed with savoury herbs finely minced, and a seasoning of salt and spice, and to fry it like soles. Other receipts for it will be found in the body of this chapter. The flesh of the gurnard is exceedingly dry, and somewhat _over firm_, but when filled with well-made forcemeat and gently baked, it is much liked by many persons. At good tables, it is often served in fillets fried or baked, and richly sauced: in common cookery it is sometimes boiled. Portions only of the skate, which is frequently of _enormous_ size, are used as food: these are in general cut out by the fisherman or by the salesman, and are called the wings. The flesh is commonly served here divided into long narrow fillets, called crimped skate, which are rolled up and fastened, to preserve them in that form, while they are cooked. In France, it is sent to table raised from the bones in large portions, sauced with _beurre-noir_ (burned or browned butter), and strewed with well-crisped parsley. Trout, which is a delicious fish when stewed in gravy, either quite simply, or with the addition of wine and various condiments, and which when of small size is very sweet and pleasant, eating nicely fried, is poor and insipid when plainly boiled.[43] Footnote 43: We have been informed by Mr. Howitt, the well-known author of several highly interesting works on Germany, that this fish, when boiled the instant it was caught—as he had eaten it often on the banks of some celebrated German trout-streams—was most excellent, especially when it was of large size;