A Salt-Fish Dinner.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXV, Issue VI, 11 August 1900, Page 273

A Salt-Fish Dinner.

Did you ever eat a salt fish dinner? If not. yon have missed one of the good tilings of life, and should neglect your opportunity no longer than is necessary to have one prepared for the family table. Before we talk of its cooking, however, let us dispose of some of the preliminaries. in the first place, we must have a salt cod-fish, not several sections of so-called boneless cod, that may be polluek, but a nice, plump, whole codfish that has been well and properly cured. Insist on that kind of a basis for your dinner and accept no other. A salt fish dinner is a cheap one, and we. may well insist on the best ingredients to aid in its preparation. Having got your whole fish, put it to soak in eold water over night; in the morning wash it clean and cut off the fins and tail. We want to cook the fish whole, and if you have not got a fish kettle place it in a large milk pan partly filled with water. Cover the pan closely and set over a kettle of hot water. It will cook very slowly in this way, say five or six hours, according to the size of the fish, but it will be done properly when ready for the table.

As we cooked the fish whole, so we should serve it, placing it on a hotplatter. Indeed, one of the essentials of a good salt fish dinner is to have everything hot, not only the fish and vegetables, but plates and dishes as well. The dish on which your fish is served must be an ample one, and around the fish you will place a garnish of nicely sliced beets and carrots. With the fish you will serve pork scraps and egg sauce and boiled potatoes. The pork should be cut into dice and fried a rich brown.

To make the egg sauce take two eggs that have been boiled ten minutes, remove the shell, and cut into little pieces, placing them in the sauce dish. Blend a piece of butter the size of an egg with a tablespoonful of flour, and when the. fish is ready to serve pomover a coffee cup of boiling water, stir, and pour into the sauce dish with the egg and stir again. If the sauce is too thick add still more boiling water.

If you follow the above directions carefully and bring everything to the table steaming hot you will have a dinner fit for a king.

The fish that is left from dinner should never be thrown away, as it is just what you need to make fishballs for the next morning’s breakfast. Indeed. salt fish when cooked up ami lamed will keep for a week and motive used whenever it suits your fancy.

When you have not time to cook a salt, fish for dinner and desire an emergency dish try salt fish in cream prepared as follows: Shred a cupful of salt cod, or. if you prefer, use the prepared article, place it in a stewpan over the fire in cold water to cover, and let it come to a boil for a couple of minutes; pour off the water, add to the fish one pint of sweet milk, ami when this Itoils thicken with flour wet with milk: let it boil four or five minutes, being careful it does not scorch, and serve in a hot deep dish. Serve piekled lieets with this dish anti boiled potatoes. I have often relished a breakfust from a bit of broiled salt cod. Select a eut from the. thick part of the fish,

remove the skin, broil carefully on both sides, plunge in boiling water, then place on a hot plate; pour over some drawn butter and serve quickly. Try it some morning with ereamed potatoes and corn bread. A nice way to dispose of some of the fish left from your salt-fish dinner will be in salt fish croquettes. They are nice made as follows: Chop fine a cupful of the fish and add to it twice the quantity of boiled potato, well mashed and seasoned, and one wellbeaten egg. Make into croquettes, dip in eggs, roll in cracker crumbs, and fry .a golden brown in deep fat. The more butter and cream you use in your mashed potato the richer the croquettes will be.—Louis Roie in "Manchester Union.”’