202. How to roast a PIKE with a Pudding in the Belly.

Take a large pike, scale and clean it, draw it at the gills.—­To make a pudding for the Pike.  Take a large handful of bread-crumbs, as much beef-suet shred fine, two eggs, a little pepper and salt, a little grated nutmeg, a little parsley, sweet-marjoram and lemon-peel shred fine; so mix altogether, put it into the belly of your pike, skewer it round and lie it in an earthen dish with a lump of butter over it, a little salt and flour, so set it in the oven; an hour will roast it.

203. To dress a COD’S HEAD.

Take a cod’s head, wash and clean it, take out the gills, cut it open, and make it to lie flat; (if you have no conveniency of boiling it you may do it in an oven, and it will be as well or better) put it into a copper-dish or earthen one, lie upon it a littler butter, salt, and flour, and when it is enough take off the skin.

SAUCE for the COD’S HEAD.

Take a little white gravy, about a pint of oysters or cockles, a little shred lemon-peel, two or three spoonfuls of white wine, and about half a pound of butter thicken’d with flour, and put it into your boat or bason.

Another SAUCE for a COD’S HEAD.

Take a pint of good gravy, a lobster or crab, which you can get, dress and put it into your gravy with a little butter, juice of lemon, shred lemon-peel, and a few shrimps if you have them; thicken it with a little flour, and put it into your bason, set the oysters on one side of the dish and this on the other; lay round the head boiled whitings, or any fried fish; pour over the head a little melted butter.  Garnish your dish with horse-radish, slices of lemon and pickles.

204. To stew CARP or TENCH.

Take your carp or tench and wash them, scale the carp but not the tench, when you have cleaned them wipe them with a cloth, and fry them in a frying pan with a little butter to harden the skin; before you put them into the stew-pan, put to them a little good gravy, the quantity will be according to the largeness of your fish, with a jill of claret, three or four anchovies at least, a little shred lemon-peel, a blade or two of mace, let all stew together, till your carp be enough, over a slow fire; when it is enough take part of the liquor, put to it half a pound of butter, and thicken it with a little flour; so serve them up.  Garnish your dish with crisp parsley, slices of lemon and pickles.

If you have not the convenience of stewing them, you may broil them before a fire, only adding the same sauce.

205. How to make SAUCE for a boiled SALMON or TURBOT.

Take a little mild white gravy, two or three anchovies, a spoonful of oyster or cockle pickle, a little shred lemon-peel, half a pound of butter, a little parsley and fennel shred small, and a little juice of lemon, but not too much, for fear it should take off the sweetness.