TO STEW OYSTERS

Take what quantity you will of the best Oysters to eat raw.  Open them, putting all their water with the fish into a bason.  Take out the Oysters one by one (that you may have them washed clean in their own water) and lay them in the dish you intend to stew them in.  Then let their water run upon them through a fine linnen, that all their foulness may remain behind.  Then put a good great lump of Butter to them, which may be (when melted) half as much, as their water.  Season them with Salt, Nutmeg, and a very few Cloves.  Let this boil smartly, covered.  When it is half boiled, put in some crusts of light French-bread, and boil on, till all be enough, and then serve them up.

You may put in three or four grains of Ambergreece, when you put in the Nutmeg, that in the boiling it may melt.  You may also put in a little White-wine or Verjuyce at the last, or some juyce of Orange.

TO DRESS LAMPREY’S

At Glocester they use Lamprey’s thus.  Heat water in a Pot or Kettle with a narrow mouth, till it be near ready to boil; so that you may endure to dip your hand into it, but not to let it stay in.  Put your Lamprey’s, as they come out of the River, into this scalding-water, and cover the pot, that little while they remain in, which must be but a moment, about an Ave Maria while.  Then with a Woodden ladle take them out, and lay them upon a table, and hold their head in a Napkin (else it will slip away, if held in the bare hand) and with the back of a knife scrape off the mud, which will have risen out all along the fish.  A great deal and very thick will come off:  and then the skin will look clean and shining and blew, which must never be flead off.  Then open their bellies all along, and with a Pen-knife loosen the string which begins under the gall (having first cast away the gall and entrails) then pull it out, and in the pulling away, it will stretch much in length; then pick out a black substance, that is all along under the string, cutting towards the back as much as is needful for this end.  Then rowl them up and down in a soft and dry napkin, changing this as soon as it is wet for another, using so many Napkins as may make the fishes perfectly dry; for in that consisteth a chief part of their preparation.  Then powder them well with Pepper and Salt, rubbing them in well, and lay them round in a Pot or strong crust upon a good Lare of Butter, and store of Onions every where about them, and chiefly a good company in the middle.  Then put more Butter upon them, covering the pot with a fit cover, and so set them into a quick oven, that is strongly heated; where they will require three or four hours (at least) baking.  When they are taken out of the oven and begin to cool, pour store of melted Butter upon them, to fill up the pot at least three fingers breadth above the fish, and then let it cool and harden; And thus it will keep a year, if need be, so the Butter be not opened, nor craked, that the air get into the fish.