Here are pages 23, 24 and part of 25 of the vintage booklet The Enterprising Housekeeper from the sixth edition (1906). If you’d like to follow along and browse through more pages of the book, I’m filing them in the Enterprising Housekeeper Category.

Fish

The “left-overs” of boiled, baked or fried fish have many possibilities. Here, as with the majority of made-over dishes, the sauce plays the leading part and must be adapted to the kind of fish to be used. Ordinarily an acid sauce of some kind is most acceptable, as the juices of the fish are alkaline and the palate craves the added acidity. This is especially true of such oily fish as salmon and blue fish. The white-fleshed fishes, whitefish, halibut, cod, haddock, and so forth, as well as most of the shell fish, may be acceptably served with cream sauces.

Fish Turbot in Shells

Yolks of two hard-boiled eggs
1 cupful of cream or milk
1 tablespoonful of chopped parsley
4 tablespoonfuls of bread crumbs
2 cupfuls of cooked fish
1 tablespoonful of butter
2 tablespoonfuls of flour
Salt and pepper to taste.

Scald the cream. Rub the butter and flour together until smooth, add to the scalded cream, stir until it thickens. Add the bread crumbs and cook on the back part of the stove, or over hot water, for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Take from the fire, add the fish, parsley and seasoning. Mix gently, that the fish may not become stringy. Fill greased scalloped shells or individual soufflé dishes. Brush over the top with the beaten yolk of an egg and brown in a quick oven. This may be baked or browned in a single large turbot dish if desired.

Fish Cutlets

2 cupfuls of cooked fish meat, chopped fine
1 cupful of milk or cream
2 tablespoonfuls of butter
1 tablespoonful of chopped parsley
Yolks of two eggs
2 tablespoonfuls of flour
Dash of paprica
Salt and pepper to taste.

Scald the milk. Rub the butter and flour together until smooth, add to the scalded milk and stir until it thickens. Add the yolks of the eggs beaten light, take from the fire and mix gently with the fish. Season with the salt, pepper and parsley. Onion and celery extract may be used if liked. Cool, form into cutlets, cover with eggs and bread crumbs and fry in smoking-hot fat.

Halibut á la Delmonica

1 tablespoonful of Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoonful of cornstarch
1/2 cupful of mashed potatoes
2 cupfuls of cream or milk
2 cupfuls of cooked fish
3 tablespoonfuls of butter
Yolks of two eggs
Salt and pepper to taste.

Beat the potato until light and creamy, with the yolk of one egg. Melt two tablespoonfuls of butter, add the cornstarch, stir until smooth. Add the cream, stir until the sauce thickens, take from the fire, add the remaining egg yolk, fish and seasoning. Fill a greased baking dish with alternate layers of potato and fish. Cover the top with bread crumbs mixed with the cheese and the remaining tablespoonful of butter, melted. Cook for 20 minutes in a quick oven.

Codfish Balls

2 tablespoonfuls of cream
1 egg
1 tablespoonful of melted butter
1 cupful of salt fish
2 cupfuls of potatoes
Pepper to taste.

Wash and pick over the fish, shredding it into small pieces. Peel the potatoes and cut in quarters. Put the fish and potatoes together in a saucepan cover with boiling water, and cook twenty five minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Watch them that they may not cook until soggy. Drain thoroughly, mash and beat with a fork until light. Add the butter, mix, and cool slightly. Add the eggs, beaten without separating, and the cream, unless the mixture be too soft, adding gradually, as the entire quantity given may not be required. Make into balls, cover with egg and bread crumbs, and fry in smoking hot fat. If handled and fried carefully, these may be cooked if desired without the egg and bread crumb covering.

Fish Hash

Use the same proportions as given for codfish balls. The fish and potatoes may be cooked together the day before, drained, and left standing until ready to prepare for breakfast. Then heat and add the egg, butter and cream. Beat until very light and brown slightly in a frying-pan. Fold like an omelet, and serve on a heated dish.

Salmon may be served as cutlets, or re-heated in a Sauce Piquanté or Drawn Butter Sauce; or may be served cold with Sauce Tartare.

Cod may be re-heated in a Cream, Bechamel, Egg, Supréme or Drawn Butter Sauce. A few drops of lemon juice added to the above sauces or squeezed on the fish improves its flavor.