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OYSTERS AND FISH

by

THOMAS J. MURREY

Author of “Fifty Soups,” “Fifty Salads,” “Breakfast
Dainties,” “Puddings and Dainty Desserts,” “The
Book of Entrées,” “Cookery for Invalids,”
“Practical Carving,” “Luncheon,” “Valuable
Cooking Recipes,” etc.







[Illustration]

New York
Copyright, 1888, by
Frederick A. Stokes & Brother
1888




                              DEDICATION.


                       _To the Inventor of the_

                     SHELDON CLOSE-TOP GAS-STOVE,

           _Who spent the best part of his life solving the
               perplexed problem of Economy in Fuel and
              Labor in our homes, and to those gentlemen
              connected with gas companies, who assisted
                and encouraged him, this little work is
                    most respectfully dedicated by_

                              THE AUTHOR.




CONTENTS.


                                                  PAGE

  INTRODUCTORY                                      11

  THE OYSTER                                        11

  THE OYSTER SEASON                                 11

  OYSTERS OUT OF SEASON                             12

  OYSTERS PRESERVED IN SHELL                        12

  THE FOOD OF THE OYSTER                            14

  FORMATION OF THE DEEP SHELL                       14

  COCK OYSTERS                                      15

  GREEN OYSTERS                                     15

  BANQUET OYSTERS                                   16

  ORDERING OYSTERS FOR THE FAMILY TABLE             17

  HOW OYSTERS SHOULD BE OPENED                      18

  HOW TO SERVE RAW OYSTERS                          18

  COLLATION SERVICE                                 19

  HOW TO EAT A RAW OYSTER                           19

  A BARREL OF OYSTERS                               20

  READ THIS!                                        20


  COOKED OYSTERS                                    21

  STEWED OYSTERS                                    21

  PHILADELPHIA FRIED OYSTERS                        22

  CURRY OF OYSTERS                                  24

  PICKLED-OYSTER OMELET                             24

  DEVILED OYSTERS ON TOAST                          24

  PICKLED OYSTERS                                   24

  SCALLOPED OYSTERS                                 25

  OYSTER SALAD                                      25

  PLAIN FRIED OYSTERS                               26

  MISS PARLOA’S “NEW COOK-BOOK”                     26

  OYSTER TOAST                                      26

  OYSTER OMELET                                     26

  OYSTERS, BROILED                                  27

  TRIPE WITH OYSTERS                                27

  OYSTERS EN BROCHETTE                              27

  FRIED OYSTERS                                     28

  OYSTER AND CANNED SALMON PIE                      28

  OYSTER PATTIES                                    28

  OYSTERS À LA POULETTE                             29

  PIE OF OYSTERS AND SCALLOPS                       29

  STEAMED OYSTERS                                   30

  TO SERVE STEAMED OYSTERS                          30

  ROAST OYSTERS                                     31

  BAKED OYSTERS                                     31


  CLAMS                                             31

  LITTLE-NECK CLAMS                                 31

  SOFT CLAMS IN CHAFING-DISH                        32

  STEWED LITTLE-NECK CLAMS                          33

  SOFT CLAMS                                        33

  SOFT-SHELL CLAMS SCALLOPED                        33

  CLAM TOAST                                        34

  CLAM BROTH                                        34

  CLAM FRITTERS                                     34

  FRIED SOFT CLAMS                                  35


  CRABS                                             35

  HARD-SHELL CRABS                                  35

  CRAB PATTIES, CREAM SAUCE                         36

  SOFT-SHELL CRABS                                  37

  THE CARE OF SOFT CRABS                            38

  CRABS, SOFT-SHELL                                 39

  CRAB CROQUETTES                                   39

  CRAB PATTIES, À LA BECHAMEL                       40

  CRABS, À L’AMÉRICAINE                             41

  CRABS, DEVILED                                    41


  SCALLOPS                                          42

  SCALLOP BROTH                                     42

  SMALL PATTIES OF SCALLOPS                         43

  FRIED SCALLOPS                                    43

  SCALLOPS EN BROCHETTE                             44

  STEWED SCALLOPS                                   44


  MUSSELS                                           44

  THE MUSSEL                                        44


  THE LOBSTER                                       45

  REMARKS ON THE LOBSTER                            45

  THE SEASON FOR LOBSTER                            45

  SOFT-SHELL LOBSTER NOT EDIBLE                     46

  SELECTING LOBSTERS                                46

  VALUE OF THE LOBSTER AS FOOD                      46

  BROILED LOBSTER                                   47

  LOBSTER CROQUETTES WITH PEASE                     48

  LOBSTERS EN BROCHETTE                             48

  DEVILED LOBSTER                                   49

  STEWED LOBSTER, À LA CRÉOLE                       49

  CURRY OF LOBSTER                                  50

  LOBSTER SALAD                                     50


  THE OYSTER CRAB                                   51

  TO SERVE OYSTER CRABS                             52

  OYSTER-CRAB OMELET                                52

  OYSTER-CRAB SAUCE                                 52

  ACKNOWLEDGMENT                                    53


  SHRIMPS                                           53

  MARKET PRICE OF SHRIMPS                           54

  SHRIMP OMELET                                     54

  SHRIMP SAUCE                                      54


  PRAWNS                                            54

  CURRY OF PRAWNS                                   55

  PRAWNS, DEVILED, EN COQUILLE                      55

  PRAWNS, SAUTÉ, À LA MARENGO                       55

  PRAWN SALAD                                       56


  CRAYFISH                                          56

  CRAYFISH OMELET                                   57


  SALMON                                            57

  SALMON STEAK                                      57

  CANNED SALMON                                     57

  SALMON PATTIES                                    58

  SALMON SURPRISE                                   59

  SALMON À LA CRÉOLE                                59

  SALMON PIE                                        60

  SALMON IN JELLY                                   60

  SALMON OMELET                                     61

  SALMON, GERMAN STYLE                              61

  SALMON À L’ITALIENNE                              61

  SALMON À LA HOLLANDAISE                           62

  SALMON, HUNTER’S STYLE                            62

  BOUILLABAISSE                                     63


  CODFISH                                           63

  BOILED CODFISH, OYSTER SAUCE                      63

  CODFISH TONGUES                                   64

  CODFISH STEAK                                     64

  NEW-ENGLAND CODFISH BALLS                         65

  BAKED COD                                         66

  SALT CODFISH WITH CREAM 66

  SCROD                                             67


  BROOK TROUT                                       67

  BROOK TROUT, SPORTSMAN STYLE                      68

  BROILED TROUT                                     69

  BROOK TROUT, BAKED                                69

  BROOK TROUT, BOILED                               70


  MISCELLANEOUS                                     70

  CATFISH, FRIED                                    70

  TENDERLOIN TROUT                                  71

  FRICASSEED EELS                                   71

  EEL PATTIES                                       72

  STEWED EELS, HOBOKEN TURTLE CLUB STYLE            72

  PAN BASS, ANCHOVY BUTTER                          73

  FILLET OF FLOUNDER, TARTAR SAUCE                  74

  FRIED TOMCODS                                     75

  BROILED SALT CODFISH                              75

  BROILED SALT MACKEREL                             76

  FRIED PORGIES WITH SALT PORK                      77

  FISH CURRIES                                      78

  A PLAIN FISH CURRY                                78

  CURRY OF SCALLOPS                                 78

  CURRY OF CRAYFISH                                 79

  CURRY OF EELS, WITH RICE                          79

  CURRY OF SHAD ROE                                 79

  CURRY OF FROGS’ LEGS                              80

  BROILED WEAKFISH                                  80

  BAKED WHITEFISH, BORDEAUX SAUCE                   81

  HALIBUT, EGG SAUCE                                82

  EGG SAUCE                                         82

  FRIED BUTTERFISH                                  82

  BROILED SHAD                                      82

  BAKED SHAD                                        83

  SHAD ROE À LA POULETTE                            83

  BROILED ROYANS                                    84

  BROILED SARDINES                                  84

  BROILED SMELTS, SAUCE TARTARE                     84

  SMELTS FRIED, SAUCE TARTARE                       85

  BROILED WHITEFISH                                 85

  SHEEP’S-HEAD WITH DRAWN BUTTER                    85

  DRAWN BUTTER                                      86

  BROILED SHEEP’S-HEAD                              86




INTRODUCTORY.


Would it not be beneficial, were the average American to substitute
fish for the everlasting steak and chop of the breakfast-table?

For the sake of variety, if for no other reason, we should eat more
fish; and it need not always be fried or broiled. A well-made fish stew
or a curry should be acceptable to the majority of us, and undoubtedly
would be if appetizingly prepared.

This little work does not by any means propose to exhaust the subject
of sea-food, for the subject is almost inexhaustible; but it places
within the reach of all a series of recipes and suggestions extremely
valuable to the average housewife.




THE OYSTER.


=The Oyster Season= opens in the city of New York on the first day
of September, and closes on the last day of April in each year. The
annual amount of business done in the oyster trade is close on to
$5,000,000. Each successive year witnesses an increase in the business.

Notwithstanding the R canon, there are thousands of persons who eat
oysters at the summer resorts along the seashore throughout hot weather.


=Oysters out of Season.=--The writer does not recommend the eating of
oysters out of their season, no matter how fresh they may be, or how
appetizing they may appear.

To supply the demands made upon them by summer resorts, oyster-planters
shift the oysters, during the spawning season, from warm shallow water
to cold deep water. This checks or prevents the oysters from spawning,
and to all appearance they are edible; but the writer firmly believes
that interfering with the laws of nature affects the health of the
oyster, and they cannot be as wholesome as planters would have us
believe.


=Oysters Preserved in Shell.=--So long as the oyster retains its
natural juices, it will live out of water, provided the changes in
the temperature are not too sudden. The moment the oyster opens its
shells, however, the juices run out, and in a short time afterward the
oyster dies. To prevent the oyster opening its stony overcoat, is
the object of oyster-shippers; and the Patent Office bears witness to
their many devices having this object in view. Some wire the shells,
others clasp or envelope the broad end of the shells with tin or
other metal. No doubt these devices aid in keeping the oyster alive
and fresh a little longer. Whether the nervous system of the oyster
is affected by the process, is a question. Scientists tell us that
oysters possess organs of sensation, and all who have handled oysters
learn in time that a sudden jar or shock will kill them. The jar of the
machinery of a steamboat will sometimes kill an oyster. When shipped
to Europe they are ordered to be stored as far away from the machinery
as possible. Some authorities claim that the oyster can hear. One
cannot noisily approach an oyster-bed at feeding time without their
hearing, and instantly every shell is closed. A cloud or a boat passing
over an oyster-bank will cause every shell to close with proverbial
tightness, and the sound of thunder will often kill them while they are
in transit,--conclusive evidence that the nervous system in an oyster,
while not highly developed, is of sufficient importance to merit
attention from those who roughly handle oysters.

=The Food of the Oyster= consists of minute animal and vegetable
organisms and small particles of organized matter. Ordinary sea-water
contains an abundance of this sort of food, which is drawn into the
gills with the water. As the water strains through the pores into
the water tubes, the food particles are caught on the surface of the
gills by a layer of adhesive slime. As soon as they are entangled,
the microscopic hair-like projections on the gills strike against
them in such a way as to slide them along the gills toward the mouth.
When they reach the anterior ends of the gills, they are pushed off,
and fall between the lips, which are also covered with thin hair-like
projections, which carry the particles forward until they slide into
the mouth. No wonder the intelligent tramp wished that he might become
an oyster. His food would then come to him in a sort of endless
progression.


=Formation of the Deep Shell.=--Although the oyster lies upon the
bottom with one shell above and one below, the shells are not upon the
top and bottom of the body, but upon the right and left sides. The
two shells are symmetrical in the young oyster; but after it becomes
attached, the lower or attached side grows faster than the other, and
becomes deep and spoon-shaped, while the free valve remains nearly
flat. In nearly every case the lower or deep valve is the left.


=Cock Oysters.=--There is a belief among oyster-eaters, that the
dark-gray or black oysters are male oysters, and are therefore superior
to the female oyster. Such misinformation was evidently promulgated
by oyster-openers in anticipation of a tip for serving selected
oysters. There is no truth in the assertion, however, for there are
just as many black female oysters as there are black male oysters.
There is no characteristic color by which a male or cock oyster can
be distinguished from a female oyster. Microscopic examination, or a
scientific eye, is the means of discovering the sex of an oyster.

The black-oyster romance is of ancient origin. The Roman
oyster-smashers successfully “worked it” on Pliny, Horace, and other
ancient writers and epicures.


=Green Oysters.=--At least a million dollars worth of oysters are
annually destroyed in New-York waters by sludge acid from the oil
refineries and illegal dumpings. The acid kills the oysters the instant
it touches them, and turns them green. There is very little danger that
a poisoned oyster will reach the consumer, but the loss to the planter
is enormous.

The green tint of the oyster, or in fact any distinguished color the
oyster may possess, is due to the color of its food and to the nature
of the surrounding bottom. The bottom of the Shrewsbury River is mud;
the oysters take on a peculiar tawny color from their muddy bed.
Rockaway oysters exist on a hard sandy bottom. If the beds are covered
with sea-lettuce, as they often are, the oysters take on a delicate
green tint. When the lettuce is removed by a strong tide or high wind,
the oysters gradually assume their white, slightly grayish color. Their
shells are round, thin, and brittle. The shells from mud bottoms are
long, narrow, thick, and spongy. Intruded mud is enclosed by a thin
layer of pearly shell.

The oyster epicure may rest assured of one fact. No matter what the
color of an oyster may be, so long as it is alive and seasonable it is
wholesome. It cannot absorb enough foreign matter to injure the epicure
without committing suicide, and there is no possible danger of any one
_swallowing_ a dead oyster.


=Banquet Oysters.=--As served at the average public banquet, the
raw oyster is a thing of terror to appetite and to weak digestive
organs. When looking for one’s seat, where, through an oversight,
one is not furnished with a chart of the tables, one beholds six
very small emaciated oysters. The heat in the room has absorbed their
moisture, afterwards the bed of fine ice on which they were placed
has melted, and the water overflowed them, thereby finishing the work
of destruction. One must be under the influence of the sherry and
Vermouth of the reception-rooms, to be willing to begin the feast with
such an introductory course. No wonder fashionable society demands a
substitute for the oyster as the dinner season progresses. In the name
of humanity, order the oysters to table and announce the dinner at
the same time. Guests are willing to wait a few moments for toothsome
oysters, provided they are direct from the ice-box.


=Ordering Oysters for the Family Table.=--Send the servant to the
nearest dealer, a few minutes before the oysters are wanted, and let
her wait for them. In this way one is quite sure of procuring freshly
opened oysters. Many dealers begin opening oysters for their family
orders hours before they are to be served; and the result is, they have
lost much of their juices before being served.

Miss Parloa’s “New Cook Book” says, “Six large oysters are usually
allowed each person.” This error should be corrected in future
editions. Large raw oysters on the half-shell are only served at
oyster-counters to countrymen, and are not served at a dinner, no
matter how unpretentious or how elaborate the affair may be.


=How Oysters should be opened.=--In the author’s work on “Luncheon,”
reference is made to the great care which should be exercised in
opening oysters; and it will bear repeating. Reject all oysters opened
by the “smashing” process. The shells are not only broken and ragged,
but, should a person swallow a ragged splinter of oyster-shell, there
is great danger of its killing him. Insist on it that your oysters are
opened by the so-called “stabbing” process.


=How to serve Raw Oysters.=--If for a quiet family affair, where
“opened” oysters are used, keep the plates in ice-water, and dry them
before placing the oysters on them. For more pretentious affairs, but
where fancy oyster-plates are not a part of the dinner service, use
soup-plates. Fill them with fine cracked ice, place a dainty doily
over each, and set the oysters on top of the doily. The lemon should
be served on a side-dish, and not in the centre of the dish as though
one were dining in a restaurant. Four small Rockaways are sufficient
to serve at the ordinary course dinner. In nine cases are out of
ten, Rockaways are served instead of the Blue Points. It is therefore
advisable to order the former; the dealer might make a mistake if he
had them in stock, and send the latter.

It is quite English to serve raw oysters on the flat half-shell, but it
is quite American to serve them on the deep shell. The American way is
the best.


=Collation Service.=--At evening collations, the oysters are served in
the centre of a block of ice. A clear, square block of ice is selected,
and a cavity or receptacle is made in it by the aid of a hot flat-iron
held close to the ice. If one has patience, the cavity may be shaved
out with an ice shave; if a pick is used, one is likely to split the
cake of ice. An ice boat is easily formed by holding a hot flat-iron to
a long piece of ice. Holes may be made through the bottom of the block
of ice, and filled with brilliant flowers; and the outer sides and top
should be handsomely decorated with flowers and smilax. If electric
lights are used in the house, it is an easy matter to place them in the
cake of ice: the effect is striking. The wires are carried from the
room below the dining-room, or under the carpet.


=How to eat a Raw Oyster.=--Avoid as much as possible the use of
condiments, when eating oysters. They were never intended as an
accompaniment of the oyster, and are only used by country people.
A suspicion of lemon; a dash of salt when the dealer has kept them
covered with cracked ice, and the descending ice-water washed out all
sea flavor; and, for palates grown callous, a dash of cayenne. Such
abominations as ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, etc., should never be
used. Do not bolt the oyster, but masticate it; and one will soon learn
to tell the different oysters by their different flavors. By bolting
them, one will never know how to thoroughly appreciate them.


=A Barrel of Oysters.=--Persons living away from the city are advised
to purchase oysters by the barrel. If kept with the deep shell down,
and in a cool place, they will live a long time. The novice is likely
to bruise fingers in vain attempts to open them; but, like carving,
the opening of oysters should be part of a man’s education. Then there
is the charm of roasting the oysters in the old-fashioned fire-place.
Here the novice may burn a finger or two, but then it’s fun for the
youngsters.


=Read this!=--In W. Mattieu Williams’s “Chemistry of Cookery,” I
find the following: “More than half a century has elapsed since Dr.
Beaumont published the results of his experiments on Alexis St. Martin.
These showed that fresh raw oysters required two hours and fifty-five
minutes to digest, and stewed fresh oysters three and a half hours for
digestion; against one hour for boiled tripe, and three hours for roast
or boiled beef or mutton.”

The general impression among the people is, that raw oysters digest
almost as soon as they become of the same temperature of the stomach.




COOKED OYSTERS.


=Stewed Oysters.=--Boil half a pint of milk; add to it eleven
good-sized oysters, a walnut of butter, a dash of salt and of pepper.
Allow the milk to boil up just once, and serve.

The average cook puts the oysters on first, and after they boil cold
milk is added. When the milk boils, the stew is served. The result
of such treatment of the oyster causes it to shrivel so that it is
hardly recognizable, and a good-sized oyster becomes a mere sprat. From
this process of cooking originated the ancient moth-eaten jokes about
church-fair stews.

Cooked as in the foregoing recipe, the oyster retains its plump
characteristics.


=Philadelphia Fried Oysters.=--The author originally published this
recipe in the New York “Evening Sun” by request.

The average New Yorker may call the City of Brotherly Love a sleepy
sort of a place, but it is wide enough awake gastronomically. It has
within its city limits cooks who prepare fried oysters that fairly
melt in one’s mouth. They are so delicate that there is not a pang of
dyspepsia in a whole winter’s supply of the toothsome dainties. The
reputation of Finneli’s Philadelphia fried oysters extends from Maine
to California; and immense sums have been offered for the recipe, but
its owner would not sell his secret at any price.

Beat up three eggs thoroughly; add half a pint of oyster-juice,
a pepper-spoonful of cayenne, a saltspoonful of black pepper, a
tablespoonful of salt, and a teaspoonful of English mustard. Work
the mixture to a batter, and gradually add a gill of oil. Now comes
the more particular part of the formula. Cover a board or part of a
table with a layer of cracker-crumbs half an inch deep. Drain fifty
oysters free from liquid, place them on the cracker-crumbs, and
dredge over them more cracker-crumbs. See to it that one oyster is
not on top of another. Pick up each oyster by its beard, and dip it
in the batter. Have ready a quantity of bread-crumbs grated from the
white part of stale bread; spread this out on the table, and after
the oysters have been dipped in the batter lay them carefully on the
bread-crumbs two inches apart. After they are all spread out, turn them
over neatly, which will bread-crumb the other side. Dip them in the
batter again by taking hold of the beard, and again spread them out on
the bread-crumbs. Under no circumstances place one oyster on top of
another, or in any way press them together; this would make them heavy.
When the fat is so hot that the smoke from it would light a match, then
fry them by again taking hold of the beard, one at a time, and dropping
them into the fat. When they are dark brown, take them up, and strew
over them a quantity of salt.

The secret is in carefully handling the oyster after it has been
breaded. How differently New York restaurants serve fried oysters!
In almost every eating place in the city, one sees piles of oysters
covered with a batter that plainly shows the cook purposely pressed
them between his hands. When served they look more like liver-pads than
human food. Nothing short of a human ostrich could possibly digest
them. The Philadelphia oyster, however, is a culinary poem.


=Curry of Oysters.=--Put an ounce of butter in a pan; add to it a
teaspoon of curry-powder, and water enough to prevent burning. Put
fifteen oysters in just water enough to cover them, simmer three
minutes, and drain; thicken the broth with a teaspoonful of flour, salt
to taste, stir this into the curry; add the oysters, simmer a moment,
and serve with boiled rice.


=Pickled-Oyster Omelet.=--Rinse six spiced or pickled oysters in cold
water. Divide an ounce of butter into little balls, and roll them in
flour; put them in a saucepan, heat gradually, and whisk to a cream;
add a gill of hot water, salt and pepper. Cut the oysters in two,
and add to the butter. Prepare an omelet in the usual manner; before
folding, add the oysters; turn out on a hot dish, and serve.


=Deviled Oysters on Toast.=--Mix together a heaping saltspoonful of
mustard flour, half a saltspoonful each of white pepper and salt, and
the yolk of one egg. Dip six oysters in the paste, then in fine crumbs,
and broil over a moderate fire. When done, arrange on toast, and
squeeze over them the juice of half a lemon.


=Pickled Oysters.=--A few pickled oysters may be served instead of
clams during warm weather. Scald a quart of oysters a moment, drain,
and put them in jars. To a pint of oyster liquor, add half a pint of
hot water and half a pint of hot vinegar; pour over the oysters; add
three cloves, four whole peppers, a small bit of mace, and a slice of
lemon, to each jar. This will be sufficient for two ordinary fruit-jars.


=Scalloped Oysters.=--Put in the bottom of a yellow dish two ounces of
sweet butter, divided into little pieces. Add a layer of raw oysters,
and cover them with cracker-dust or bread-crumbs, and add salt and
pepper to taste; another layer of oysters, and so on until the dish is
full, the last or top layer to be crumbs, and between each layer there
should be a small amount of butter. Moisten the ingredients with a
liberal quantity of oyster liquid, put small butter balls on top of the
dish, and bake a delicate brown color. Oysters were formerly baked in a
scalloped or shell-shaped dish, hence the name.


=Oyster Salad.=--Boil two dozen small oysters for five minutes in water
enough to cover them; add a little salt and a tablespoonful of vinegar;
drain and cool. Put into a salad-bowl the centre leaves of two heads of
cabbage lettuce, add the oysters whole, pour over them a mayonnaise;
garnish with oyster-crabs, hard-boiled eggs, and, if liked, a few
anchovies cut into fillets.


=Plain Fried Oysters.=--As a rule, fried oysters are not served as
a breakfast dish, owing to the coating with which they are usually
surrounded. Served plain, however, they are quite acceptable. Dry them
well in a napkin, and roll them in a little flour to insure that they
are quite dry, then cook them in a very little hot dripping.

Miss Parloa’s “New Cook-Book” says, “a quart of oysters is enough for a
party of ten” (p. 118). There are from twenty to twenty-five oysters in
a quart, rarely more than this.


=Oyster Toast.=--Select fifteen plump oysters; chop them fine, and add
salt, pepper, and a suspicion of nutmeg. Beat up the yolks of two eggs
with a gill of cream; whisk this into the simmering oysters. When set,
pour the whole over slices of buttered toast.


=Oyster Omelet.=--Stew six oysters in their own liquor for five
minutes; remove the oysters, and thicken the liquid with a walnut of
butter rolled in flour; season with salt and cayenne; whisk this to a
cream. Chop the oysters, and add them to the sauce; simmer until the
sauce thickens. Beat up four eggs lightly, and add a tablespoonful of
cream; turn out into a hot pan, and fry a light gold-color. Before
folding the omelet entirely, place the oysters with part of the sauce
within, and turn it over on a hot dish. The remainder of the sauce
should be poured round it.


=Oysters Broiled.=--Rub the bars of a wire broiler with a little sweet
butter; dry twelve large, plump oysters in a napkin, and place them on
the broiler; brush a little butter over them, and broil over a fire
free from flame and smoke. When done on both sides, arrange them neatly
on toast; pour a little well-seasoned melted butter over them, and
serve.

Do not bread-crumb oysters intend for broiling.


=Tripe with Oysters.=--Tripe, when properly prepared by a simple
process, is very nutritious and easily digested.

Cut up half a pound of well-washed tripe; simmer for three-quarters of
an hour in water slightly salted; take out the tripe; add to the broth
a little butter rolled in flour, salt and pepper; add a little more
flour if not thick enough. Return the tripe and a dozen oysters; simmer
for a few minutes longer, and serve.


=Oysters en Brochette.=--Select one dozen choice oysters; plunge them
into hot water a second to make them firm (this process is called
blanching), then drain, and dip them into melted butter; arrange them
on skewers with alternate layers of neatly sliced bacon; broil over a
moderate fire. When done, add maitre-d’hôtel butter to them, and serve
on the skewers.


=Fried Oysters.=--Beat up the yolks of four eggs with three
tablespoonfuls of sweet oil, and season them with a teaspoonful of
salt and a saltspoonful of cayenne pepper; beat up thoroughly. Dry
twelve fat oysters on a napkin; dip them in the egg batter, then in
cracker-dust; shake off the loose cracker-dust, dip them again in the
egg batter, and lastly roll them in fine _bread-crumbs_. Fry in very
hot fat, using fat enough to cover them. The oil gives them a nice
flavor.


=Oyster and Canned Salmon Pie.=--One pound of best canned salmon, one
pint of solid oysters, half a pint of oyster liquid; cover the bottom
of the dish with neat pieces of the salmon, season with salt and pepper
and an ounce of butter rolled in flour, add a few oysters, and so