1439 | Striped Bass Boiled à la Lorenzo C. Delmonico.
—Procure a fine fresh bass of about four to five pounds, neatly scale it, remove the entrails, and wash it well. Have a fish-kettle with one carrot and one onion, finely sliced, placed at the bottom; add one sprig of thyme and one parsley root, one bay-leaf, six cloves, and twelve whole peppers, place the fish lifter over the ingredients, and then lay the bass in a straight position on the lifter; completely cover the bass with cold water, add four heaped tablespoonfuls of salt and half a glass of vinegar; place it on the range, and let slowly come to a boil, which ought to take about thirty minutes.
Have in a saucepan half a finely chopped-up shallot, with a good glassful of red wine; reduce on the range to just one-half, add to it one gill of Espagnole sauce (No. 151), let come to a boil, squeeze in the juice of half a sound lemon, and leave on the corner of the range till required. Peel eight small, sound potatoes, give them a nice egg-shape, wash them, place in cold water with a tablespoonful of salt, and boil for about twenty minutes; drain them, lay a napkin over to keep warm.
Have twelve freshly opened medium-sized oysters, place in a sautoire with their own liquor, let them come to a boil on the range, skim well, and add a tablespoonful of good butter, with twelve small mushrooms. Cut the tail part of a small cooked lobster into half an inch square pieces, add it to the oysters, let cook together for two minutes. Lift up the fish with the lifter, let drain over the kettle for one minute, then gently slide it on a hot dish with a folded napkin over it, place a cluster of four potatoes at each end of the fish. Have either six scallop or clam shells well cleaned. Place two oysters on each shell, then two mushrooms, and equally divide the lobster on the six shells.
Add to the sauce in the pan in which the oysters were cooked, one tablespoonful of demi-glace (No. 185), mix a little, and then evenly pour it over the six fillets. Arrange three shells at each side of the fish. Strain the other sauce into a sauce-bowl, and send to the table separate.