Comprising Section I Char, d la Genoise, in Matelotte. d la Hollandaise. d la Beaufort.

Lamprey in Matelotte. a la Foley.

Lamprey, d la Beauchamp. Smelts fried.

in Matelotte.

in cases, with fine-herbs.

d la Royale.

Char is in season from July till October, and forms a most delicious variety for the table in the summer season. When perfectly fresh, it makes perhaps the best water souchet of any fish.*

493. Char, A La Genoise

Boil the fish in salt and water, and when done, skin and glaze them; dish them up, sauce with some Genoise sauce (No. 30), garnish with a border of small quenelles of whiting, and crayfish tails, and send to table.

* Water Souchet of Char is described among the Water Souchets.

494. Char, In Matelotte

Trim the char intended to be dressed, place them in an oval stewpan with an onion and carrot cut in thin slices, also a bay-leaf and a sprig of thyme, a bouquet of parsley and green onions, a blade of mace, a few pepper-corns, some parings of mushrooms, and a little salt; moisten with a bottle of Claret, and set the whole to stew gently on a stove-fire for about twenty minutes or half an hour, according to the size of the fish. As soon as the fish are done, drain them on a wet napkin ; remove their skin with a knife, and place them neatly on the dish. Then, reduce the liquor in which the char have been stewed (after first being strained and skimmed), with a sufficient quantity of brown sauce for the purpose; when the sauce is reduced, add a little nutmeg, a pat of butter, and some lemon-juice, and pass it through a tammy into a stewpan containing some prepared button-mushrooms, button-onions, and very small quenelles of whiting; warm the ragout, pour it over and about the char, garnish the matelotte with a border of large crayfish, and some croutons, and serve.

495. Char, A La Hollandaise

Boil the char in salt and water, dish them up on a napkin, and send to table with a boatful of Dutch sauce.

Char, thus plain boiled, may also be sent to table with parsley and butter, green Ravigotte, or Crayfish sauce.

496. Char, A La Beaufort

Place the char when trimmed in an oval stewpan, with sliced carrot and onion, a fagot of parsley and green onions, mace, mushrooms, pepper-corns, thyme, bay-leaf, and salt; moisten with French white wine, and set the fish to stew gently on the stove fire. When done, drain them on to a napkin, skin and mask them with some glaze mixed with some bruised coral of lobster, place them on their dish, and sauce them round with a Parisian ragout (No. 203) mixed with the liquor in which the char has been stewed, after this liquor has been reduced to glaze ; garnish round with a border of lobster croquettes.

497. Lamprey Matelotte

To cleanse lampreys,* it is necessary to put them into a large earthen vessel with plenty of salt, with which they should be well scoured, and afterward thoroughly washed in several waters : by this means they are freed from the slimy mucus which adheres to this kind of fish. The lamprey should then be trimmed and cut into pieces about three inches long, or it may be left whole, according to taste; it should be placed in a stewpan with sliced carrot and onion, mace, pepper-corns, thyme, and bay-leaf, parsley, mushrooms, and salt; moisten it with Port wine, and set the whole to stew gently on the stove-fire. When done, take half the liquor in which the lampreys have been stewed, and reduce it with some brown sauce; add a glass of Port wine, and as soon as the sauce is reduced to a proper consistency, incorporate with it a pat of butter, a little essence of anchovies, and lemon-juice, and pass it through a tammy into a bain-marie, containing some button-mushx-ooms, stewed small button-onions, and some small quenelles of perch. Drain the lampreys, place them on a dish, sauce them over with the ragout, garnish round with crayfish, and send to table.

* Of this kind offish there are two different sorts in general use for the table; one being the sea or marine lamprey, which is abundant at Gloucester and Worcester, where it is dressed and preserved for the purpose of being given as presents. The other sort, the tempera, is much smaller; this is to be found in the Thames, and may easily be obtained at any of the London fishmongers from the month of October till March, at Which period they are in season. The lamprey is considered to be in best condition during the months of April and May, when it ascends the Severn from the sea, for the purpose of depositing its spawn.