The citizen., 1897-02-19


little later they will be brought from
Norfolk, and the Norfolk shad
are fine; but, after all, the North Caro-
lima sbad are the finest in the world.
They are fat, their flesh is firm, they
are red about the gills, their eyes are
bright, and as they lay on the market
stalls their silvery scales and pink fins
form a shimmeriDg irridescent picture
most attractive.
For breakfast, luncheon or for dinner
you can serve nothing more delicious
than one of these shad cooked after
one of the following recipes: For break
fast, fried shad cut in dainty pieces
for single service is best. For lunch
con this fish is best broiled, potted or
soused. For dinner, shad may be
broiled, boiled, panked or baked.
PLANKED sHAD.
This excellent receipt for planked
shad appeared in the New York
Journal recently: Planked shad is a
native American dish and is consider
ed a great delicacY. First get your
plank, which must he of white oak-a
| fine smooth toard an inch and a half
thick, fourteen inches wide. and at
least twenty iEches long, so you can
cook big shad on it. Place the
plank in very hot oven or before
very hot fire aud let it get so hot that
you cannot bear your hand on it,
| Scale your shad. If this was done at
the market so much the bt tier. Do
not cut the head or tail off, as it de-
stroys the looks of the fish. Split il
down the back, remove the entrails.
and if it is roe shad carefully remove
the rOes and place them on platter
without breaking them. Dip the fish
in a pan of cold water so it is thor
Ougbly clean and all the loose scales
are washed off. Lay on coarse linen
cloth flesh side down; cover it over and
pat it with both hands till it is quite
dry. Now lift the hot plank out of
the oven and spread the shad on it,
skin side next to the board.
| Tack the fish 10 the board with four
strong tacks, and stand it up before
the fire tail down, SO that the board
slants back little at the top. The
| fire must be tremendously hot.
After the fish has been cooked three
minutes lay it down fiat and sprinkle
ii with salt and stand it agaiu before
the fire. If it cooks too fast, stand it
back little. 1t will take about twen-
ty minutes to cook large, fat shad
thoroughly in this way
AS soon as it is a rich brown, and
the layers of flesh begin to part, it is
done. Then slide the shad off the
plank on to large hot platter. Put
some little pats of butter over it.
Dress il round with sprigs of parsley
and serve at once. The plates from
which shad is eaten should always be
very hot, as it takes some time to re-
move the bones.
Planked shad requires no lemon, al
though dish with quarters of lemon
may always be served with it. Boiled
Early Rose, Florida or Bermuda pota-
toes should be served with planked
shad, and salad OF cucumbers and
onions. A gas flame is as good if not
better than q coal ire to plank shad.
1t requires steady, intense heat.
FRIED sHAD.
Prepare the shad for planking, and
split it clean down the back and
through the belly. Then cut it across
in pieces about three or four inches
square. Lay them on cloth aud dry
them well. Have "a frying-pan con-
tanning fat an inch deep smoking hot.
Roll the fish in -four seasoned with
salt and very little black pepper.
Put the pieces in the hot fat, flesh side
down, and when it is nice and brown
on that side turn each piece over with
a broad, fiat, cake turner and fry them
brown on the skin side. When done
lift the pieces all out and lay them on
a coarse cloth or piece of porous
brown pal er to drain the fat off, and
then serve on very hot platter. Po-
tatoes stewed in cream should lie serv-
ed with fried shad.
FRIED SHAD ROE.
After washing the shad roe in cold
water, dry it well on cloth, and then
dip it in flour the the same as for the
fried shad, and fry it in smoking hot
fat, browning well.
BOILED sHAD.
Boiled shad is a fovorite dish with
New England people and is delicious.
Prepare as tor planking, only split
through the belly instead of down The
back. Roll the shad in a piece of
cheese cloth, put it in hot salted water
in which you have put two table
spoonfuls of vinegar Have just enough
water TO cover the fish, and boil it
gently half hour. Serve it on hot
platter, being careful to roll it gently
out of the cloth on the platter, SO as
not to break the flesh. Cover it with a
butter sauce, and after it is on the ia ble
take hold of the head of the fish with
napkin, draw it toward you, and in
this way remove entire backbone to the
tail; then serve the fish.
BAKED sHAD.
Split the shad through the belly. re-
move entrals and roe. Make a stutfiny
of bread crumbs. seasoned with a little
chopped parsley and onion, salt and
black pepper. Sew up the fish aftr
stuffing it. Lay thin slices of bread in
the bottom of dripping pan; on each
slice place a slice of larding pork. Then
lay the fish on top of the bread and
pork. Lay some strips of the larding
pork over the fish and stand the drip
plug pan in hot oven and bake from
forty to fifty minutes Serve on a hot
platter with butter sauce.
PoTTED sHAD.
For cold dish at luncheon or sun. |
per there is nothing more delicious |
than potted shad, or, as some people |
call 1t soused shad. To prepare potted |
shad, cut it in pieces as for frying.
Take an earthen pipkin or broad
earthern jar. Lay two or three slices