The Art of Angling

We will begin with the English: He broyleth first upon a Charcoale fire; the first thing that you must have a care of is, when your Grid-iron is hot you must coole it with ruff Suet, then the skin of your Fish will not break, with care of turning them: when they are nigh broyled, take them off the Grid-iron; set on a Chafing-dish of coals in a Stew-pan, or Dish; put in a good quantity of fresh Butter, so much Vinegar as will give the relish, a penny-worth of beaten Cinamon; then put in your broyled fish, and let them stew, about halfe an houre will be sufficient, being turned: adorn your Dish with Sippets, take the fish out of the stew-pan, lay them for the service, be sure to squease a Lemmon on them: I will warrant them good victuall.

The Italian he stewes upon a Chafing-dish of coals, with white Wine, Cloves, and Mace, Nutmegs sliced, a little Ginger: you must understand when this fish is stewed, the same liquor that the fish is stewed in, must be beaten with some Butter and the juyce of a Lemmon, before it is dish'd for the service. The French doe add to this a slice or two of Bacon.

I will shew you the way to marrionate a Trout or other fish that will keep a quarter of a yeare in Summer, which is the Italians rarest Dish for fresh fish, and will eat perfect and sweet.

You must take out the Intrailes as you doe of other fish, and cut them a-crosse the sides, as you do to broyle, washed clean, dried with a cloth, lay them upon a Tray or board, sprinkle a little salt on them, and flowre them as to frie them, so take your Frying-pan with so much Suet, when it is melted, as the Fish may lye to the midside in the liquor, and so fry them; and every time you turn them, flower them againe, untill you finde the fish fryed sufficient: when you think the fish is fryed, take it out of the Pan, and lay it upon some thing, that the liquor may draine out of it; when the fish is cold, you may reare it an end.

You must have a close Vessell to keep this fish and liquor in, that no winde comes in, according to the quantity you make triall of.

For the Liquor. First, you must take halfe Claret-Wine, the other halfe Vinegar, two or three Bay-leaves, so much Saffron as a Nut tyed in a cloth, with some Cloves and large Mace, some Nutmeg sliced; boile all these together very well; when the liquor is cold, and the fish cold, put the fish and liquor into the close Vessell, with three or four Lemmons sliced among the fish; make all close that no winde can get into the Vessell; after eight or ten days you may begin to eat of this fish; the Sauce must be some of the same liquor, with some of a sliced Lemmon.

To dresse a Pike

When the Pike cometh into the Kitchin, kill it; then take a handfull of Salt, with water, and rub the fish very well to take the slime off, draw out the Intrailes; wash the Pike cleane, put a handfull of Salt in the Pikes Belly; then take so much water, with a pinte of Vinegar: if the Pike be any thing large, you must put in at least three handfull of Salt, with a bunch of Rosemary, Thyme, and sweet Marjoram, and two or three green Onyons; boyle your liquor very well with a high fire made of wood; then put in your Pike, cover your Kettle, with your Bellows keep your Kettle boiling verie high for the space of halfe an houre or thereabouts: a Pike asketh great boiling: for the sauce, it is sweet Butter well beaten with some of the top of the same liquor, with two or three Antchovaes, the skin taken off, and the bones taken out, a little Vinegar, so garnish your Dish: when your Pike is Dished, take the juyce of a Lemmon, and put on the top of the fish: there is no doubt but it is good victuall.

I could set downe as many ways to dress Eeles, as would furnish a Lords Table: but I will relate but one.

Take off the skinne whole, till you come within two inches of the taile, beginning at the head: take out the Intrailes, wash the Eele cleane, drie it with a cloth, scotch it all along both the sides; take some Pepper and Salt, mixe them together, rub the Eele well with the Pepper, and Salt; draw the skinne on againe whole; tye the skinne about the head with a little thred lapped round, broyled on a Charcoale fire, let your Grid-iron be hot, rub your Grid-iron with some ruffe Suet; the skinne will not burne; this is good; but take the skin off, and stew the Eele betwixt two Dishes, on a Chafing-dish of Coals, with sweet Butter, Vinegar, and beaten Cinnamon, they will be better.

The boyling of a Carp is the very same way as I have shewed for the Trout, the scales on: no better Sauce can be made than the Antchovaes Sauce. The high-boyling is the way for all fresh-water Fish: I have served seven times seven years, to see the experiment.

If there be any Gentleman that liveth adjoyning to a River side, where Trouts are; I will shew the way to bring them to feed, that he may see them at his pleasure; and to bring store to the place. Gather great Garden-Wormes, the quantity of a pinte, or a quarte, chop them in pieces, and throw them where you intend to have your pleasure; with feeding often, there is no doubt of their comming; they will come as Sheep to the Pen: you must begin to feed with peeces of worms, by hand, by one and one, untill you see them eat; then you may feed with Liver or Lights, so your desire will be effected. And thus I conclude this short Treatise.

FINIS