To Bake a Shad

Ingredients

• 1 whole shad
• forcemeat
• 1 pint water
• 1 gill red wine
• 1 gill mushroom catsup
• pepper
• vinegar
• salt
• garlic cloves
• 6 cloves
• butter
• brown flour

Instructions

1. The shad is a very indifferent fish unless it be large and fat;
2. when you get a good one, prepare it nicely.
3. Put some forcemeat inside and lay it at full length in a pan with a pint of water, a gill of red wine, one of mushroom catsup, a little pepper, vinegar, salt, a few cloves of garlic, and six cloves.
4. Stew it gently till the gravy is sufficiently reduced.
5. There should always be a fish-slice with holes to lay the fish on, for the convenience of dishing without breaking it.
6. When the fish is taken up, slip it carefully into the dish.
7. Thicken the gravy with butter and brown flour, and pour it over.