To Bake Pike

Ingredients

• 1 pike
• forcemeat
• 2 or more egg yolks
• nearly 1/2 teaspoon salt
• pepper or cayenne
• bread-crumbs
• clarified butter
• minced parsley

Instructions

1. Scale and wash the fish, then take out the gills.
2. Open the fish just sufficiently to allow the inside to be emptied and perfectly cleansed, but no more than necessary.
3. Wipe the fish as dry as possible in every part.
4. Hang it for an hour or two on a hook in a cool larder, or wrap it in a soft cloth.
5. Fill the body cavity with forcemeat No. 1 or 3, or with oyster forcemeat.
6. Sew the fish up very securely.
7. Curl the fish round and fasten the tail into the mouth with a thin skewer.
8. Beat the egg yolks with nearly half a teaspoonful of salt and a little pepper or cayenne.
9. Dip the fish into the beaten egg and seasoning.
10. Cover it equally with the finest bread-crumbs.
11. Dip the fish a second time into the egg and crumbs.
12. Pour clarified butter gently over it through a small strainer.
13. Send it to a well-heated oven for an hour and a quarter or more if very large, or for less time if of moderate size.
14. Remove from the oven once thoroughly done, and send to table with plain melted butter and brown caper or Dutch sauce.