Red Mullet, Roasted, Baked, or Broiled

Ingredients

• 1 whole red mullet
• butter
• 1 small dessertspoonful essence of anchovies
• cayenne pepper
• 1 glass port wine or claret
• lemon juice
• good melted butter

Instructions

1. Wash and dry the fish thoroughly in a cloth.
2. Do not scale or open the fish, but gently and carefully remove the gills and small intestine that adheres to them.
3. Wrap the mullet closely in a sheet of thickly buttered paper.
4. Tie the paper securely at the ends with packthread, and tie packthread around the wrapped fish as well.
5. Roast it in a Dutch oven, broil it over a clear and gentle fire, or bake it in a moderate oven for twenty to twenty-five minutes.
6. Combine good melted butter with the liquor that has flowed from the fish, essence of anchovies, cayenne, port wine or claret, and lemon juice to make the sauce.
7. Remove the packthread and send the mullet to table in the paper case, or remove the paper for dinners of particular taste.