To Bake Pike

Ingredients

• 1 whole fish pike
• forcemeat No. 1 or No. 4 (Chapter VIII)
• as needed fine salt
• pinch cayenne
• several small bits butter
• light dredging flour
• as needed melted butter sauce
• 1 lemon
• as needed anchovy sauce
• 1 sheet buttered paper
• as needed warm water
• as needed cold water

Instructions

1. Pour warm water over the outside of the fish and wipe it very clean with a coarse cloth drawn from head downwards so the scales are not disturbed.
2. Wash the fish well in cold water, then empty and cleanse the inside with great care.
3. Fill the pike either with common forcemeat No. 1 or No. 4 from Chapter VIII, then sew it up.
4. Fasten the tail to the mouth.
5. Give the fish a light dredging of flour.
6. Stick small bits of butter thickly over the surface of the fish.
7. Lay buttered paper over the fish in the oven if the outside appears likely to become too highly coloured or too dry before it is done; for very small pike, wrap them entirely in buttered paper before sending to the oven.
8. Bake for half to three quarters of an hour if moderate-sized, or upwards of an hour if large.
9. If forcemeat is omitted, put a little fine salt and cayenne, with some bits of butter, into the inside of the fish instead; this will require rather less baking time.
10. Should there not be sufficient sauce in the dish, serve melted butter and lemon, or anchovy sauce, separately at table.