Fish Dish – Fish Forcemeat

How to make it

1. 1

   For this, haddock is best, but it also turns out good with cod, saithe, pike, trout, indeed many other kinds of fish.

2. 2

   The fish is scraped free of scales from the tail upwards, cleaned and washed well; the fish is split from skin and bones from the tail upwards; dried in a cloth, scraped from below upwards, and rubbed fine on a board.

3. 3

   The fish is pounded or stirred with the flour and salt for ½ hour, the milk added spoonful by spoonful, preferably at 3-minute intervals. The forcemeat may be somewhat looser for pudding than for balls.

4. 4

   For pudding, the mould is greased and strewn, filled with forcemeat, set in the oven in a pan of boiling water, and boils here about 1 hour. Served with white sauce.

5. 5

   In the absence of an oven, the pudding is boiled in a pot with boiling water for 2 hours. The mould must have a lid on, and embers are placed on the lid for the last hour.

6. 6

   As regards the thinning, you must try your way by boiling a test ball. Fish balls are shaped with a spoon dipped in cold water; when all the fish balls have gone into the boiling fish stock, the pot is set on the fire, and the balls steep gently for 5 minutes. Take up with a slotted spoon, lay in a crock, and pour the stock over.

7. 7

   Instead of pounding the forcemeat, you can, after the fish has been scraped from skin and bones, grind it 4 times through the meat grinder with the flour and salt, then begin the thinning as explained above; the forcemeat can also be chopped on a chopping board and stirred afterwards. Preferably stand in a cool place while preparing fish forcemeat.

8. 8

   For stock, put head and bones on the fire in cold, salted water; 1 teaspoon salt per litre of water and enough water that it covers the fish well; boil ½ hour, strain.

9. 9

   With trout, the forcemeat does not become so "chewy", but tastes good; however, it is only in the mountain districts that forcemeat of trout can be considered as a variation.