they must boil a good
hour. You must never put in any new water, though hot, for that will make
the fish hard. After the hour, take out the fishes and untie them, and lay
them loose in a colander with holes to drain out the water, and toss them
in it up and down very well, as you use to do Butter and Pease; and that
will loosen and break asunder all the flakes, which will make them the
more susceptible of the Butter, when you stew them in it, and make it
pierce the better into the flakes, and make them tender. Then lay them by
thin rows in the dish, they are to be served up in: casting upon every row
a little salt, and some green Parsley minced very small. They who love
young-green Onions or sives, or other savory Herbs, or Pepper, may use them
also in the same manner, when they are in season. When all is in, fill up
with sweet Butter well melted and thickened; and so let it stew there a
while, to soak well into the fish; which will lie in fine loose tender
flakes, well buttered and seasoned. You may eat it with Mustard besides.

BUTTERED WHITINGS WITH EGGS

Boil Whitings as if you would eat them in the Ordinary way with thick
Butter-sauce. Pick them clean from skin and bones, and mingle them well
with butter, and break them very small, and season them pretty high with
Salt. In the mean time Butter some Eggs in the best manner, and mingle them
with the buttered Whitings, and mash them well together. The Eggs must not
be so many by a good deal as the Fish. It is a most savoury dish.

TO DRESS POOR-JOHN AND BUCKORN

The way of dressing Poor-John, to make it very tender and good meat, is
this. Put it into the Kettle in cold water, and so hang it over the fire;
and so let it soak and stew without boiling for 3 hours: but the water must
be very hot. Then make it boil two or three walms. By this time it will be
very tender and swelled up. Then take out the back-bone, and put it to fry
with Onions. If you put it first into hot water (as ling and such salt
fish,) or being boiled, if you let it cool, and heat it again it will be
tough and hard.

Buckorne is to be watered a good hour before you put it to the fire. Then
boil it till it be tender, which it will be quickly. Then Butter it as you
do Ling; and if you will, put Eggs to it.

THE WAY OF DRESSING STOCK-FISH IN HOLLAND

First beat it exceedingly well, a long time, but with moderate blows, that
you do not break it in pieces, but that you shake and loosen all the