Baked Haddock

A few shrimps added to the sauce make baked haddock even more delicious.

Clean a haddock, remove the eyes, trim it and pass its tail through the cavity of the eyes, or the tail may be tied to its mouth. Chop finely two ounces of fat bacon and a little green parsley mix these with two ounces of breadcrumbs, a little salt and pepper, a few drops of essence of anchovy, and an egg to make it into a stiff paste. Stuff the fish with the mixture and sew it up. Put one tablespoonful of flour in a basin, work into it one tablespoonful of cold water, pour on one breakfast cupful of boiling water, and mix in one ounce of butter and two tablespoonfuls of essence of anchovy. Pour this into a baking tin, put the fish on it, place the pan in a moderate over and bake for an hour, basting frequently, or until done, without its taking color. It may be served in the baking tin placed in the dish or taken out and placed on a dish; but the fish needs to be handled very carefully or it will break to pieces when moved, thus spoiling its appearance. The sauce can be poured round it. A few skinned shrimps added to the sauce when it is about half cooked are a great improvement, and the dish may be garnished with crayfish tails.