The Book of Household Management by Mrs. Beeton

279. INGREDIENTS.--4 middling-sized mackerel, a nice delicate forcemeat

(_see_ Forcemeats), 3 oz. of butter; pepper and salt to taste. _Mode_.--Clean the fish, take out the roes, and fill up with forcemeat, and sew up the slit. Flour, and put them in a dish, heads and tails alternately, with the roes; and, between each layer, put some little pieces of butter, and pepper and salt. Bake for 1/2 an hour, and either serve with plain melted butter or a _maître d'hôtel_ sauce. _Time_.--1/2 hour. _Average cost_ for this quantity, 1s. 10d. _Seasonable_ from April to July. _Sufficient_ for 6 persons. _Note_.--Baked mackerel may be dressed in the same way as baked herrings (_see_ No. 268), and may also be stewed in wine. WEIGHT OF THE MACKEREL.--The greatest weight of this fish seldom exceeds 2 lbs., whilst their ordinary length runs between 14 and 20 inches. They die almost immediately after they are taken from their element, and, for a short time, exhibit a phosphoric light. BOILED MACKEREL.