The other day the amiable fishmonger with whom I deal
asked me to step into his inner room and inspect his
apparatus for frying fish. Of course I did so, and I
wished that I could have taken with me every girl be-
longing to our cookery class, for I knew that no one who
had once seen what was to be seen there would ever
again imagine that to fry fish properly it is necessary to
have only as much melted lard in a frying pan as will
suffice to keep a fish from burning. The fat in which the
fishmonger fried his fish was in what looked like a copper
wiih a fire underneath it, just as there is a fire under the
copper in which clothes are boiled on washing day. The
pan itself was about two feet square and six or eight
inches deep. It was more than half full, not of oil nor of
lard, but of good dripping. This fat was never thrown
away. It was not sold for kitchen grease, as so much
valuable fat is sold nowadays, to be replaced by expensive
and very much inferior lard. As it gradually boiled
away fresh fat was added to it, and it was used again and
again and again. 1 did not wonder that so large a trade
in fried fish was carried on in the neighbourhood when I
saw what facilities the fishmonger enjoyed for frying his
fish.
I have already in another place ^ spoken of the method
to be adopted in frying of all kinds, and of the fat which
is best suited to the purpose. The girls who have at-
tended our class from the commencement will remember
that I said then, that in true frying the article to be
cooked must be entirely covered with fat, just as an article
to be boiled is entirely covered with water. Fish is no
exception to this rule. It should be plunged into plenty
of hot fat (so hot that it is still, that a thin blue vapour
^ See the “ Frying Pan,” p. 2S et seq.
IIoiu to Cook Fish.
91
rises from it, and that it will brown very quickly a small
piece of crumb of bread thrown into it), and there left
until it is brightly coloured. It may then be taken up,
drained, laid on kitchen paper to free it from the outside
grease, and it is ready.
Before, however, fish can be fried successfully it must
be prepared. The first process of preparation consists
in cleaning and trimming the fish. This is not peculiar
to frying ; it belongs to all other methods of cookery.
The same cannot be said of the ne.\t preparatory' detail,
which is drying the fish thoroughly ; unless the fish is
perfectly dry it will not brown as it should do. Many
cooks, in order to secure thorough drymess, cleanse the
fish some time before it is wanted, and fold it in a clean
soft cloth to absorb the moisture ; others wash it, dry in
a cloth, then rub flour over it, and shake the super-
fluous flour from it. I should advise you to do both ; dry
it as thoroughly as you can in a cloth, and afterwards
rub it with flour ; you may then be satisfied that no mois-
ture adheres to it. ✪ Fried Fish
Page 58 · 1 recipe record on this page
Presented as published in 1882. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
The other day the amiable fishmonger with whom I deal asked me to step into his inner room and inspect his apparatus for frying fish. Of course I did so, and I wished that I could have taken with me every girl belonging to our cookery class, for I knew that no one who had once seen what was to be seen there would ever again imagine that to fry fish properly it is necessary to have only as much melted lard in a frying pan as will suffice to keep a fish from burning. The fat in which the fishmonger fried his fish was in what looked like a copperwith a fire underneath it, just as there is a fire under the copper in which clothes are boiled on washing day. The pan itself was about two feet square and six or eight inches deep. It was more than half full, not of oil nor of lard, but of good dripping. This fat was never thrown away. It was not sold for kitchen grease, as so much valuable fat is sold nowadays, to be replaced by expensive and very much inferior lard. As it gradually boiled away fresh fat was added to it, and it was used again and again and again. 1 did not wonder that so large a trade in fried fish was carried on in the neighbourhood when I saw what facilities the fishmonger enjoyed for frying his fish.
I have already in another place ^ spoken of the method to be adopted in frying of all kinds, and of the fat which is best suited to the purpose. The girls who have attended our class from the commencement will remember that I said then, that in true frying the article to be cooked must be entirely covered with fat, just as an article to be boiled is entirely covered with water. Fish is no exception to this rule. It should be plunged into plenty of hot fat (so hot that it is still, that a thin blue vapour
^ See the “ Frying Pan,” p. 2S et seq.
IIoiu to Cook Fish.
rises from it, and that it will brown very quickly a small piece of crumb of bread thrown into it), and there left until it is brightly coloured. It may then be taken up, drained, laid on kitchen paper to free it from the outside grease, and it is ready.
Before, however, fish can be fried successfully it must be prepared. The first process of preparation consists in cleaning and trimming the fish. This is not peculiar to frying ; it belongs to all other methods of cookery. The same cannot be said of the next preparatory' detail, which is drying the fish thoroughly ; unless the fish is perfectly dry it will not brown as it should do. Many cooks, in order to secure thorough drymess, cleanse the fish some time before it is wanted, and fold it in a clean soft cloth to absorb the moisture ; others wash it, dry in a cloth, then rub flour over it, and shake the superfluous flour from it. I should advise you to do both ; dry it as thoroughly as you can in a cloth, and afterwards rub it with flour ; you may then be satisfied that no moisture adheres to it.
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Fried Fish