It comes, then, to this : if we wish to prevent waste, we
must take the first step towards it in our own homes, and
make the most of the materials at our command. Crusts
and broken pieces of bread are really very valuable, and
one very excellent way of employing them is to use them
for frying fish. We shall find it to our advantage, there-
fore, to preserve them for this purpose. It is not unlikely
that if a cook has to prepare crumbs for a special dish,
at the moment, she will be in a hurry, and not have time
to dry and sift the crumbs properly, and so her fish may
be spoiled. But if she has a supply of crumbs on hand
she will have no difficulty in this direction. Let her,
therefore, when she has crusts or stale bread which she
has no other use for, sift them through a fine wire sieve,
dry them thoroughly in a cool oven (not allowing them
to brown), and keep them in a bottle tightly corked and
Hcnv to Cook Fish. 93
ready for use when wanted. Thus prepared, they will
keep for a while.
A sole is a typical fish for frying, and therefore we will
suppose that we are about to fry a sole, and that it is
skinned, trimmed, and perfectly dry. We put the fat
(sufiiciently deep to cover the fish) on the fire to heat
gradually. We may then adopt one of five methods : —
1st. Roll the fish in flour✪ Fried Fish, shake the loose flour from it,
and fry. When rolled in flour, or dipped in batter, the
fish should be prepared just before it is fried.
and. Brush the fish with milk, cover it with flour, shake
the loose flour from it, and fry.
3rd. Dip the fish into thick batter of flour and water,
and fry.
4ih. Dip the fish into frying batter, and fry.
5th. Beat an egg lightly, lay the fish in it, brush it all
over with egg, then stick a fork into the head of the fish
and lift it out, lay it on bread-crumbs, shake crumbs over
it to cover it entirely, lift it out once more with a fork,
and press the crumbs on gently with the flat side of a
knife, and fry. When egg and bread-crumbs are used,
the fish may be prepared some time before it is to be
fried.
Perhaps you are inclined to say. Why not turn the fish
with our fingers ? Why is it necessary that we should use
a fork or skewer ? Because, after the fish has been egged
it must not be handled. If it is, the egg will be taken off
in places, and this will prevent the crumbs adhering to
the fish. It is desirable, also, that the crumbs should be
pressed on with a knife, otherwise they also may drop otf
and spoil the look of the fish.
The fish is now ready, and when the fat also is ready
for it, it may be laid in the hot fat, which should be deep
enough to cover it. I daresay you remember that I said
that the fat was hot enough when a light blue film came
from it. Yet even in this there is room for the exercise
of judgment and experience. Large fish, which need to
be cooked through, should not have the fat so hot as
small fish, which require very little cooking.
The rule, therefore, is, the smaller the fish the hotter
the fat. Whitebait, which are the smallest of all fish,
need fat so hot that it seems to be almost on the point of
94
The Girl’s Own Cookay .Book.
✪ Frying Batter
Page 60 · 2 recipe records 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
It comes, then, to this : if we wish to prevent waste, we must take the first step towards it in our own homes, and make the most of the materials at our command. Crusts and broken pieces of bread are really very valuable, and one very excellent way of employing them is to use them for frying fish. We shall find it to our advantage, therefore, to preserve them for this purpose. It is not unlikely that if a cook has to prepare crumbs for a special dish, at the moment, she will be in a hurry, and not have time to dry and sift the crumbs properly, and so her fish may be spoiled. But if she has a supply of crumbs on hand she will have no difficulty in this direction. Let her, therefore, when she has crusts or stale bread which she has no other use for, sift them through a fine wire sieve, dry them thoroughly in a cool oven (not allowing them to brown), and keep them in a bottle tightly corked and
How to Cook Fish. 93
ready for use when wanted. Thus prepared, they will keep for a while.
A sole is a typical fish for frying, and therefore we will suppose that we are about to fry a sole, and that it is skinned, trimmed, and perfectly dry. We put the fat (sufiiciently deep to cover the fish) on the fire to heat gradually. We may then adopt one of five methods : —
1st. Roll the fish in flour, shake the loose flour from it, and fry. When rolled in flour, or dipped in batter, the fish should be prepared just before it is fried.
and. Brush the fish with milk, cover it with flour, shake the loose flour from it, and fry.
3rd. Dip the fish into thick batter of flour and water, and fry.
4ih. Dip the fish into frying batter, and fry.
5th. Beat an egg lightly, lay the fish in it, brush it all over with egg, then stick a fork into the head of the fish and lift it out, lay it on bread-crumbs, shake crumbs over it to cover it entirely, lift it out once more with a fork, and press the crumbs on gently with the flat side of a knife, and fry. When egg and bread-crumbs are used, the fish may be prepared some time before it is to be fried.
Perhaps you are inclined to say. Why not turn the fish with our fingers ? Why is it necessary that we should use a fork or skewer ? Because, after the fish has been egged it must not be handled. If it is, the egg will be taken off in places, and this will prevent the crumbs adhering to the fish. It is desirable, also, that the crumbs should be pressed on with a knife, otherwise they also may drop otf and spoil the look of the fish.
The fish is now ready, and when the fat also is ready for it, it may be laid in the hot fat, which should be deep enough to cover it. I daresay you remember that I said that the fat was hot enough when a light blue film came from it. Yet even in this there is room for the exercise of judgment and experience. Large fish, which need to be cooked through, should not have the fat so hot as small fish, which require very little cooking.
The rule, therefore, is, the smaller the fish the hotter the fat. Whitebait, which are the smallest of all fish, need fat so hot that it seems to be almost on the point of
The Girl’s Own Cookay .Book.
Records on this page
Fried FishFrying Batter