Common-sense papers on cookery

We therefore now come to the whitebait, and will attempt to describe the secret of having this really delicious and delicate fish well cooked. Of course, in the first place, it is absolutely indispensable to have the fish perfectly fresh, and in an unbroken state, and it is on this account that whitebait is always had in the greatest perfection at the various hotels which overlook the river where the whitebait is caught. We will suppose, therefore, the whitebait is ready. Now everything depends upon expedition. The whitebait must be first dried and then plunged as speedily as possible into boiling fat. First we will suppose ready on the fire a deep frying-pan full of boiling lard ; in order to insure the lard being sufficiently hot, let a drop of water fall into it and see if it hisses ; next have ready a wire whitebait-basket, then throw the whitebait into some fine dry flour on a cloth ; don’t be afraid of having too much flour, as in these water-side hotels the flour is an inch thick ; next shake the whitebait free of the flour in a wide sieve, something like what is used for sifting oats ; this is for the purpose of getting rid as much as possible of the flour, to avoid the whitebait being pasty and clammy. Next, having put this floured whitebait into the wire basket, plunge it into the boiling fat — one minute will more than suffice to cook it — throw it on to a hot cloth for a few seconds to drain, and serve it very quickly. Whitebait sent to Fish Dinners. table properly should burn the mouth with fire-heat. Do not try and cook too many at a time, as they are liable to stick together. Also shake the wire basket a little in cooking them, for the purpose of avoiding this sticking-process ; and when they are thrown on to the cloth, if you see one or two sticking together, separate them. Properly cooked whitebait should be crisp, but at the same time slightly soft in the middle, when eaten. There are two kinds of devilled whitebait — black devil and red devil ; the former consisting of adding black pepper in the middle of cooking ; and the latter, black and cayenne mixed. Have the pepper, whichever is fancied, ready in a pepper-box, lift the whitebait-basket out of the boiling fat, shake it and pepper the whitebait at the same time, put the basket back into the fat for a few seconds, and then turn the whitebait out on to the cloth. It will be found best to send up the whitebait in two dishes, first the ordinary, second the devilled; thin brown bread and butter should be handed round with it, besides some lemon cut into quarters. It will sometimes be found that with whitebait are mixed a few shrimps or very small eels ; these should properly be removed before sending to table, as they have the effect of destroying the appearance. It may perhaps seem superfluous to add, that whitebait requires no sauce, yet the following conversation 232 Common-sense Cookery. actually occurred at North Woolwich, where whitebait are caught and cooked in the greatest perfection : — Visitor. — "Waiter, these whitebait are not so nice as they were last time." Waiter. — "Perhaps, ma'am, you would like them better if you did not take anchovy sauce."”