The book of plain cooking

Select the best pieces, and put them in a fish-kettle with a little salt, vinegar, and enough cold water to cover. Boil, then continue to simmer until cooked. Drain, and serve with parsley butter — some over the fish, and also some in a tureen. 50. Fried Skate In buying skate select the crimped pieces, even though they cost a little more ; they make so much prettier a dish. After washing and drying the fish, cut into pieces as nearly of a size as possible, though not too small. Roll in egg and bread-crumbs, fry, and strain; serve on a dish-paper with white sauce. 51. Fried Plaice The fish is cut in slices, leaving the bone in, for frying. Well wash, and dry in a clean cloth. Rub with flour, then roll in egg and breadcrumbs, and fry, well draining and serving on a dish-paper garnished with parsley. White sauce may be served with fried plaice, or it can be served plain. 52. Filleted Plaice Well wash the fillets, and place them in a clean cloth to remove the water. When thoroughly dry, dust the fillets in flour, then roll in egg and bread-crumbs, and fry brown in boiling fat. Drain on a paper until thoroughly dry, then serve on a dish-paper garnished with parsley. Filleted plaice may be served with or without white sauce. 53. Boiled Plaice Well wash the fish in salt and water, and place in the water in which you boil a piece of salt, and a little vinegar, or some slices of lemon. Let it boil, then simmer gently. Drain well before serving, on a napkin, garnishing with parsley and lemon. White sauce, shrimp sauce, or parsley butter may be served with boiled plaice. 54. Fried Whiting Whiting is a very delicate fish, and requires careful treatment in cooking. Have the tail secured in the mouth, and wrap in a dry cloth. Dust lightly with flour, and roll in egg and bread-crumbs, place in boiling fat, and fry a nice brown. Then serve on a dish-paper, garnished with parsley and slices of lemon. 55. Boiled Whiting Do not have the fish skinned for boiling, or the tails turned into the mouths. Place them in cold water sufficient to cover them, with a little salt and a piece of lemon, and gradually boil. Then, unless the fish are very large, they should be cooked. Strain well and serve on a napkin, garnished with parsley and lemon. Egg sauce, white sauce, or parsley butter should be served in a tureen. 56. Whitebait Wash the fish and dry in a cloth, keeping them as separate as possible, for their appearance is spoiled should they be matted. Flour them well, place them carefully in a basket, and plunge into boiling fat. Should you not have a basket, fry the fish, keeping it as separate as possible, and remove with a slice, and drain. Whitebait take hardly any time to cook. They should be served on a dishpaper, garnished with lemon and parsley. Serve thin brown bread and butter, and lemon cut in quarters, with them. 57. Sham Whitebait Take any fish that will fillet well — for instance, soles, lemon soles, or a firm plaice. Have the fillets carefully skinned, and then, with a very sharp knife, cut them into pieces