The book of plain cooking

about an inch and a half long and half an inch wide. Great care must be taken not to break the flakes or leave jagged edges to the little pieces, which may be fried in a whitebait basket, egged, and rolled in very fine breadcrumbs, or fried in the ordinary way. Serve very hot, with fried parsley round, lemon, brown bread and butter. This is a very nice way of serving fish to invalids. 58. Salt Fish Before cooking, soak for two or three hours in cold water, occasionally changing it. Put in cold water, and serve with egg sauce. Boiled parsnips generally accompany this dish. 59. Fresh Herrings Soused Place the herrings (after they are cleansed and the heads removed), in vinegar and water, with peppercorns, spice, and a bay leaf. Cook in the oven. Let the fish cool in the liquor in which they have been cooked. 60. Fresh Herrings Grilled Well cleanse, but do not have the fish cut open, as it is very delicate and liable to break. Rub the grid well with a buttered paper, and let it get thoroughly hot before placing the fish upon it. A little mustard placed upon the fish is a great improvement, as they are very rich. 61. Smelts These fish are very delicate, and require care in the preparing. After they are cleaned, rub them carefully in a clean dry cloth, then dust them lightly with flour, and put them in egg and finely-grated bread-crumbs, and fry a nice light brown. Well drain, and serve very hot, neatly arranged on the dish. 62. Sprats These little fish should be eaten very hot. They are very easy to cook. After cleansing, rub in a dry cloth, and then well dust with flour, and place in a frying pan of boiling fat. Well drain before the fire so that they do not cool before serving. 63. Baked Pike After the fish is cleansed and prepared, fill it with veal stuffing. Then set it up, and fasten the tail in the mouth with a skewer. Flour it well, and put in the oven with plenty of dripping. Once the fish begins to brown, keep on basting until cooked . A large pike will take an hour, as it needs gradual cooking. Serve with a brown gravy, containing a few capers — some over the fish and some in a sauce boat. 64. Eels with Parsley Sauce Small eels are the better for this dish. Soak them well in salt and water. Place them in a stewpan with milk, water, and chopped parsley ; let them boil, and then simmer till tender. Utilise the liquor in which they have been cooked as the base of parsley butter. Then arrange them on a dish, and pour some of the parsley butter over them, and serve some in a sauce boat. 65. Gudgeon These fresh-water fish much resemble smelts, and should be cooked in the same way — rolled in egg and bread-crumbs, and fried . 66. Timbale of Fish Cook the fish, and pick it free from skin and bone. Cut it into fine dice, and mix about half a pound of fish with rather more than a gill of white sauce. Season with salt, pepper, and a little chopped parsley and lemon juice. Mix with two whole eggs and place in a plain, well-greased timbale mould. Twist a buttered paper over it, and steam three-quarters of an hour . Turn out, and send a good fish sauce to table with it. 67. Scallop Pie