“Wyvern’s” Stuffed Smelts . — Choose large Smelts, and remove the flesh from the bones of each in two long fillets. Take out the roes, pound them with a fillet of anchovy and the yolk of a hard-boiled egg to a paste, and season witb salt and white pepper. Brush over each fillet of each Smelt with beaten egg, spread a layer of the roe farce over it, lay the other fillet over it sandwichwise, and do the same with the rest. Let them rest awhile to set, then brush them over with egg, breadcrumb with finely-sifted crumbs ; let this dry, egg and crumb again, and fry in plenty of boiling suet. Drain, dry, and serve on a hot napkin with lemon✪ Wyvern's Stuffed Smelts and parsley garnish. Butter melted, sharpened with lemon juice, should be the only sauce. In this way the only defect in a Smelt, the bones, is got rid of. Sea Bream. — This is a handsome reddish-coloured fish, weighing from half a pound to five pounds. It is in season from July to November. It is best filleted, simmered in fish broth, and served with the brotb thickened into sauce, flavoured with a gill of tomato puree and sharpened with lemon juice and a little minced pickled gherkin. But Sea Bream is a more popular fish in Spain and Greece than it is here. Gurnard. — -This also is a reddish-coloured fish, with a very ugly head. It weighs from half a pound to six pounds, and is very good eating. The Grey Gurnard, called in Scotland the Hardhead, is thought to be better in flavour than the red variety. Gurnards can be had nearly all the year round. They are good when cooked like haddock, and are best when not exceeding two pounds in weight. I have now mentioned all the Sea Fish generally seen in fishmongers’ shops, but there are many other kinds known to seaside residents. All our British Sea Fish are fit to eat when fresh, and many form most valuable food. We have none of the poisonous fish which exist in southern seas, nor have we to contend with the tastelessness of those tropical fish which, 94 SEA FISH although they are so beautiful to the eye, need all the genius of a negro cook, or all the skill of a French chef, before they can be made acceptable to the palate. The one fault of fish in this country is its price. When fish is bought from a fishmonger there is no doubt that, taking weight for weight, it is more expensive than butchers’ meat. Most people would not grudge this expense if the money went direct to those whose “brave daring ” has brought the fish to shore. There is truth in the words of that fine old song, Caller Herrin' — “ Wives and mithers, maist despairin’, Call them lives of men.” And everyone who buys the fish which has been caught with so much toil and risk must regret the line of middlemen which keep much of their well-earned money from the fishermen. British fish will have reached perfection when it can pass with- out intervention from the fisherman’s boat to the purchaser’s kitchen. On Cleaning1 Fish. — Cleaning and trimming fish is so entirely the province of the fishmonger that a cook is often at a loss what to do with fish when it is brought straight from the sea, the loch, or the river. A wise mistress will give her cook a lesson from a good fishmonger in cleaning and in filleting fish, but for those who have not had this advantage I will men- tion a few general rules :

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“Wyvern’s” Stuffed Smelts . — Choose large Smelts, and remove the flesh from the bones of each in two long fillets. Take out the roes, pound them with a fillet of anchovy and the yolk of a hard-boiled egg to a paste, and season with salt and white pepper. Brush over each fillet of each Smelt with beaten egg, spread a layer of the roe farce over it, lay the other fillet over it sandwichwise, and do the same with the rest. Let them rest awhile to set, then brush them over with egg, breadcrumb with finely-sifted crumbs ; let this dry, egg and crumb again, and fry in plenty of boiling suet. Drain, dry, and serve on a hot napkin with lemon and parsley garnish. Butter melted, sharpened with lemon juice, should be the only sauce. In this way the only defect in a Smelt, the bones, is got rid of. Sea Bream. — This is a handsome reddish-coloured fish, weighing from half a pound to five pounds. It is in season from July to November. It is best filleted, simmered in fish broth, and served with the brotb thickened into sauce, flavoured with a gill of tomato puree and sharpened with lemon juice and a little minced pickled gherkin. But Sea Bream is a more popular fish in Spain and Greece than it is here. Gurnard. — -This also is a reddish-coloured fish, with a very ugly head. It weighs from half a pound to six pounds, and is very good eating. The Grey Gurnard, called in Scotland the Hardhead, is thought to be better in flavour than the red variety. Gurnards can be had nearly all the year round. They are good when cooked like haddock, and are best when not exceeding two pounds in weight. I have now mentioned all the Sea Fish generally seen in fishmongers’ shops, but there are many other kinds known to seaside residents. All our British Sea Fish are fit to eat when fresh, and many form most valuable food. We have none of the poisonous fish which exist in southern seas, nor have we to contend with the tastelessness of those tropical fish which, although they are so beautiful to the eye, need all the genius of a negro cook, or all the skill of a French chef, before they can be made acceptable to the palate. The one fault of fish in this country is its price. When fish is bought from a fishmonger there is no doubt that, taking weight for weight, it is more expensive than butchers’ meat. Most people would not grudge this expense if the money went direct to those whose “brave daring ” has brought the fish to shore. There is truth in the words of that fine old song, Caller Herrin' — “ Wives and mithers, maist despairin’, Call them lives of men.” And everyone who buys the fish which has been caught with so much toil and risk must regret the line of middlemen which keep much of their well-earned money from the fishermen. British fish will have reached perfection when it can pass without intervention from the fisherman’s boat to the purchaser’s kitchen. On Cleaning1 Fish. — Cleaning and trimming fish is so entirely the province of the fishmonger that a cook is often at a loss what to do with fish when it is brought straight from the sea, the loch, or the river. A wise mistress will give her cook a lesson from a good fishmonger in cleaning and in filleting fish, but for those who have not had this advantage I will mention a few general rules :

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Wyvern's Stuffed Smelts

Mrs. Roundell's Practical cookery book