The official handbook for the National Training School for Cookery

3. We lay these pieces close together in a stone jar, with thirty peppercorns and half a teaspoonful of salt, 4. We add one blade of mace and a bay-leaf, 5. We take one shalot, peel it, and add it, or part of it (according to taste), to the fish. 6. We pour in one gill (a quarter of a pint) of vinegar, and tie a piece of brown paper tightly over the top of the jar with a piece of string. 7. We put the jar into a very slow oven to bake for two hours, or it may stand in a baker's oven all night. N.B. — The fish is to be eaten cold. Lessons on Cooking Fish. — Fried Plaice. 237 Lesson No. 13. FRIED PLAICE. Average cost of " Plaice" (fried). s. d. 1 Plaice 1 o 1 egg o 1 Bread crumbs o oV Dripping for frying 1 it Time required, about half an hour. Now we will show you how to fry Plaice in Egg and Bread Crumbs, or Batter. 1. We put about half a pound of clarified dripping into a saucepan, and put it on the fire to heat. 2. We take the plaice, wash it in cold water, and dry it in a cloth. 3. We put the plaice on a board, and with a sharp knife carefully cut off the head and the tail. 4. We hold a grater over a piece of paper and grate some bread crumbs. 5. We cut up the fish into slices or fillets. 6. We break an egg on to a plate and beat it lightly with a knife. 7. We dip the slices of fish into the egg, and egg them well all over. 8. We then roll them in the bread crumbs, covering them well. N.B. — We must shake off the loose crumbs. 9. When the dripping is quite hot and smoking we care- 238 National Training School for Cookery. fully put in the fish, fingering it as little as possible, so as not to take off any of the egg or bread crumbs. N.B. — We should not put too many pieces at a time into the dripping, as they must not touch each other. 10. We put a piece of whitey-brown paper on to a plate, and as the fish is fried we take it out of the dripping carefully with a slice, and lay it on the paper to drain off the grease. N.B. — Soles or any fish can be fried in the same way. N.B. — For frying fish in batter, we dip each piece of fish in the batter, made as for meat fritters (see Cooked Meat, Lesson No. 2), and fry it in the same way as above. 11. For serving we should arrange the fish on a hot dish and garnish it with a few sprigs of parsley. Lessons on Cooking Fish. — Boiled Fish. 239 Lesson No. 14. BOILED FISH. Average cost of the Sauce to be served with boiled fish (about half a pint). d. 1 oz. of butter i \ oz. flour o| Anchovy sauce or lemon juice o\ Time required for boiling fish, about twenty minutes to three quarters of an hourt according to the size of the fish. Now we will show you how to Boil Fish. 1. We put a saucepan or fish-kettle of water on the fire to boil. 2. We take the fish and clean it thoroughly in cold water. 3. When the water is warm, we put in the fish on a strainer or a plate (there should be sufficient water just to cover the fish.) N. B. — For salmon the water must be boiling, but for all other fish it should only be warm water. 4. We also put in some salt, enough to make the water taste salt.