Devilled Whitebait

Ingredients

• All fish, from sea or shore.
• another cloth thickly covered with fine dry flour
• Have ready some fresh lard
• salt
• cayenne

Method

1. 1

   Drain the water from the bait through a colander; throw them on a thick cloth to drain still more.

2. 2

   Put the bait into the flour, gather up the two ends of the cloth with both hands and move it gently backwards and forwards until every fish is covered with flour.

3. 3

   When boiling, drop in one of the bait to test it.

4. 4

   If of the right heat, the bait will turn a bright brown and be crisp in a few seconds.

5. 5

   Place the bait in a wire frying-basket and hold it in the boiling lard until crisp and brown.

6. 6

   Serve with brown bread-and-butter and quartered lemons.

Nutrition per serving

As published

This recipe was extracted from Soups, savouries, sweets, with a chapter on breads (1889) by Practical housewife, page 45. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

All fish, from sea or shore. Freshet or purling brook, or shell or Jin, And equisitest name,* * Paradise Regained/ flDiscellaneoue* XCo 3prs Mbftebaft As the success of whitebait- frying depends mainly on the freshness of the fish, order it to be sent in an hour or so before cooking. Drain the water from the bait through a colander; throw them on a thick cloth to drain still more. Have ready on the table another cloth thickly covered with fine dry flour; put the bait into this, gather up the two ends of the cloth with both hands * Whoso seeks an audit here Propitious, pays his tribute, game or fish. Wildfowl or venison.* COWPER. 307 MISCELLANEOUS. * 7 hat fish is a riddle^ Ifs broke in the middle : A turbot ! a fiddle I 'Tis only a Mil /'— HooD. like a hammock, and move it gently back- wards and forwards until every fish is covered with flour and each is separate. Have ready some fresh lard, and when boiling drop in one of the bait to test it. If of the right heat, the bait will turn a bright brown and be crisp in a few seconds. Place the bait in a wire frying-basket the size to go into the saucepan, and hold it in the boiling lard until the bait is crisp and brown. Turn the bait out on a hair-sieve in front of the fire that all fat may drain off ; dish up on a hot dish and doily, and serve with brown bread-and- butter and quartered lemons. Devilled whitebait is cooked in the same way, with the addition of salt and cayenne

Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.