Fried Whitebait

Ingredients

• a pail of iced water
• fine flour
• a bath of boiling clarified suet at least three inches deep
• a little salt
• quarters of lemon
• brown bread and butter
• cayenne pepper

Method

1. 1

   Lift the Whitebait from iced salt water with a perforated slice.

2. 2

   Flour them with fine flour and let them dry.

3. 3

   Heat clarified suet to 400 degrees.

4. 4

   Fry the Whitebait in batches for three minutes, drain, and dry on a hot sieve.

5. 5

   Fry again for two minutes, dust with salt, and serve with lemon, brown bread, and cayenne pepper.

Nutrition per serving

Estimated from matched ingredients across 4 servings.

As published

This recipe was extracted from Mrs. Roundell's Practical cookery book (1898) by Roundell, Charles Mrs, page 49. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

a pail of iced water (it should be iced salt and water), and they must be lifted out with a perforated slice. Flour a cloth with fine flour, as this is more absorbent than coarse flour. Lay the Whitebait on the cloth, and with a fork gently separate them from each other. Sprinkle more flour over them, so that they may be floured all over, and let them rest and dry. Turn them out on a wire-sieve, shake it to remove superfluous flour, but do not let the Whitebait touch each other. Have ready a bath of boiling clarified suet at least three inches deep, and see that it is at a fierce heat, 400 degrees. (See Frying1.) Put the Whitebait into the frying-basket with a slice, and be careful to put in only as many as can be thoroughly immersed at once. Fry them for three minutes, lift up the basket, drain the Whitebait over the hot suet, shake them, and turn them out to dry on a hot sieve, or a hot cloth, or on blotting-paper. Do this two hour’s before the Whitebait are wanted. When time to serve them fry them S2 SEA FISH a second time for two minutes, dust a little salt over them, and drain and dry as before. The Whitebait must not be allowed to turn brown. Whitebait are much best when fried “at twice” in this way, as they are sure to be crisp. But if it is not convenient to fry them twice let them remain motionless in the boiling suet for three minutes, then shake the basket or stir the Whitebait apart, leave them quiet for two minutes more, and then give another shake or stir. Five minutes ought quite to cook the Whitebait. Be most careful as to the heat of the suet, or the Whitebait will be flabby. Serve with quarters of lemon, brown bread and butter, and cayenne pepper

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