Smelts, Fried

Ingredients

• a dozen smelts
• soak them in milk
• flour them well
• sprinkle a little salt over them
• garnish with fried parsley
• half a lemon at each end of the dish

Method

1. 1

   Draw and wipe smelts, trim fins, soak in milk, flour well.

2. 2

   Fry in hot fat until crisp and brown.

3. 3

   Drain on blotting paper, sprinkle with salt, serve on a napkin with lemon and fried parsley.

As published

This recipe was extracted from Cassell's dictionary of cookery (1892) by Cassell & Company, page 1819. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

a dozen smelts, clean and dry them, and trim away the fins. Butter a pie-dish thickly, and sprinkle on the bottom finely-grated bread- crumbs seasoned with pepper and salt, finely- chopped jiarsley, and shallot. Put the smelts in the dish in a row, sprinkle seasoned bread- crumbs on the tox^, and pour upon the fish a glassful of sherry, a little Harvey's Sauce, or a dessert-spoonful of lemon- juice, and half a tea- spoonful of essence of anchovj'. Place little l^ieccs of butter here and there on the fish, and bake them in a moderate oven. When done enough, serve the smelts quite hot in the dish in which they were baked. Tin^e, a quarter of an hour to bake the smelts. Probable cost, Is. to 2s. per dozen. Sufficient for five or six persons. Smelts, Boiled, for Invalids.— Take a couple of large smelts, draw them carefully, and wipe them gently with a soft cloth; put a quarter of a pint of water into a saucepan with a j)inch of salt, a small lump of sugar, and about fifty picked parsley-leaves. When the water boils put in the smelts, and let them simmer gently until done enough. Take them up carefully on a slice, lay them on a dish, and pour the liquor in which they were boiled over them. Be watchful that the fish does not bum to the bottom of the saucepan. If liked, the gravy may be thickened with half a tea-spoonful of arrowroot, to be put with it when the sauce has simmered three minutes. Time to simmer the fish, five minutes, or longer if the smelts are unusually large. Probable cost, 6d. Sufficient for one person. Smelts, Broiled. — Draw carefully and wip)e a couple of large smelts, flour them well, and lay them on a gridiron over a gentle fire. "WTien half done turn them carefully upon the other side. When they are done enough put them on a hot dish, sprinlde a little salt upon them, and serve immediately. A cut lemon or a little sauce may be sent to table with them, if preferred. Time, five or six minutes. Probable cost, about 2d. each. Sufiicient for one person. Sm.elts, Choosing of. — If smelts be fresh, they will lie very firm, will have a pecu- liarly strong smell, greatly resembling that of a pared cucumber, and will be of a fine silver hue. Smelts, Fried. — Draw and wipe the smelts, trim off the fins, soak them in milk, and flour them well ; or, if preferred, flom- them, and then dip them in beaten egg and bread-rasp- ings.- Fry in hot fat till they are crisp and brown. Take them up carefully with a slice, di'ain them on blotting-paper, sprinkle a little salt over them, and serve on a napkin on a dish. Put half a lemon at each end of the dish, and garnish with, fried parsley

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