Fried Smelts
Clean smelts, leaving on heads and tails. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, dip in flour, egg, and crumbs, and fry three to four minutes in deep fat. As soon as smelts are put into fat, remove fat to back of range so that they may not become too brown before cooked through. Arrange on hot platter, garnish with parsley, lemon, and fried gelatine. Serve with Sauce Tartare.
Smelts are fried without being skewered, but often are skewered in variety of shapes.
To fry gelatine. Take up a handful and drop in hot, deep fat; it will immediately swell and become white; it should at once be removed with a skimmer, then drained.
Phosphated or granulated gelatine cannot be used for frying.