This is such a delicate fish that there are few cooks who attempt to dress it without spoiling it; they should not be touched but thrown from the dish into a cloth with a handful of flour; shake them lightly, but enough to cover them well with the flour, then turn them into a sieve expressly for bait to free them from too great a quantity of the flour, then throw the fish into a pan with plenty of boiling butter, they must remain but an instant, for they are considered spoilt if they become the least brown; they should be placed lightly on the dish piled up high in the centre, brown bread and butter is always served with them; when devilled they are also excellent, and are permitted to become brown; they are then sprinkled with cayenne pepper, and a little salt, and served with lemon juice.
This receipt was given by a cook who dressed white bait to perfection.
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A DUTCH FRICANDELLE.
Take two pounds of dressed fish, remove the skin and bones, cut in small pieces with two or three anchovies, and season well, soak the crumb of a French roll in milk, beat it up with the fish and three eggs: butter a mould, sprinkle it with raspings, place in the fish and bake it; when done, turn out and serve either dry or with anchovy sauce; if served dry, finely grated crumbs of bread should be sprinkled thickly over it, and it should be placed for a few minutes before the fire to brown.
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FISH FRITTERS.
Make a force-meat of any cold fish, form it into thin cakes, and fry of a light brown, or enclose them first in thin paste and then fry them. The roes of fish or the livers are particularly nice prepared in this way.
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