Whiting, pike, haddock, and other fish, when of a sufficiently large size, may be carved in the same manner as salmon. When small, they may be cut through, bone and all, and helped in nice pieces, a middling-sized whiting serving for two slices.
WHITING, Fried.
Ingredients.—Egg and bread-crumbs, a little flour, hot lard, or clarified dripping. Mode.—Take off the skin, clean, and thoroughly wipe the fish free from all moisture, as this is most essential, in order that the egg and bread-crumbs may properly adhere. Fasten the tail in the mouth by means of a small skewer, brush the fish over with egg, dredge with a little flour, and cover with bread-crumbs. Fry them in hot lard or clarified dripping of a nice colour, and serve them on a napkin, garnished with fried parsley. Send them to table with shrimp sauce and plain melted butter. Time.—-About 6 minutes. Average cost, 4d. each. Seasonable all the year, but best from October to March. Sufficient.—1 small whiting for each person.
Note.—Large whitings may be filleted, rolled, and served as fried filleted soles. Small fried whitings are frequently used for garnishing large boiled fish, such as turbot, cod, &c.
WHITING AU GRATIN, or BAKED WHITING.
Ingredients.—4 whiting, butter, 1 tablespoonful of minced parsley, a few chopped mushrooms when obtainable; pepper, salt, and grated nutmeg to taste; butter, 2 glasses of sherry or Madeira, bread-crumbs. Mode.—Grease the bottom of a baking-dish with butter, and over it strew some minced parsley and mushrooms. Scale, empty, and wash the whitings, and wipe them thoroughly dry, carefully preserving the livers. Lay them in the dish, sprinkle them with bread-crumbs and seasoning, adding a little grated nutmeg, and also a little more minced parsley and mushrooms. Place small pieces of butter over the whiting, moisten with the wine, and bake for 20 minutes in a hot oven. If there should be too much sauce, reduce it by boiling over a sharp fire for a few minutes, and pour under the fish. Serve with a cut lemon, and no other sauce. Time.—20 minutes. Average cost, 4d. each. Seasonable all the year, but best from October to March. Sufficient.—This quantity for 4 or 5 persons.
WHITING AUX FINES HERBES.
Ingredients.—1 bunch of sweet herbs chopped very fine; butter. Mode.—Clean and skin the fish, fasten the tails in the mouths, and lay them in a baking-dish. Mince the herbs very fine, strew them over the fish, and place small pieces of butter over; cover with another dish, and let them simmer in a Dutch oven for ¼ hour or 20 minutes. Turn the fish once or twice, and serve with the sauce poured over. Time.—¼ hour or 20 minutes. Average cost, 4d. each. Seasonable all the year, but best from October to March. Sufficient.—1 small whiting for each person.
WIDGEON, Roast.
Ingredients.—Widgeons, a little flour, butter. Mode.—These are trussed in the same manner as wild duck, but must not be kept so long before they are dressed. Put them down to a brisk fire; flour, and baste them continually with butter, and, when browned and nicely frothed, send them to table hot and quickly. Serve with brown gravy, or orange gravy, and a cut lemon. Time.—¼ hour; if liked well done, 20 minutes. Average cost, 1s. each: but seldom bought. Sufficient.—2 for a dish. Seasonable from October to February.