How to Cook Fish

by Myrtle Reed

FRIED SMELTS WITH SALT PORK

Clean the smelts, leaving them whole. Dip into fine crumbs or corn-meal. Cut half a pound of fat salt pork into dice, and fry until crisp. Take up the pork, fry the fish in the fat, and drain on brown paper. Make a Cream Sauce, using the pork fat instead of butter, add to it the diced pork, pour around the fish and serve.

STUFFED SMELTS—I

Stuff the cleaned fish with bread-crumbs mixed with tomato and melted butter, seasoning with salt and pepper. Bake in a buttered pan and serve with any preferred sauce.

STUFFED SMELTS—II

Stuff cleaned smelts with chopped oysters and seasoned crumbs. Roll in melted butter, then in crumbs, and bake for fifteen minutes, basting with melted butter; the breading may be omitted if a more simple dish is desired. Serve with Bearnaise Sauce.

STUFFED SMELTS—III

Cook to a paste one cupful of crumbs and one cupful of milk. Beat smooth, add one egg well-beaten, a teaspoonful each of minced parsley, lemon-juice, and chopped olives, and one cupful of chopped oysters. Stuff large smelts, lay them in a pan lined with buttered paper, skewer the head and tail together, and fill the circles with stuffing. Steam for fifteen minutes or sprinkle with crumbs and butter and bake.

STUFFED SMELTS À L'ITALIENNE

Prepare, clean, and split the smelts, stuff with seasoned crumbs, and arrange in a buttered baking-dish, cover with Italian Sauce, and bake. Squeeze lemon-juice over and serve. Chopped oysters or cooked fish may be used with, or instead of, the crumbs.