As for Soles, skin them, and gut them, then flour them well, and toss them
into the Pan, turning them once, when you see the upper side of a yellow
Colour. When they are enough, put them into a Cullendar to drain before the
Fire.
Flounders are only to be gutted, and the Skins wash'd with Water and Salt, and being well dry'd with a Cloth, flour them, and fling them into the Pan, and use them as you did the Soles.
The Plaise are to be done in the same manner as the Flounders.
Whitings must be treated in the same manner as the former.
Smelts must be only rub'd with a coarse Cloth, and then flour'd, and thrown into the Pan.
Gudgeons must be scaled and gutted, well dry'd and flour'd, and thrown into the hot Lard: but take care in all these that you have a quick Fire under them, and not too many in the Pan at one time.
You have now all your Furniture for your Bisque of Fish; but to fry them still crisper, and better, use Sallad-Oil instead of Hogs-Lard; or if you have neither of these, you may use good dripping of Beef, or Mutton, but there must be enough of it, and it should be as hot as possible, in the Pan, when you throw your Fish in. Serve these with melted Butter, and Anchovy Liquor, with Shrimps, or Oysters, if they are single.
To broil Whitings.
Clean your Whitings, with Water and Salt, after they are gutted, and drying them thoroughly, flour them well, then lay them on the Grid-Iron, first rubbing it with a little Chalk. As you find them enough on one side, turn them, and serve them, if they go to the Table alone, with Butter melted, some Anchovy Liquor, and Oyster Sauce; these may make one of your grand Dishes of Fish, but fry'd and boiled is enough, because there is never a Dish of this kind, but there are many more at the same Treat, which will give the Cook a great deal of difficulty, and besides you must still in this Dish have some Spitchcot-Eels.
N.B. I forbear to mention here the manner of dresing Spitchcot-Eels, as they are already set down in the first part of this Book.