236. To fry Smelts

The Modern Housewife · Soyer, Alexis · 1849

Source: The Modern Housewife
Status: success · extracted 12 days ago
Not a recipe: No

Ingredients (8)

for frying smelts

Smelts ↝ Fish, smelt, rainbow, raw [Finfish and Shellfish Products]
flour ↝ Flour, 00 [Cereal Grains and Pasta]
half an ounce of butter of clear fat melted
the yolk of two eggs ↝ Egg, yolk only, raw [Eggs and omelets]
bread-crumbs ↝ Bread, crumbs, dry, grated, seasoned [Baked Products]
very hot lard ↝ Lard [Fats and Oils]
parsley ↝ Parsley, raw [Not included in a food category]
shrimp sauce

Instructions (10)

Dry the smelts in a cloth.
Dip them in flour.
Melt half an ounce of butter of clear fat in a basin.
Break the yolk of two eggs into the melted butter.
Rub the smelts over with the egg and butter mixture using a brush.
Dip them in bread-crumbs.
Fry in very hot lard.
Dress them on a napkin.
Garnish with parsley.
Serve with shrimp sauce in a boat.

Original Text

236. To fry Smelts.—Dry them in a cloth, and dip them in flour; then have half an ounce of butter of clear fat melted in a basin, into which break the yolk of two eggs, with which rub the smelts over with a brush, dip them in bread-crumbs, fry in very hot lard, dress them on a napkin, garnish with parsley, and serve with shrimp sauce in a boat.

White Bait.—This is a fish which belongs especially to London; although it is obtainable in other rivers in Great Britain and the Continent, yet it is not sought for; great difference of opinion exists amongst naturalists as to what fish this is the young of; in my humble opinion, I think it is a species distinct of itself, having a life of short duration. It is caught only in brackish water, floating up and down the river, according to the tide,—in very dry summers as high up as Greenwich, and in very wet as low as Gravesend. They spawn in winter, and make their appearance, about one inch in length, early in March. They should be cooked as follows:

Notes

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