To fry SMELTS or SPARLINGS.
DRAW the guts out at the gills, but leave in
the melt or roe, dry them with a cloth, beat an
egg, and rub it over them with a feather, then
strew bread crumbs over them, fry them with
hog's lard or rendered beef suet, when it is boil-
ing hot put in your fish, shake them a little, and
fry them a nice brown, drain them in a sieve,
when you dish them put a bacon in the middle
of your dish with the bottom up, lay the tails of
your fish on it, fry a handful of parsley in the fat
your fish was fryed in, take it out of water as
you fry it, and it will keep its colour and crisp
sooner, put a little on the tails, and lay the rest
in lumps round the edge of the dish; serve it up
with good melted butter for sauce.