Cookery for every household

256. Sole with Shrimp Stuffing 1 lemon sole. 2 or 3 oz. picked shrimps. 3 table-sps. breadcrumbs. 1 tea-sp. chopped parsley. Seasoning. 2 table-sps. white sauce. 1 gill fish stock or white wine. 1 table-sp. browned bread-crumbs. A little butter. Choose a medium -sized sole, clean it carefully, and remove the dark skin. Then make an incision right down the centre of the fish to the back bone and on the skinned side. Slip the knife along close to the bone and raise the fillets slightly so as to make pockets for the stuffing. To Prepare the Stuffing. — Put the shrimps and bread-crumbs into a basin, add the chopped parsley and anchovy essence, and bind all together with the white sauce or some beaten egg. Season to taste, and put this stuffing into the fish, piling it rather high and smoothing it over the top. Now lay the fish on a greased baking dish, pour the stock or wine round, and sprinkle the browned crumbs over. Lay a few small pieces of butter on the top, and bake in a moderate oven. When ready, serve the fish in the same dish, garnishing with parsley and cut lemon. Time to cook, 20 to 30 minutes. Sufficient for 3 or 4 persons. Sprats or Garvies (Esprots, Harangue ts or Melettes) These are little fish resembling the herring in appearance only much smaller in size, being only from 4 to 5 inches in length. Like the herring they are oily in nature, but they have a good flavour and are usually very cheap. To be good they must be very fresh, they are then bright andsilvery-looking. They should be cleaned carefully, and the insides drawn out through the gills without opening the fish. Fresh sprats can be grilled, fried, baked, or soused. _ They can also be bought smoked and dried and tied up in bundles. 257. Fried or Broiled Sprats Clean the sprats and draw them through the gills. Wipe them very dry and dip them in flour, coating them lightly. Then run a skewer through the heads of about a dozen at a time and fry them on the skewer in plenty of hot fat until they are nicely browned. Drain them well, draw out the skewer, and serve them very hot garnished with parsley and lemon. Thin slices of brown bread and butter should be served separately. For broiling prepare the sprats in the same way, grease the grill with suet and broil the sprats over or in front of a clear fire. Time to cook, 2 or 3 minutes. 258. Baked Sprats 1 J doz. sprats. 1 dessert-sp. chopped onion. 1 bay-leaf. 1 small blade of mace. 1 doz. black peppercorns. A few parsley stalks. A little salt. Grated nutmeg. Vinegar. 1 oz. butter. Prepare the sprats, cutting off the heads and tails, and lay them in a pie dish or fireproof dish with the seasonings. Cover them with good vinegar, or 'with vinegar and water, lay a few small pieces of butter on the top, and bake in a moderate oven until the fish are cooked. Serve cold. Time to cook, 20 to 30 minutes. 259. Dried and Smoked Sprats, To Cook These should either be dipped in melted butter and toasted before the fire or under the grill of a gas stove ; or fried for a few minutes in butter. Serve very hot with cut lemon and thin brown bread and butter. Time to cook, 2 or 3 minutes. Sturgeon (Esturgeon) Like the salmon, the sturgeon lives partly in fresh and partly in salt water, it ascends the large rivers at spawning time. It is not a common fish in British waters, although it is caught in the