Mrs. Roundell's Practical cookery book

have been caught in clean water. Grey Mullet abound on almost every coast in temperate and tropical regions, and in hot countries often reach twelve pounds in weight. It is a good and useful fish when its food has not been foul. Grev Mullet may be cooked in any of the ways suggested for fresh haddock. It is very good baked and stuffed in Wyvem's way. Choose a nice Grey Mullet, and threepenny worth of shrimps. Fry the shrimps, and if very salt plunge them into hot water for half a minute and then into cold ; do not soak them or they will lose their flavour. Drain the shrimps dry, and pound them thoroughly with half an ounce of butter and two tablespoonfuls of breadcrumbs soaked in milk. Pass this through the sieve and season it with a teaspoonful of finely- minced parsley, one of chervil, and one of chives, or the green stem of a young onion ; give this a dust of pepper, salt, and mace if liked, and work it thoroughly together with a well- beaten egg. Now lay the Mullet on a board, wipe it dry, fill it with the shrimp stuffing, and sew it up securely. Put the Mullet on a buttered fire-proof dish, pour a breakfastcupful (ox- half a pint) of fish broth round it, shake a thin layer of cx-ust- raspings over it, put a few morsels of butter on it, and bake it in the Dutch oven for ten minutes or a quarter of an hour. If possible pour a spoonful of sauteme over the Mullet whilst it is baking. Baste during the cooking, and serve in the same dish, with a pat of maitre d’hotel butter on the top of the fish. (Haddock is excellent cooked in this way with shrimp stuffing.) Smelts. — Smelts ought to be pei'fectly fresh, as they are not cleaned, only drawn from the gills like Red Mullet, They are in season from October to May, and should be about seven inches long. Smelts are good fx-ied, either egged and bread - crumbed, or rolled in milk and oatmeal. To be crisp they should be fried “at twice,” xiot letting them colour the first time. Do not have the suet too hot at first, but increase the temperature (see Frying’). If the Smelts have to be fried at once they will take six minutes. Many cooks roll and pat them gently befoi’e fiying to make them look round and plump. Or Smelts can be baked. For this dish cut the heads off the Smelts, lay them side by side on a well-buttered fix*e-pi’oof dish, sprinkle them with minced pax-sley, and shake over them some SMELTS 93 x’aspings. Coat the Smelts with beaten egg before you add the layer of raspings. Baste with fish broth or a little melted butter, and bake in the oven for six minutes. Serve in the same dish. Or cook them in this way after preparing the Smelts as in the following recipe.