Soyer's standard cookery

Now take a handful of the whitebait, shake it free of water, and sprinkle the fish on top of the flour heap. Put your frying-basket on the empty cloth. Now take up, by its four corners, the cloth with the flour and fish and tip out its contents into the frying-basket, placing the emptied cloth back in position on the table. Now shake the basket gently until, the flour having fallen to the cloth beneath, only the fish are left. Immerse the basket with fish in the boiling fat and cook for two minutes, giving the basket an occasional shake. At the end of this time, lift basket, allow fat to drain for a moment and then tip out fish on to a large flat dish (very hot) upon which a sheet of white paper has been previously placed. Repeat these operations (always standing the empty frying- basket on that cloth which has no flour upon it) until all the whitebait has been cooked. When it is time to serve, replace all the whitebait in the frying-basket and plunge into the boiling fat for a further two minutes. Drain free of fat, and tip out whitebait on to a hot dish, previously covered with a clean white napkin. Garnish with quarters of lemon and fried parsley sprigs and serve smoking hot, together with thin slices of brown bread and butter. Deviled Whitebait is prepared exactly as above with the addition of a seasoning of cayenne pepper and salt. Whitebait (Another Method.) Put them in a cloth, which shake gently so as to dry them; then place them in some very fine bread-crumbs and flour mixed; toss them lightly with the hands, take them out immediately, and put them in a wire basket, and fry them in hot lard; one minute will cook them; turn them out on a cloth, sprinkle a little salt over, and serve very hot. Should you not have a wire basket, sprinkle them into the pan, and as soon as they rise take them out. Fried Whiting. The whiting is generally skinned, and the tail turned round and fixed into the mouth; dip it first into flour, then egg over and dip it into breadcrumbs, fry as directed for the sole; for whiting aux fines herbes, proceed as directed for sole aux fines herbes. I prefer the whiting fried with their skins on, merely dipping them in flour. Whiting au Gratin. Put a good spoonful of chopped onions upon a strong earthen dish, with a glass of wine, season the whiting with a little pepper and salt, put it in the dish, sprinkle some chopped parsley and chopped mushrooms over, and pour over half a pint of anchovy sauce, over which sprinkle some brown breadcrumbs, grated from the crust of bread, place it in a warm oven for half an hour; it requires to be nicely browned; serve upon the dish you have cooked it in. Broiled Fish. Clean carefully and split open any large fish and place it in a deep dish, covering with a marinade of vinegar, oil, minced onion, pepper, salt and herbs. Let it stand for at least an hour in a cold place, turning the fish over several times. When ready to cook drain the fish carefully, dip it first into breadcrumbs, and broil carefully until well browned. Tartare sauce goes well with this dish. Fish Chartreuse.