, or covered with white sauce (No. 364--2; and see No. 158).

_Soles, or other Fish, to fry._--(No. 145.)

Soles are generally to be procured good from some part of the coast, as
some are going out of season, and some coming in, both at the same time;
a great many are brought in well-boats alive, that are caught off Dover
and Folkstone, and some are brought from the same places by
land-carriage. The finest soles are caught off Plymouth, near the
Eddystone, and all the way up the channel, and to Torbay; and frequently
weigh eight or ten pounds per pair: they are generally brought by water
to Portsmouth, and thence by land; but the greatest quantity are caught
off Yarmouth and the Knole, and off the Forelands.

Be sure they are quite fresh, or the cleverest cook cannot make them
either look or eat well.

An hour before you intend to dress them, wash them thoroughly, and wrap
them in a clean cloth, to make them perfectly dry, or the bread-crumbs
will not stick to them.

Prepare some bread-crumbs,[170-*] by rubbing some stale bread through a
colander; or, if you wish the fish to appear very delicate and
highly-finished, through a hair-sieve; or use biscuit powder.

Beat the yelk and white of an egg well together, on a plate, with a
fork; flour your fish, to absorb any moisture that may remain, and wipe
it off with a clean cloth; dip them in the egg on both sides all over,
or, what is better, egg them with a paste-brush; put the egg on in an
even degree over the whole fish, or the bread-crumbs will not stick to
it even, and the uneven part will burn to the pan. Strew the
bread-crumbs all over the fish, so that they cover every part, take up
the fish by the head, and shake off the loose crumbs. The fish is now
ready for the frying-pan.

Put a quart or more of fresh sweet olive-oil, or clarified butter (No.
259), dripping (No. 83), lard,[170-+] or clarified drippings (No. 83);
be sure they are quite sweet and perfectly clean (the fat ought to cover
the fish): what we here order is for soles about ten inches long; if
larger, cut them into pieces the proper size to help at table; this will
save much time and trouble to the carver: when you send them to table,
lay them in the same form they were before they were cut, and you may
strew a little curled parsley over them: they are much easier managed in
the frying-pan, and require less fat: fry the thick part a few minutes
before you put in the thin, you can by this means o