nths when it
is in season. Nothing can be of greater consequence to a cook than to
have the fish good; as if this important course in a dinner does not
give satisfaction, it is rarely that the repast goes off well.

RECIPES.

CHAPTER VIII.

FISH.

[_Nothing is more difficult than to give the average prices of Fish,
inasmuch as a few hours of bad weather at sea will, in the space of one
day, cause such a difference in its supply, that the same fish--a turbot
for instance--which may be bought to-day for six or seven shillings,
will, to-morrow, be, in the London markets, worth, perhaps, almost as
many pounds. The average costs, therefore, which will be found appended
to each recipe, must be understood as about the average price for the
different kinds of fish, when the market is supplied upon an average,
and when the various sorts are of an average size and quality._

GENERAL RULE IN CHOOSING FISH.--_A proof of freshness and goodness in
most fishes, is their being covered with scales; for, if deficient in
this respect, it is a sign of their being stale, or having been
ill-used._]

FRIED ANCHOVIES.

226. INGREDIENTS.--1 tablespoonful of oil, 1/2 a glass of white wine,
sufficient flour to thicken; 12 anchovies.

_Mode_.--Mix the oil and wine together, with sufficient flour to make
them into a thickish paste; cleanse the anchovies, wipe them, dip them
in the paste, and fry of a nice brown colour.

_Time_.--1/2 hour. _Average cost_ for this quantity, 9d.

_Seasonable_ all the year.

_Sufficient_ for 2 persons.

[Illustration: THE ANCHOVY.]

THE ANCHOVY.--In his book of "British Fishes," Mr. Yarrell
states that "the anchovy is a common fish in the Mediterranean,
from Greece to Gibraltar, and was well known to the Greeks and
Romans, by whom the liquor prepared from it, called _garum_, was
in great estimation. Its extreme range is extended into the
Black Sea. The fishing for them is carried on during the night,
and lights are used with the nets. The anchovy is common on the
coasts of Portugal, Spain, and France. It occurs, I have no
doubt, at the Channel Islands, and has been taken on the
Hampshire coast, and in the Bristol Channel." Other fish, of
inferior quality, but resembling the real Gorgona anchovy, are
frequently sold for it, and passed off as genuine.

ANCHOVY BUTTER OR PASTE.

227. INGREDIENTS.--2 dozen anchovies, 1/2 lb. of fresh butter.