or even one night, will suffice.

When frying fish the fire must be hot enough to bring the fat to such
a degree of heat as to sear the surface and make it impervious to the
fat, and at the same time seal up the rich juices. As soon as the fish
is browned by this sudden application of heat, the pan may be moved to
a cooler place on the stove, that the process may be finished more
slowly.

Fat in which fish has been fried is just as good to use again for the
same purpose, but it should be kept by itself and not put to any other
use.

TO FRY FISH.

Most of the smaller fish (generally termed pan-fish) are usually
fried. Clean well, cut off the head, and, if quite large, cut out the
backbone, and slice the body crosswise into five or six pieces; season
with salt and pepper. Dip in Indian meal or wheat flour, or in beaten
egg, and roll in bread or fine cracker crumbs--trout and perch should
not be dipped in meal; put into a thick bottomed iron frying pan, the
flesh side down, with hot lard or drippings; fry slowly, turning when
lightly browned. The following method may be deemed preferable: Dredge
the pieces with flour; brush them over with beaten egg; roll in bread
crumbs, and fry in hot lard or drippings sufficient to cover, the same
as frying crullers. If the fat is very hot, the fish will fry without
absorbing it, and it will be palatably cooked. When browned on one
side, turn it over in the fat and brown the other, draining when done.
This is a particularly good way to fry slices of large fish. Serve
with tomato sauce; garnish with slices of lemon.

PAN-FISH.

Place them in a thick bottomed frying pan with heads all one way. Fill
the spaces with smaller fish. When they are fried quite brown and
ready to turn, put a dinner plate over them, drain off the fat; then
invert the pan, and they will be left unbroken on the plate. Put the
lard back into the pan, and when _hot_ slip back the fish. When the
other side is brown, drain, turn on a plate as before, and slip them
on a warm platter, to be sent to the table. Leaving the heads on and
the fish a crispy-brown, in perfect shape, improves the appearance if
not the flavor. Garnish with slices of lemon.

_Hotel Lafayette, Philadelphia._

BAKED PICKEREL.

Carefully clean and wipe the fish, and lay in a dripping pan with
enough hot water to prevent scorching. A perforated sheet of tin,
fitting loosely, or several muffin rings may be used to keep it off
the bott