Page:Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management.djvu/351

Rh class with parsley alone, while fruit fritters should be liberally sprinkled with sugar before serving.

Oil may be strongly recommended for frying, but clarified fat, is more generally employed in ordinary households, and for all frying purposes is preferable to lard, which is apt to impart an unpleasant fatty flavour. All fat after being used for frying should be allowed to cool slightly, and afterwards strained into an earthenware vessel. Or, after repeated use, it may be partially purified by straining it into a basin of boiling water, when fragments of fish, breadcrumbs, etc., will sink to the bottom, and may be scraped off as soon as the fat hardens.

Fish, to Salt.—The following method of salting fish is particularly suited to herrings, mackerel, and other small varieties. Choose fish that is perfectly fresh, empty, scale and clean, but do not wash them. Make a brine sufficiently strong to float an egg, put in the fish, which should be completely covered, and let them remain in the brine for 18 hours. When ready drain well, place them in layers in an earthenware vessel, covering each layer thickly with salt. Cover closely to completely exclude the air, and store in a cool, dry place. The fish must be well soaked before cooking.