Cleanse the fish thoroughly inside and out, remove the roe carefully, steep it in vinegar and water, and replace it; place the fish in water from which the chill has been taken, and boil very slowly, from fifteen to twenty minutes; the best criterion is to be found in the starting of the eyes and splitting of the tail, when that takes place the fish is done; take it out of the water instantly, or you will not preserve it whole. Garnish with fennel or parsley, and serve up as sauce, either, chopped fine in melted butter. Gooseberry sauce is occasionally sent to table, but it does not suit every palate.

An English cook says: They should be carefully cleaned both inside and out; then washed in vinegar and water, and left to hang a little to dry before being put into the fish-kettle. A handful of salt should be put into the water, which should be at first cold, and only allowed to boil gently from fifteen to twenty minutes, though some prefer having the water boiling hot. The fish should be watched about that time, as "when the eye starts and the tail splits they are done, and should be immediately taken up; if left in the water they will break."

The most customary sauce is that of fennel, which has partly superseded the gooseberry; but parsley and butter are still in use.

To Broil

Split them down the back, rub the inside with a little vinegar sprinkled with pepper and salt, flour them, broil on a quick fire, and serve them up with melted butter, parsley, fennel, or lemon sauce. Or, if intended for breakfast, send up the fish plainly broiled without condiments or sauce, and merely rubbed, when done, with a bit of butter.