_Mode_.--Cleanse the fish, but do not skin them; lay them in a
fish-kettle, with sufficient cold water to cover them, and salt in the
above proportion. Bring them gradually to a boil, and simmer gently for
about 5 minutes, or rather more should the fish be very large. Dish them
on a hot napkin, and garnish with tufts of parsley. Serve with anchovy
or caper sauce, and plain melted butter.
_Time_.--After the water boils, 5 minutes.
_Average cost_ for small whitings, 4d. each.
_Seasonable_ all the year, but best from October to March.
_Sufficient_, 1 small whiting for each person.
To CHOOSE WHITING.--Choose for the firmness of its flesh and the silvery
hue of its appearance.
[Illustration: THE WHITING.]
The Whiting.--This fish forms a light, tender, and delicate
food, easy of digestion. It appears in our seas in the spring,
within three miles of the shores, where it arrives in large
shoals to deposit its spawn. It is caught by line, and is
usually between ten and twelve inches long, and seldom exceeding
a pound and a half in weight. On the edge of the Dogger Bank,
however, it has been caught so heavy as to weigh from three to
seven or eight pounds. When less than six inches long, it is not
allowed to be caught.
BROILED WHITING.