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for 4 servings. Soak them in ice water for an hour or two. Drain them on a towel and roll in corn meal. Sauté them very quickly in olive oil, shaking the pan often to move the fish around, and shifting them carefully with a wooden spoon. Salt and pepper to taste and serve with a rémoulade (page 35) or tartar sauce (pages 35–36).

VARIATIONS

1. Serve with sautéed oyster crabs as a garnish.

2. Dust with flour instead of corn meal.

FRIED WHITEBAIT

Prepare whitebait as above and fry in deep fat heated to 375°. The fish will take about 15 seconds to cook – at the most a half minute. Drain on absorbent paper and season to taste.

VARIATION

Let the fish cook until very crisp. Sprinkle with a little cayenne and dry mustard and squeeze lemon juice over them.

WHITEBAIT PANCAKES

Wash and dry a pound of whitebait. Mix with the following:

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon sweet basil

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Add enough flour to hold the fish and egg mixture together – about 1 cup. Form into small cakes. Dust them lightly with flour and fry in olive oil until browned on both sides. Serve with a rémoulade (page 35) or tartar sauce (pages 35–36).

WHITEBAIT ITALIAN

11/2 pounds whitebait

Corn meal

Olive oil

2 teaspoons grated onion

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon paprika

4 eggs

4 tablespoons cream

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Wash the whitebait and roll them in corn meal. Sauté in olive oil until just barely cooked through. Remove fish to an ovenproof serving platter or baking dish. Sprinkle over it the onion, salt, and paprika. Beat the eggs well and add the cream and cheese. Gently pour over the whitebait. Run under the broiler for 3 or 4 minutes to set the eggs.

Whiting

Whiting, or silver hake, are caught off the coast of New England, New York, and New Jersey, and as far south as Virginia. They are most plentiful in the spring and the fall. The frozen product is shipped throughout the country and has a ready market, especially in “fish ’n’ chips” shops.

The flesh is white and delicately flavored. It adapts well to nearly all forms of preparation. The average whiting is about 12 to 14 inches long, but occasionally one may reach 24 inches and weigh as much as 8 pounds. One small whiting is usually considered a portion.

GRILLED WHITING

Have small whiting – one per portion – split and dressed. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper, brush with melted butter or oil, and grill about 4 inches from a medium flame according to the Canadian cooking theory for broiling (page 9). Baste often with butter or oil. Serve sprinkled with chopped parsley.

VARIATIONS

1. Serve with Hollandaise sauce (pages 25–26) or sauce Béarnaise (page 26).

2. Sprinkle the split whiting heavily with sesame seeds.

3. Grill as above, sprinkle with fried crumbs, and serve with lemon wedges.

4. Mix together 1/2 cup oil, 1/2 cup chopped parsley, 1 tablespoon paprika, and 1 teaspoon salt. Baste the fish with this mixture while it is cooking.

WHITING SAUTÉ MEUNIÈRE

Choose 1 small whiting per person and have it dressed. Cook according to directions for sauté meunière, page 10.

FRIED WHITING

The usual method is to remove the backbone from the whiting before frying in deep fat. Dip the fish in flour, then in beaten egg and milk, then roll well in crumbs or corn meal. Fry in fat heated to 375° according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 11). Drain on absorbent paper and season to taste. Serve with tartar sauce (page 36) or lemon wedges.

VARIATIONS

1. Mediterranean. Sauté 6 green peppers, cut in strips, in 6 tablespoons of olive oil until just tender. Season to taste; add 1 teaspoon of wine vinegar and swirl it around the pan. Deep-fry 4 whiting according to the directions above. Arrange them on a bed of the peppers and serve with rice pilaf and a tomato sauce.

2. Serve the fried fish with sautéed onion rings and fried parsley (page 253).

3. Serve the fried fish on a bed