Baked Smelts

Ingredients

• smelts
• clarified butter
• salt
• mace
• cayenne
• bread-crumbs
• 1 glass sherry
• 1/2 teaspoon essence of anchovies
• 1 dessertspoon lemon-juice

Instructions

1. Prepare the smelts as you would for frying.
2. Pour clarified butter into the baking dish in which they will be served.
3. Arrange the smelts neatly with their tails meeting in the centre.
4. If using the optional aromatics, pour the sherry, essence of anchovies, and lemon-juice into the dish now.
5. Sprinkle the smelts with a mixture of salt, mace, and cayenne, seasoning them to taste.
6. Cover them smoothly with a rather thick layer of very fine bread-crumbs.
7. Moisten the breadcrumbs evenly by pouring clarified butter through a small strainer over them.
8. Bake in a moderately quick oven until the crumbs are a fine light brown, about 10 minutes.