White Bait

History

Whitebait is not a single species but a collective term for the immature fry of small fish, "typically between 25 and 50 millimetres (1 and 2 in) long"; in the United Kingdom it refers principally to young sprats and, most commonly, herring. (The withdrawn history's "whiting" is not the usual identification.) Records of whitebait as a food in England date back to 1612, and by the 1780s "it was fashionable to dine on whitebait". For Londoners in the 19th century and before, summer excursions down the Thames to Greenwich or Blackwall to eat whitebait were popular, and the Cabinet made such a trip every year shortly before the prorogation of Parliament — a general dining tradition, not a claim about who ate this particular recipe.

The recipe titled "White Bait" appears in The Jewish Manual (London, 1846) — the first English-language Jewish cookbook, published anonymously as "Edited by a Lady" and traditionally attributed to Lady Judith Montefiore, though that attribution rests on circumstantial evidence and is not certain. The book presents the fish as "such a delicate fish that there are few cooks who attempt to dress it without spoiling it"; it directs that the fish "should not be touched but thrown from the dish into a cloth with a handful of flour," shaken to coat, sieved to remove excess flour, then fried in "plenty of boiling butter" for "but an instant, for they are considered spoilt if they become the least brown," piled high in the centre of the dish and served with brown bread and butter. A devilled version is "permitted to become brown," sprinkled with cayenne and salt, and served with lemon juice. The recipe closes: "This receipt was given by a cook who dressed white bait to perfection."

Beyond this, the historical record I consulted does not document who ate this specific recipe, nor that its technique carried any class or status meaning.

Ingredients

• white bait
• 1 handful flour
• plenty of butter
• brown bread and butter
• to taste cayenne pepper
• to taste salt
• lemon juice

Instructions

1. Do not touch the white bait with your hands. Instead, throw them from the dish into a cloth with a handful of flour. Shake them lightly but thoroughly to cover them well with flour. Turn the fish into a sieve made expressly for bait to remove excess flour.
2. Throw the fish into a pan with plenty of boiling butter. They must remain in the pan only an instant, as they are considered spoilt if they become the least brown. Place them lightly on the serving dish, piled high in the centre.
3. Serve with brown bread and butter.
4. For devilled white bait: allow them to become brown in the butter. Sprinkle with cayenne pepper and a little salt, and serve with lemon juice.