72 EVENING FISHING. 



AMICUS. Favour me with your cooking pro- 

 cess, as skill in dressing a fish I hold to be a 

 proper accompaniment of the skill of catching 

 it ; and, according to my reading, most accom- 

 plished anglers seem to pride themselves in 

 possessing it. 



PISCATOR. Is not this another of the advan- 

 tages attending angling ; I mean its promoting 

 an art so low as that of cooking in this country, 

 and so little cultivated in its refinements? As 

 to this process, it is a simple one, and well 

 known to our craft. It is simply this : to make 

 the water boil before putting in the fish, and 

 that the temperature, the boiling point may 

 be higher, throwing into the kettle a handful 

 of salt. In ten or fifteen minutes such a piece 

 of fish as we are to have, of about a pound 

 and a half, will be thoroughly dressed, will be 

 firm and flaky, with the curd preserved and 

 bloodless, the last-mentioned quality the proof 

 of its being sufficiently done. 



PISCATOR. I hope this evening fishing has 

 not disappointed you, and that your success 

 has been at least equal to mine, which has 



