324 NOTES ON PISH AND PISHING. 



failure. To the wives of professional Thames fisher- 

 men it seems specially to have been given to master 

 the art of cooking gudgeon successfully. The chief 

 secret, as with the cooking of all coarse fresh-water fish, 

 is to allow the gudgeon, after being cleaned, to become 

 dry and almost hard by exposure to sun and wind. The 

 next important point is the quick and delicate manipu- 

 lation to which he should be subjected in the frying-pan, 

 as he becomes encrusted with egg and bread-crumbs ; 

 but a verbal description of this could not be given even by 

 the most learned and versatile author of a most exhaustive 

 cookery book. It is a question of fine and dexterous 

 touch, and the operator could hardly say more of his per- 

 formance than Dr. Lynn says of his tricks, " And that's 

 how it's done." As cooked by any skilful wife of a 

 Thames fisherman, by the landlady or cook of some of the 

 " Anglers 5 Ketreats " on the banks between Oxford and 

 Richmond, or even by the cooks at some Thames-side 

 villas, where still in imitation of Pope — 



" Although no turbots dignify rich hoards, 

 Are gudgeons, flounders — what the Thames affords," 



a dish of these little fish is one fit to be " set before a 

 king." He who has not partaken of such a dish has 

 hitherto lacked a palatal enjoyment, and has an opsopha- 

 gous treat in store. Such a dish of sweet, crisp Thames 

 fish, served " Lot and hot," is little if at all inferior to one 

 of smelts, though with all my enthusiasm I cannot say 

 that our Oobio sheds the same exquisite, subtle, and withal 

 indescribable aroma, a kind of gastronomic halo, round 

 him, as do the transcendental little fish to which I am 

 comparing him not unfavourably. There are some gobio- 



