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Sprats, Pickled

Take a quarter of a peck of sprats as fresh as they can be obtained. Clean them, cut off the heads, and in doing so draw them, and put them into strong brine for an hour. Drain and dry them, and put them in layers into a pickling jar. Between each layer sprinkle salt and salt-petre, and let this be also sprinkled under the first layer and over the last. When the jar is full, press the fish down lightly, and cover the jar closely. The fish may be used in three or four months. The salt may be mixed in the following proportions:--Half a pound of salt, half a pound of bay salt, a table-spoonful of white sugar, an ounce of saltpetre, and a pinch of cochineal. Dry the salt, crush and pound it thoroughly, and mix it with the other ingredidients, and it will be ready for use. When wanted, the pickled sprats may be fried in butter, and served on buttered toasts, or they may be freed from skin and bone, pounded to paste, and covered with clarified butter.