Rub the fish with salt, black pepper, and a dust of cayenne, inside and out.
Prepare a stuffing of bread and butter, seasoned with pepper, salt, parsley and thyme.
Mix an egg in it, fill the fish with this, and sew it up or tie a string round it.
Put it in a deep pan, or oval oven and bake it as you would a fowl.

To a large fish add half a pint of water.
You can add more for the gravy if necessary; dust flour over and baste it with butter.

Any other fresh fish can be baked in the same way.

A large one will bake slowly in an hour and a half, small ones in half an hour.