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Selecting, Preparing, And Cooking

All fish lose their flavor in a short time after being taken from the water; hence it is necessary to purchase those recently caught. Fish, when fresh caught, are hard when pressed by the finger, the eyes full and the gills red. If the flesh is flabby and the eyes sunken, the fish are stale. They should be carefully cleaned, washed, and salted. In preparing they are often spoiled by improper judgment. Fish should remain only a short time in water, as it causes them to become soft and flabby. If the fish be frozen, the frost should always be taken out in cold water, or it will be soft and fall to pieces.

The earthy taste often found in fresh water fish may be extracted by soaking in salt and water.

All fish are better if allowed to take salt an hour or so before cooking. Most kinds of salt fish should be soaked in cold water for twenty-four hours. The fleshy side turned down in the water.

Fish should be well cleaned preparatory to cooking; they may be readily scaled by plunging them for an instant in hot water, then washing and scraping away all coagulated blood.

It injures fish to wash them too much, as it destroys their flavor. Nearly all kinds of fish are better in cold weather. Mackerel in July, August, September, and October.

Shad are good from April to June.

For invalids, white fish are considered the best.

Fish, unless good, are very inferior eating. Cooks should consider what fish they have and cook accordingly. Some varieties when boiled or baked are fine, but tasteless if fried or broiled:

Large fish are generally baked or boiled. Small ones, fried or broiled. Trout should always be boiled or baked.

Red Snapper always boiled.

White fish, best when broiled.

Fresh mackerel should always be broiled. [78] Fish should always be boiled very gently. Sew them in a cloth and drop in cold water with a sufficient quantity of salt. Boil about thirty minutes. For broiling fish, the gridiron must be rubbed with a piece of fat, to prevent its sticking. Lay the skin side down first. Fish should never be turned with a knife and fork, but hold a tin-sheet upon it with one hand and turn over the gridiron with the other. Fish will break if not turned in this way.

All fish should be eaten immediately after being cooked. FISH A LA CRÊME.

Boil a fish, pick out all the bones, and mince well. Mix a pint of cream, one tablespoonful of flour, one onion chopped fine, salt, and a half pound of butter; set it on the fire and stir until it thickens. Put in a deep dish alternately fish, cracker crumbs, and cream. Bake in a moderate oven until brown.