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Cod

Cod comes into season about the beginning of October, when other large fish are going out. If the weather is cold, it is then very good; it is as its very best about Christmas, but goes off from the end of February or the middle of March. It is essentially a winter fish, and is not in season in the hot months of the year. The best cod are those which are plump and round at the tail, the sides having a ribbed appearance, with yellow spots upon a pure skin. In order to ascertain if the fish is fresh, press the finger into the flesh, and if it rises immediately and feels firm and stiff, it is fresh. It is much better not to cook a cod whole. The upper part is so much thicker than the tail that the latter would be boiled to rags before the rest was cooked. The head and shoulders are generally boiled; the rest may be fried or stewed in slices. Epicures look out for the sound, the glutinous parts about the head, and the tongue. A little salt should be rubbed down the bone and on the thick part as soon as the fish comes into the house.