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Ling

Ling is a fish of the same species as hake, and, like that fish, is both cheap and nourishing. It is a native of the northern seas. In form it is not unlike the cod, but it is more slender, and grows to the length of six or seven feet. Its colour is gray, inclining to olive; the belly, silvery; the fins, edged with white. The tailfin is rounded. The ling is a very voracious fish, feeding principally on smaller fishes. It is captured in vast quantities off the Orkney, Shetland, and Western Islands, and is also found near the Scilly Islands, and off Flamborough Head. It is in perfection from February to the end of May. When boiled it is insipid, but when fried or baked is both palatable and wholesome. A very good pie may also be made from it.