Dory
This is a fish regarded by many as the most delicious of all. The ancients named him after the king of gods-Zeus. The moderns have honoured him with the patronage of no less than three saints-Peter, Christopher and Martin. St. Peter found the tribute-money in a dory, and left thumb-marks upon him for ever afterwards; so that he is known to be the fish of St. Peter, who as the gate-keeper of heaven-in Italian janitore-provided for him the name which has been corrupted into John Dory. Other learned authorities deny that the dory exists in the fresh-water lake of Galilee, and maintain that the marks upon his body came from the fingers of St. Christopher, who took hold of the fish in order to amuse the infant Jesus when he was carrying Him upon his shoulders across the sea. And others yet again declare that the dory is best appropriated to St. Martin, because although he is good at all seasons he is most perfect at Martinmas. Anyhow, we have a good excuse for making acquaintance with the fish on the days of all three saints. His name comes really from the colour of his skin, which is dorée or gilded; and we may be grateful in the knowledge that the best dorys in the world are caught upon our southern shores, off Plymouth and off Brighton.
Clear away his excessive finery of fins; fill him with veal stuffing or oyster stuffing, boil him in salt and water, and serve him with nut-brown butter, English sauce or Holland sauce. Quin, the actor, was a great lover of this fish, and would travel to Devonshire expressly to eat him. He insisted that the fish should be boiled in sea-water and that the best sauce was one which brought Miss Ann Chovy into union with Mr. John Dory. John is at his best from September to January.
Duck