Sekctimi and care offish
The freshness of fish may be determined as foUaws: (1) Tlie
flesh should be firm ; (2) the eyes should l)e bright and bulging ;
(S) the gills sliould l>e red; (4) when plac<?fl in fresh water the
fish should sink, not float.
To care for fish properly* it should l)e cleaneil and drawn im-
mediately, wiped dry, and kept on ice with the skin down,
avoiding contact with other foods. Frozen fish may be thawed
527
MANUAL OF HOME-MAKING
}jy piacirij;; it in coki water,
ill cold water, skin side up.
Salt fish should always be aoaked
Preparation of fii^hjor cocking
To prepare a fish for cooking it muat be cleaned, skinned ;
honed.
To clean a fish the seales should he removed by scraping the
fish from the tail to the head with a small sharp knife, and the
fins removed by making an iiieision as elose as possible to each
side of the fin. The tail should then l>e cut off. If the fiafa is to
he hakefl» the head and tail are left on, but the eyes removed.
The body is opened hy eutting from the gills along the front Uy
the tail, the entrails removed, the inside eleuned, seraped» and
washed out with t'oltl water^ and the fish then w^iiied dry.
To skin a fish the fins should ite removed and the skin slit
along the bank and around the head and tail. The hand should
l3e dipped in salt to keep it from slipping. The skin is then looe-
enefl below the head and drawn from the head down to the tail
on one side of the l)mly and then drawn from the other side of
the t>ody.
To bone a fish it should first be cleaned and skinned ba di-
rected. One should then lieghi at the tail and with a sharp knife
under the flesh close to the backbone follow the bone its entire
length, making as clean a cut as possible. This removes the
fle,sh from one side of the fish. The fish may then l»e turned and
the fU*sh removed from the other aide, and any small bones that
rf*main may be picked out.
Methods of cooking fish
To boit muUl whole JUh: (1) Clean the fish, leaving the head, tail, and fiiw,
but removing the i»yi»«; (2) wcnuth it; (3) plmt» it on a rack in ft fish kettlci
or coil it in a frying baftkct, and pkce it in an iron kettle; (4) eovpr it with
irarm water (Bailing water eaiises the flesh to contract and eraek; c?«oid
wfttex dniws out the juiees. Salmon, however, must Ije plunKi*d in botlinn
water to preserve the eolor); (5) for each 2 quartj^ of water ntid 1 teaspoon
of salt and 1 table?<poon of vinegar or lemon juice; (6) bring the wnier
quickly to the boihng point; (7) mmnier the fish until it is done, uUowing
from 5 to 8 minutes to the pound according to tiie thicknoss of tht f
FISH AND OYSTEHS
529
Of GObk it until th(» flenH will 8Pparate from the lionps; (S) drain it; (9) rt>-
move it to a folded napkin on a hot platter; (10) garnish it with parsley
and lemon.
To boil piec£S oj fmh cut Jmm a largr fitth: (1) Clean thi* fish; (2) wrap it
in a piece of cheeie-clolh and tie it; t3) i>roc(^ as in l>fnhnj5 whuk- fi.sh.
Cimrt houiUon is used for boihng fresh water !isti I hat have httle flavor.
Brown in 1 tablespoon of fat> 1 ehopped eiirrot, 1 ehopptxl onion, 1 stalk
of eelery; add 2 quarts of hot w^ater, 1 cup vinegar, 3 i>eppercQrns, 3 cloves,
1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon salt and any fish trimmings; strain the liquid before
putting the fish into it.
Page 300
Presented as published in 1919. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
A modernized reading is not available for this page yet. You are seeing the original text.
Sekctimi and care offish
The freshness of fish may be determined as foUaws: (1) Tlie
flesh should be firm ; (2) the eyes should l)e bright and bulging ;
(S) the gills sliould l>e red; (4) when plac<?fl in fresh water the
fish should sink, not float.
To care for fish properly* it should l)e cleaneil and drawn im-
mediately, wiped dry, and kept on ice with the skin down,
avoiding contact with other foods. Frozen fish may be thawed
527
MANUAL OF HOME-MAKING
}jy piacirij;; it in coki water,
ill cold water, skin side up.
Salt fish should always be aoaked
Preparation of fii^hjor cocking
To prepare a fish for cooking it muat be cleaned, skinned ;
honed.
To clean a fish the seales should he removed by scraping the
fish from the tail to the head with a small sharp knife, and the
fins removed by making an iiieision as elose as possible to each
side of the fin. The tail should then l>e cut off. If the fiafa is to
he hakefl» the head and tail are left on, but the eyes removed.
The body is opened hy eutting from the gills along the front Uy
the tail, the entrails removed, the inside eleuned, seraped» and
washed out with t'oltl water^ and the fish then w^iiied dry.
To skin a fish the fins should ite removed and the skin slit
along the bank and around the head and tail. The hand should
l3e dipped in salt to keep it from slipping. The skin is then looe-
enefl below the head and drawn from the head down to the tail
on one side of the l)mly and then drawn from the other side of
the t>ody.
To bone a fish it should first be cleaned and skinned ba di-
rected. One should then lieghi at the tail and with a sharp knife
under the flesh close to the backbone follow the bone its entire
length, making as clean a cut as possible. This removes the
fle,sh from one side of the fish. The fish may then l»e turned and
the fU*sh removed from the other aide, and any small bones that
rf*main may be picked out.
Methods of cooking fish
To boit muUl whole JUh: (1) Clean the fish, leaving the head, tail, and fiiw,
but removing the i»yi»«; (2) wcnuth it; (3) plmt» it on a rack in ft fish kettlci
or coil it in a frying baftkct, and pkce it in an iron kettle; (4) eovpr it with
irarm water (Bailing water eaiises the flesh to contract and eraek; c?«oid
wfttex dniws out the juiees. Salmon, however, must Ije plunKi*d in botlinn
water to preserve the eolor); (5) for each 2 quartj^ of water ntid 1 teaspoon
of salt and 1 table?<poon of vinegar or lemon juice; (6) bring the wnier
quickly to the boihng point; (7) mmnier the fish until it is done, uUowing
from 5 to 8 minutes to the pound according to tiie thicknoss of tht f
FISH AND OYSTEHS
529
Of GObk it until th(» flenH will 8Pparate from the lionps; (S) drain it; (9) rt>-
move it to a folded napkin on a hot platter; (10) garnish it with parsley
and lemon.
To boil piec£S oj fmh cut Jmm a largr fitth: (1) Clean thi* fish; (2) wrap it
in a piece of cheeie-clolh and tie it; t3) i>roc(^ as in l>fnhnj5 whuk- fi.sh.
Cimrt houiUon is used for boihng fresh water !isti I hat have httle flavor.
Brown in 1 tablespoon of fat> 1 ehopped eiirrot, 1 ehopptxl onion, 1 stalk
of eelery; add 2 quarts of hot w^ater, 1 cup vinegar, 3 i>eppercQrns, 3 cloves,
1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon salt and any fish trimmings; strain the liquid before
putting the fish into it.