Fish being abundant, cheap and wholesome, is invalu-
able as food. It is a delicious adjunct to any dinner
table, and in many families suffices for a good dinner by
itself ; but it requires nice and careful cooking. . Nothing
is more unappetizing than a piece of underdone fish; in-
deed, no food requires so much delicacy in handling and
dressing, for if it is not perfectly fresh, perfectly cleaned
and thoroughly cooked, it is not fit to appear on the table.
Salmon is the richest of fish, being even richer and
more nutritious than meat. Red-blooded fish, like
salmon, mackerel and blue-fish, have the oil distributed
through the body. They are too rich for invalids, and
should be eaten sparingly by people who are not very
strong. White fish has the oil in the liver, and is conse-
quently more digestible.
TO CLEAN A FISH,
remove the scales before opening, and scrape with a
sharp knife from tail to head, holding the knife fiat and
slanting, and scraping slowly. Split the fish open, if a
96
FISH.
97
large one, from the gills half-way down the lower part of
the body ; remove the entrails, and scrape and clean the
inside, removing all the blood from the back-bone. If
the fish has been scaled and cleaned by the dealer, it
should always be scraped again about the head and tail,
for scales are sure to be found on these parts. The
blood and dark substance found on the back-bone should
also be scraped off. If the fish is to be boiled or baked,
the tail and head are left on, and the fins removed. The
fish should be washed carefully in cold water, and dried
before cooking. Fish that have a strong flavor, like
sturgeon, catfish or sword-fish, should be soaked a few
hours in strongly salted water. Use as little water as
possible in cleansing fish ; and the more expeditious the
work is done at this point the better will be the flavor of
the fish, since water draws out the juices of most fish if
they are permitted to soak in it.
Frozen fish should be well thawed out in cold water be-
fore using. Salt fish should be soaked in fresh water with
the skin side upward, to draw out the salt. Fish should
not be placed in the ice-chest near milk or butter, as these
articles are very easily tainted.
TO SKIN A FISH,
cut a thin strip down the back, taking ofif the fin ; and
open the lower part half-way down. Then slip the knife
under and up through the bony part of the gills, and,
holding this bony part between the thumb and finger,
strip the skin off toward the tail. Treat the other side in
the same way. Catfish and eels are always skinned
before they are eaten.
7
98 THE PA TTERN COOK-BOOK.
FILLETS OF FISH
are the jfiesh separated from the bone and served in dif-
ferent ways. In flounders, chicken halibut and bass the
fillets on each side are divided lengthwise. They may be
served in the form in which they are cut, or they may be
rolled and fastened with a small skewer.
Page 38
Presented as published in 1890. 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
Fish being abundant, cheap and wholesome, is invaluable as food. It is a delicious adjunct to any dinner table, and in many families suffices for a good dinner by itself ; but it requires nice and careful cooking. . Nothing is more unappetizing than a piece of underdone fish; indeed, no food requires so much delicacy in handling and dressing, for if it is not perfectly fresh, perfectly cleaned and thoroughly cooked, it is not fit to appear on the table.
Salmon is the richest of fish, being even richer and more nutritious than meat. Red-blooded fish, like salmon, mackerel and blue-fish, have the oil distributed through the body. They are too rich for invalids, and should be eaten sparingly by people who are not very strong. White fish has the oil in the liver, and is consequently more digestible.
TO CLEAN A FISH,
remove the scales before opening, and scrape with a sharp knife from tail to head, holding the knife fiat and slanting, and scraping slowly. Split the fish open, if a
large one, from the gills half-way down the lower part of the body ; remove the entrails, and scrape and clean the inside, removing all the blood from the back-bone. If the fish has been scaled and cleaned by the dealer, it should always be scraped again about the head and tail, for scales are sure to be found on these parts. The blood and dark substance found on the back-bone should also be scraped off. If the fish is to be boiled or baked, the tail and head are left on, and the fins removed. The fish should be washed carefully in cold water, and dried before cooking. Fish that have a strong flavor, like sturgeon, catfish or sword-fish, should be soaked a few hours in strongly salted water. Use as little water as possible in cleansing fish ; and the more expeditious the work is done at this point the better will be the flavor of the fish, since water draws out the juices of most fish if they are permitted to soak in it.
Frozen fish should be well thawed out in cold water before using. Salt fish should be soaked in fresh water with the skin side upward, to draw out the salt. Fish should not be placed in the ice-chest near milk or butter, as these articles are very easily tainted.
TO SKIN A FISH,
cut a thin strip down the back, taking ofif the fin ; and open the lower part half-way down. Then slip the knife under and up through the bony part of the gills, and, holding this bony part between the thumb and finger, strip the skin off toward the tail. Treat the other side in the same way. Catfish and eels are always skinned before they are eaten.
FILLETS OF FISH
are the flesh separated from the bone and served in different ways. In flounders, chicken halibut and bass the fillets on each side are divided lengthwise. They may be served in the form in which they are cut, or they may be rolled and fastened with a small skewer.