looks reel. Whitings ought to have a pinkish-fawn-coloured
skin, changing to pearly- white underneath ; if the skin looks
dull and yellow, have nothing to do with them. The spots on
a fresh Plaice are bright reddish-orange ; if they are of a dull
yellow colour the Fish is beginning to get stale. In buying a
flat Fish always look at the grey side. This side, which first
shows want of freshness, is often placed underneath by the
fishmonger. The skin ought to look tight and smooth ; if it is
flabby and wrinkled, reject the Fish. In Salmon and Trout
the flesh should be bright yellowish-pink, and the scales silvery.
But, as a general rule, the colours in all really fresh Fish are
beautifully bright and clear. In choosing a “cut” of Fish,
such as salmon, cod, or turbot, look closely at the grain of the
flesh. This should be quite firm and close ; if it looks loose, or
watery, or fibrous, do not buy the Fish. In selecting a boiled
Lobster, tweak the tail sharply ; if it goes back with a spring
the Lobster is fresh. Crabs feel heavy when quite fresh.
On Cooking Fish. — Sir Henry Thompson does not approve
of boiling Fish. He has found by experiment that the fish loses
much of its nutritive matter in boiling. Sometimes this loss
amounts to as much as thirty per cent., and when Sir Henry
has evaporated the water in which the fish was boiled he has
obtained from it in solid deposit no less than four per cent, of
the original weight of the fish. This alone shows the wasteful-
ness of throwing away the eau de cuisson in which fish has been
boiled. If Fish, other than shell-fish, is boiled at all, it must be
put into absolutely boiling water with plenty of salt, and the
water must only just cover the fish. Rub the fish with a little
lemon-juice, put it on the drainer of the fish-kettle, and let
it boil hard for from three to five minutes. Then reduce the
heat, and let the fish simmer till done. It is impossible to go
by the rule of ten minutes per pound for Fish, for some kinds of
Fish are much thicker than others. Test the Fish now and then
with the point of a skewer. When the flesh parts easily from
the bone it is ready. Wyvern truly says that overboiled
Fish is nasty to eat and ugly to look at, whilst underdone Fish
is not fit for human food. Drain the fish the moment it is
done, or it will be woolly, and be careful to drain off every drop
of water. If you have no fish-kettle you can boil the fish in a
FISH
69
stewpan by laying it on a piece of open-textured material large
enough to hang over the sides of the pan, and kept in place by
the lid. In this way you can lift the fish out when done with-
out breaking it ; it having been slung as in a hammock during
the process of boiling. Most cooks allow an ounce of salt and
two tablespoonfuls of vinegar to every quart of water, as they
consider that this makes the fish white and firm.
Page 39
Presented as published in 1898. 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
looks red. Whitings ought to have a pinkish-fawn-coloured skin, changing to pearly- white underneath ; if the skin looks dull and yellow, have nothing to do with them. The spots on a fresh Plaice are bright reddish-orange ; if they are of a dull yellow colour the Fish is beginning to get stale. In buying a flat Fish always look at the grey side. This side, which first shows want of freshness, is often placed underneath by the fishmonger. The skin ought to look tight and smooth ; if it is flabby and wrinkled, reject the Fish. In Salmon and Trout the flesh should be bright yellowish-pink, and the scales silvery. But, as a general rule, the colours in all really fresh Fish are beautifully bright and clear. In choosing a “cut” of Fish, such as salmon, cod, or turbot, look closely at the grain of the flesh. This should be quite firm and close ; if it looks loose, or watery, or fibrous, do not buy the Fish. In selecting a boiled Lobster, tweak the tail sharply ; if it goes back with a spring the Lobster is fresh. Crabs feel heavy when quite fresh.
On Cooking Fish. — Sir Henry Thompson does not approve of boiling Fish. He has found by experiment that the fish loses much of its nutritive matter in boiling. Sometimes this loss amounts to as much as thirty per cent., and when Sir Henry has evaporated the water in which the fish was boiled he has obtained from it in solid deposit no less than four per cent, of the original weight of the fish. This alone shows the wastefulness of throwing away the eau de cuisson in which fish has been boiled. If Fish, other than shell-fish, is boiled at all, it must be put into absolutely boiling water with plenty of salt, and the water must only just cover the fish. Rub the fish with a little lemon-juice, put it on the drainer of the fish-kettle, and let it boil hard for from three to five minutes. Then reduce the heat, and let the fish simmer till done. It is impossible to go by the rule of ten minutes per pound for Fish, for some kinds of Fish are much thicker than others. Test the Fish now and then with the point of a skewer. When the flesh parts easily from the bone it is ready. Wyvern truly says that overboiled Fish is nasty to eat and ugly to look at, whilst underdone Fish is not fit for human food. Drain the fish the moment it is done, or it will be woolly, and be careful to drain off every drop of water. If you have no fish-kettle you can boil the fish in a
stewpan by laying it on a piece of open-textured material large enough to hang over the sides of the pan, and kept in place by the lid. In this way you can lift the fish out when done without breaking it ; it having been slung as in a hammock during the process of boiling. Most cooks allow an ounce of salt and two tablespoonfuls of vinegar to every quart of water, as they consider that this makes the fish white and firm.