Flat fish are cleaned through the gill openings ; or, if these
are not sufficiently large, make a small cut across the dark side
of the fish close to the gill covers and remove what is necessary
through that. Fish which swim back uppermost are cleaned
by opening the stomach, taking care to go far enough back
towards the tail. The whole of the entrails of the fish must be
removed, and the gall bladder taken out without breaking it.
The sound and liver should be left as they are. Now wash out
the cavity thoroughly and carefully. Just below the backbone
of the fish there is a stout membrane which contains a good
deal of blood. This membrane must be broken, and every
particle of blood removed. Wash, and, if necessary, scrape or
scrub the backbone, and wash the sound and liver gently.
Leave the roe in small fish. In large fish the roe takes longer
to cook than the fish, and must be taken out and cooked
ON CLEANING FISH
95
separately. Dry the inside of the fish with a clean cloth. If
there is any slime on the fish rub it over with salt and then
wash it vexy thoroughly.
Izaak Walton thought it best to scale fish with his nails.
But in these days a knife is used. Hold the fish fii’mly by the
head in your left hand, and scrape off the scales with a knife,
working from the tail towards the head. Salmon and Ti-out
are not scaled, but most freshwater fish are so difficult to scale
that it is better to dip them first into boiling water-. This loosens
the scales. If the freshwater fish is a muddy feeder like Tench
or Carp or Perch, wash it well, rub salt down the backbone, and
lay it in strong salt and water for a few hours.
In skinning Sea Fish it must be remembered that Haddocks
and Whiting and all similar fish are skinned from the head to
the tail ; if this were not done the flesh would come of in flakes.
For a Whiting, slit the skin down the middle of the back, and
the skin will come off in two halves. For Haddocks and other
such fish, cut off the fins, and having dipped your finger and
thumb in salt slip the finger under the skin close to the head of
the fish and draw off the skin downwards towards the tail.
The fins of all fish except Turbot and Skate must be trimmed
neatly off with a pair of scissors kept expressly for the purpose.
The thick glutinous fins of Turbot and Skate are thought a
great delicacy, and are therefore left on. It is almost impossible
to skin a Plaice, as the skin adhei’es so tightly to the flesh. It
is better to leave it on if the Plaice is to be baked or fried, but,
when it must be skinned for filleting, fillet it first, lay the fillets
on a board with the skin downwards, and peel the flesh off with
the point of a sharp knife. The skinning of a Sole, or any flat
fish except a Plaice, must be done from the tail and not from
the head. When yon have trimmed off the fins take a sharp
knife and make a cut aci'oss the root of the tail. Then put
your thumb in between the skin and the flesh of the Sole and
run it all round the edges of the fish, thus loosening the skin.
Now either hold the tail of the fish firmly in a cloth with one
hand and pull the skin off with the other, or dip both your
thumbs and both your forefingers in salt to prevent slipping,
hold the tail of the fish in one hand and the skin in the other,
and draw the skin firmly but gently off towards the head.
96
Page 59
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
Flat fish are cleaned through the gill openings ; or, if these are not sufficiently large, make a small cut across the dark side of the fish close to the gill covers and remove what is necessary through that. Fish which swim back uppermost are cleaned by opening the stomach, taking care to go far enough back towards the tail. The whole of the entrails of the fish must be removed, and the gall bladder taken out without breaking it. The sound and liver should be left as they are. Now wash out the cavity thoroughly and carefully. Just below the backbone of the fish there is a stout membrane which contains a good deal of blood. This membrane must be broken, and every particle of blood removed. Wash, and, if necessary, scrape or scrub the backbone, and wash the sound and liver gently. Leave the roe in small fish. In large fish the roe takes longer to cook than the fish, and must be taken out and cooked
ON CLEANING FISH
separately. Dry the inside of the fish with a clean cloth. If there is any slime on the fish rub it over with salt and then wash it very thoroughly.
Izaak Walton thought it best to scale fish with his nails. But in these days a knife is used. Hold the fish firmly by the head in your left hand, and scrape off the scales with a knife, working from the tail towards the head. Salmon and Trout are not scaled, but most freshwater fish are so difficult to scale that it is better to dip them first into boiling water-. This loosens the scales. If the freshwater fish is a muddy feeder like Tench or Carp or Perch, wash it well, rub salt down the backbone, and lay it in strong salt and water for a few hours.
In skinning Sea Fish it must be remembered that Haddocks and Whiting and all similar fish are skinned from the head to the tail ; if this were not done the flesh would come of in flakes. For a Whiting, slit the skin down the middle of the back, and the skin will come off in two halves. For Haddocks and other such fish, cut off the fins, and having dipped your finger and thumb in salt slip the finger under the skin close to the head of the fish and draw off the skin downwards towards the tail. The fins of all fish except Turbot and Skate must be trimmed neatly off with a pair of scissors kept expressly for the purpose. The thick glutinous fins of Turbot and Skate are thought a great delicacy, and are therefore left on. It is almost impossible to skin a Plaice, as the skin adheres so tightly to the flesh. It is better to leave it on if the Plaice is to be baked or fried, but, when it must be skinned for filleting, fillet it first, lay the fillets on a board with the skin downwards, and peel the flesh off with the point of a sharp knife. The skinning of a Sole, or any flat fish except a Plaice, must be done from the tail and not from the head. When you have trimmed off the fins take a sharp knife and make a cut across the root of the tail. Then put your thumb in between the skin and the flesh of the Sole and run it all round the edges of the fish, thus loosening the skin. Now either hold the tail of the fish firmly in a cloth with one hand and pull the skin off with the other, or dip both your thumbs and both your forefingers in salt to prevent slipping, hold the tail of the fish in one hand and the skin in the other, and draw the skin firmly but gently off towards the head.