In Oregon, the crawfish abounds in creeks and rivers, varying in size
with the volume of the river. One of my favorite amusements as a boy
used to be to sit on the bank of a creek taking care of several lines,
to the ends of which were tied pieces of meat. No net was needed; the
crustaceans were so abundant and so hungry that they refused to let go
when lifted out of the water, and often I landed six or more fastened
to the same piece of meat. Our favorite picnics were those for which we
took along no food--only a kettle and a handful of salt. The crawfish
did the rest. They are more tender and succulent than lobsters, and
even more delicate in flavor.
St. Louis disputes with Portland the honor of being the greatest
crawfish-eating center in the United States. The Mississippi River
crawfish has made St. Louis famous among epicures. Until a few years
ago, the "Republic" of that city informs us, "the waters around St.
Louis on every side fairly swarmed with this fresh-water relation of
the lobster. Every pond, slough, and back water was full of them. All
the creeks and pools were their homes. Their little mud 'chimneys'
dotted the creek bottoms and lined the banks of the ponds and sloughs.
Hundreds of joyous St. Louisans struck out for the open on every
holiday, armed with a pole, a few pieces of liver, and a dip net, bent
on their capture. They caught so many that they brought them in by the
sackful. Thousands of the little crustaceans were eaten every day of
the season. From April until after the snowfalls of November every
real St. Louisan ate a few crawfish every week."
In 1910 this abundance had diminished to such an extent that a mandate
was issued by the State Fish and Game officials which put a stop to
angling in the city's waters. The crawfish multiplies so rapidly,
however, that it will doubtless soon replenish the waters, and once
more there will be parts of St. Louis and other cities where the
evening air will be "laden with the unmistakable odor of boiling
crawfish."
Of the great variety of crabs peculiar to our waters the one which most
appeals to epicures is the "soft shell," which, when very soft, is
eaten skin, bones, and all. But wait--there is another kind, still more
delicate and toothsome--the oyster crab. It dwells within the mantle
chamber and feeds on the juices of the oyster. No wonder it tastes
good. Fortunately, it is not one of the many enemies of the bivalve,
being quite harmless. Its scarcity, combined with its diminutive size,
makes it a luxury comparable to the old Roman millionaire's dish of
nightingale tongues.
A foreigner looking at an American bill of fare is struck first of all
by the number of ways in which oysters are listed: raw, stewed, fried,
steamed, baked in the shell, scalloped, creamed, and so on; and by the
fact that the locality from which the oysters that are served raw are
supposed to come is named--Blue Point, Shrewsbury, Rockaway, Buzzard's
Bay, Cape Cod, Norfolk, Saddle Rock, etc. In this matter there is, to
be sure, much deception. It has become customary, in particular, to
give the name of Blue Point to any small oyster, and to call any kind
of large size a Saddle Rock; while many a worthless floated oyster
masquerades under the name of the juicy and delicious Lynnhaven.
The oyster cracker, and the soda cracker in general, is an American
specialty which Europeans will doubtless adopt some day as tasty,
nutritious and easily digested additions to the dietary. As sold now,
in dust and moisture-proof packages, they will easily find their way to
foreign stomachs.
Clam chowder, steamed soft clams, and raw Littlenecks are among the
delicacies an American misses in Europe.
As for our scallop, Paderewski thinks it is the best edible thing
America produces. Many other epicures doubtless agree with him.
As seen in our markets the scallop is simply the abductor muscle of
the bivalve. The remainder of the body is thrown away or used as
fertilizer, though much of it is tender and of fine Flavor. Nor is this
wastefulness the only cause for complaint. The best scallops are small;
they are expensive, and the dealers, knowing that by soaking them they
can bloat a pint of them till they fill a quart, subject them to this
"freshening," which as thoroughly takes all the marine Flavor out of
them as "floating" takes it out of the oyster. In this condition, too,
they spoil sooner and become dangerous to eat. I agree with F. Powers
that "a man who soaks scallops and then offers them for sale should be
imprisoned."
The scallop dredgers were among the first to take advantage of the new
parcel post, which enables them to send the unspoiled mollusc to any
one within a reasonable distance.
Concerning our fishes it is easy to say that the finest-flavored are
the shad, the whitefish, the Chinook salmon, the rainbow trout; but
when you happen to be eating a baby bluefish or a Spanish mackerel
just out of the water, you may change your mind for the time being;
you are sure to do this, also, if you happen to be in New Orleans and
eat fresh pompano as prepared by a Creole cook. The sheepshead, the
smelt, the catfish, the sturgeon, the halibut, are excellent; and so
is the swordfish, which is far too little known among gourmets. Its
flesh might be more tender, but it has a fine Flavor, suggesting a
combination of salmon and halibut.
It is for the cod, however, that I wish to plead most earnestly. Some
persons (usually persistent smokers, or individuals whose sense of
smell is not well developed) maintain that the cod is "tasteless." As
a matter of fact it has a subtle but most delicious Flavor which, when
the fish is fresh, reminds me of the flesh of crawfish.
At present (1913) the cod enjoys the advantage of being the only fish,
with the exception of trout, that can be bought alive in the markets
of New York. "Live cod," when listed on restaurant menus, is in great
demand. It is not always equally good, however, because much of the
"live cod" is really live hake, which is far inferior in Flavor. The
substitution of haddock for cod is less objectionable. Much of the
salted and dried fish which goes into the typically American codfish
balls, is also cod in name only. Dealers who use benzoate of soda or
other chemicals to preserve it, give elaborate directions for soaking
them out. It is needless to say that this soaking process also takes
out all the Flavor.