25. CLEANING FISH.--Fish is usually prepared for cooking at the market
where it is purchased, but frequently a fish comes into the home just as
it has been caught. In order to prepare such a fish properly for
cooking, the housewife must understand how to clean it. The various
steps in cleaning fish are illustrated in Figs. 3 to 6. The first step
consists in removing the scales. To do this, place the fish on its side,
as shown in Fig. 3, grasp it firmly by the tail, and [Illustration: FIG.
3] then with the cutting edge of a knife, preferably a dull one, scrape
off the scales by quick motions of the knife toward the head of the
fish. When one side has been scraped clean, or _scaled_, as this
operation is called, turn the fish over and scale the other side.
[Illustration: FIG. 4]
With the fish scaled, proceed to remove the entrails. As shown in Fig.
4, cut a slit in the belly from the head end to the vent, using a sharp
knife. Run the opening up well toward the head, as Fig. 5 shows, and
then through the opening formed draw out the entrails with the fingers.
[Illustration: FIG. 5]
[Illustration: FIG. 6]
If the head is to be removed, it should be cut off at this time. When a
fish is to be baked or prepared in some other way in which the head may
be retained, it is allowed to remain on, but it is kept more for an
ornament than for any other reason. To remove the head, slip a sharp
knife under the gills as far as possible, as Fig. 6 shows, and then cut
it off in such a way as not to remove with it any of the body of
the fish.
Whether the head is removed or not, make sure that the cavity formed by
taking out the entrails is perfectly clean. Then wash the fish with cold
water and, if desired, cut off the fins and tail, although this is not
usually done. The fish, which is now properly prepared, may be cooked at
once or placed in the refrigerator until time for cooking.
[Illustration: FIG. 7]
26. BONING FISH.--In the preparation of some kinds of fish, it is often
desired to bone the fish; that is, to remove the backbone and the ribs.
Figs. 7 to 10 show the various steps in the process of boning. After the
fish has been thoroughly cleaned, insert a sharp-pointed knife in the
back where it is cut from the head, as shown in Fig. 7, and loosen the
backbone at this place. Then, as in Fig. 8, slip the knife along the
ribs away from the backbone on both sides. After getting the bone well
loosened at the end, cut it from the flesh all the way down to the tail,
as shown in Fig. 9. When thus separated from the flesh, the backbone and
the ribs, which comprise practically all the bones in a fish, may be
lifted out intact, as is shown in Fig. 10.
[Illustration: FIG. 8]
[Illustration: FIG. 9]
27. SKINNING FISH.--Some kinds of fish, especially those having no
scales, such as flounder, catfish, and eels, are made more palatable by
being skinned. To skin a fish, cut a narrow strip of the skin along the
spine from the head to the tail, as shown in Fig. 11. At this opening,
loosen the skin on one side where it is fastened to the bony part of the
fish and then, as in Fig. 12, draw it off around toward the belly,
working carefully so as not to tear the flesh. Sometimes it is a good
plan to use a knife for this purpose, working the skin loose from the
flesh with the knife and at the same time pulling the skin with the
other hand. After removing the skin from one side, turn the fish and
take off the skin from the other side in the same way. Care should be
taken to clean the fish properly before attempting to skin it. If the
fish is frozen, it should first be thawed in cold water.
[Illustration: FIG. 10]
[Illustration: FIG. 11]
28. FILLETING FISH.--As many recipes require fish to be cut into
_fillets_, that is, thick, flat slices from which the bone is removed,
it is well for the housewife to understand just how to accomplish this
part of the preparation. Figs. 13 to 15 show the filleting of a
flounder. While this process varies somewhat in the different varieties
of fish, the usual steps are the ones here outlined. After thoroughly
cleaning the flounder and removing the skin, lay the fish out flat and
cut the flesh down through the center from the head end to the tail, as
shown in Fig. 13. Then, with a knife, work each half of the flesh loose
from the bones, as in Fig. 14. With these two pieces removed, turn the
fish over, cut the flesh down through the center, and separate it from
the bones in the same manner as before. If a meat board is on hand, it
is a good plan to place the fish on such a board before removing the
flesh. At the end of the filleting process, the flounder should appear
as shown in Fig. 15, the long, narrow strips on the right being the
flesh and that remaining on the board being the bones intact. The strips
thus produced may be cut into pieces of any preferred size.
[Illustration: FIG. 12]
[Illustration: FIG. 13]
* * * * *