Cod has white stripes, and a haddock black stripes; they may be known
apart by this. Haddock is the best for frying; and cod is the best
for boiling, or for a chowder. A thin tail is a sign of a poor fish;
always choose a thick fish. When you are buying mackerel, pinch the
belly to ascertain whether it is good. If it gives under your finger,
like a bladder half filled with wind, the fish is poor; if it feels
hard like butter, the fish is good. It is cheaper to buy one large
mackerel for ninepence, than two for four pence half-penny each.
Fish should not be put in to fry until the fat is boiling hot; it is
very necessary to observe this. It should be dipped in Indian meal
before it is put in; and the skinny side uppermost, when first put
in, to prevent its breaking. It relishes better to be fried after salt
pork, than to be fried in lard alone. People are mistaken, who think
fresh fish should be put into cold water as soon as it is brought into
the house; soaking it in water is injurious. If you want to keep it
sweet, clean it, wash it, wipe it dry with a clean towel, sprinkle
salt inside and out, put it in a covered dish, and keep it on the
_cellar_ floor until you want to cook it. If you live remote from the
seaport, and cannot get fish while hard and fresh, wet it with an egg
beaten, before you meal it, to prevent its breaking.
Fish gravy is very much improved by taking out some of the fat, after
the fish is fried, and putting in a little butter. The fat thus taken
out will do to fry fish again; but it will not do for any kind of
shortening. Shake in a little flour into the hot fat, and pour in a
little boiling water; stir it up well, as it boils, a minute or so.
Some people put in vinegar; but this is easily added by those who like
it.
A common sized cod-fish should be put in when the water is boiling
hot, and boil about twenty minutes. Haddock is not as good for boiling
as cod; it takes about the same time to boil.
A piece of halibut which weighs four pounds is a large dinner for a
family of six or seven. It should boil forty minutes. No fish put in
till the water boils. Melted butter for sauce.
Clams should boil about fifteen minutes in their own water; no other
need be added, except a spoonful to keep the bottom shells from
burning. It is easy to tell when they are done, by the shells starting
wide open. After they are done, they should be taken from the shells,
washed thoroughly in their own water, and put in a stewing pan. The
water should then be strained through a cloth, so as to get out all
the grit; the clams should be simmered in it ten or fifteen minutes;
a little thickening of flour and water added; half a dozen slices
of toasted bread or cracker; and pepper, vinegar and butter to your
taste. Salt is not needed.
Four pounds of fish are enough to make a chowder for four or five
people; half a dozen slices of salt pork in the bottom of the pot;
hang it high, so that the pork may not burn; take it out when done
very brown; put in a layer of fish, cut in lengthwise slices, then a
layer formed of crackers, small or sliced onions, and potatoes sliced
as thin as a four-pence, mixed with pieces of pork you have fried;
then a layer of fish again, and so on. Six crackers are enough.
Strew a little salt and pepper over each layer; over the whole pour a
bowl-full of flour and water, enough to come up even with the surface
of what you have in the pot. A sliced lemon adds to the flavor. A cup
of tomato catsup is very excellent. Some people put in a cup of beer.
A few clams are a pleasant addition. It should be covered so as not
to let a particle of steam escape, if possible. Do not open it, except
when nearly done, to taste if it be well seasoned.
Salt fish should be put in a deep plate, with just water enough to
cover it, the night before you intend to cook it. It should not be
boiled an instant; boiling renders it hard. It should lie in scalding
hot water two or three hours. The less water is used, and the more
fish is cooked at once, the better. Water thickened with flour and
water while boiling, with sweet butter put in to melt, is the common
sauce. It is more economical to cut salt pork into small bits, and try
it till the pork is brown and crispy. It should not be done too fast,
lest the sweetness be scorched out.
Salted shad and mackerel should be put into a deep plate and covered
with boiling water for about ten minutes after it is thoroughly
broiled, before it is buttered. This makes it tender, takes off
the coat of salt, and prevents the strong oily taste, so apt to be
unpleasant in preserved fish. The same rule applies to smoked salmon.
Salt fish mashed with potatoes, with good butter or pork scraps to
moisten it, is nicer the second day than it was the first. The fish
should be minced very fine, while it is warm. After it has got cold
and dry, it is difficult to do it nicely. Salt fish needs plenty of
vegetables, such as onions, beets, carrots, &c.
There is no way of preparing salt fish for breakfast, so nice as to
roll it up in little balls, after it is mixed with mashed potatoes;
dip it into an egg, and fry it brown.
A female lobster is not considered so good as a male. In the female,
the sides of the head, or what look like cheeks, are much larger,
and jut out more than those of the male. The end of a lobster is
surrounded with what children call 'purses,' edged with a little
fringe. If you put your hand under these to raise it, and find it
springs back hard and firm, it is a sign the lobster is fresh; if
they move flabbily, it is not a good omen.
Fried salt pork and apples is a favorite dish in the country; but it
is seldom seen in the city. After the pork is fried, some of the
fat should be taken out, lest the apples should be oily. Acid apples
should be chosen, because they cook more easily; they should be cut in
slices, across the whole apple, about twice or three times as thick as
a new dollar. Fried till tender, and brown on both sides--laid around
the pork. If you have cold potatoes, slice them and brown them in the
same way.
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