Fish, though not quite so nutritious or so stimulating as butcher's
meat, is an excellent article of diet, as it is light and easy of
digestion and well suited to delicate persons and those following
sedentary occupations, who generally do not take exercise in the fresh
air. Fish contains a fair proportion of flesh forming and mineral
matter, and the white kinds very little fat, hence their value in a
sick diet. A few fishes are rich in fat, as salmon, mackerel, eels,
and herrings; they are more satisfying as a meal, but usually more
difficult to digest, except the latter, which is fairly easy to
digest, and, being inexpensive, forms an economical food.
The digestibility will vary also with the quality of the fish and the
methods of cooking. White fish when boiled is improved by being rubbed
over with a cut lemon, or by adding a little vinegar to the water in
which it is cooked to keep it white and firm. The fish should be
put into hot, not boiling water, otherwise the higher temperature
contracts the skin too quickly, and it breaks and looks unsightly.
Salt fish may be placed in cold water, then boiled to extract some of
the salt; if the fish has been salted and dried, it is better to soak
it in cold water for about twelve hours before cooking.
Fish to be fried should be cooked in sufficient hot Crisco to well
cover it, after having been dried and covered with batter, or with
beaten egg and breadcrumbs. To egg and breadcrumb fish put a slice
into seasoned flour, turning it so that both sides may be covered.
Shake off all loose flour. Brush fish over with beaten egg. Raise fish
out of egg with the brush and a knife, drain off egg for a second, and
lay fish in crumbs. Toss these all over it, lift out fish, shake off
all loose crumbs, lay the slice on a board, and press crumbs down, so
that surface is flat. The thicker the fish the more slowly it must be
fried after the first two minutes, or it will be raw inside when the
outside is done.
[Illustration]
_To bone fish._ The process of boning is known as filleting and is
generally done by the fish dealer, but when this is not the case the
single rule for boning must be strictly adhered to in order to keep
the knife on the bone lifting the flesh with the left hand while the
knife slips in between the bone and the flesh. Flat fish are divided
down the middle of each side well into the bone, and the boning is
begun at either side of the incision. Round fish are cut down the
back, the flesh is laid open from one side and the bone is removed
from the other. Occasionally round fish are boned readily, the
whole fish minus the bones being returned to its proper shape, as in
anchovies, sardines, herrings, haddocks, etc., in this case the fish
would be split down the front, not the back, and stitched together
after boning.
Fish stock is made from the bones, skin and trimmings of white fish.
These are broken small and generally flavored with onion, parsley,
herbs, and seasonings. The proportion of water used is rather larger,
as the flavor is much stronger and also more easily extracted than
from meat.