Miss Parloa's New Cook Book Part 5

Pollock.

This is used mostly for salting. It is much like the cod, only firmer grained and drier.

Halibut.

This fine fish is always good. It varies in weight from two pounds to three hundred. The flesh is a pearly white in a perfectly fresh fish.

That cut from one weighing from fifty to seventy-five pounds is the best, the flesh of any larger being coa.r.s.e and dry. The small fish are called chicken halibut.

Flounders.

These are thin, flat fish, often sold under the name of sole. Good at all times of the year.

Turbot.

This is a flat fish, weighing from two to twenty pounds. The flesh is soft, white and delicate. Turbot is not common in our market.

Salmon.

Salmon is in season from April to July, but is in its prime in June.

It is often found in the market as early as January, when it brings a high price. Being very rich, a much smaller quant.i.ty should be provided for a given number of people than of the lighter kinds of fish.

Shad.

This is in season in the Eastern and Middle States from March to April, and in the Southern States from November to February. The flesh is sweet, but full of small bones. Shad is much prized for the roe.

Blue-fish.

This is a rich, dark fish, weighing from two to eight pounds' and in season in June, July and August. It is particularly nice broiled and baked.

Black-fish, or Tautog.

Good all the year, but best in the spring. It is not a large fish, weighing only from one to five pounds.

White-fish, or Lake Shad.

This delicious fish is found in the great lakes, and in the locality where caught it is always in season. At the South and in the East the market is supplied only in winter, when the price is about eighteen cents a pound. The average weight is between two and three pounds.

Sea-Ba.s.s.

This fish, weighing from half a pound to six or seven, pounds, is very fine, and is in season nearly all the year. It is best in March, April and May.

Rock-Ba.s.s.

The weight of rock-ba.s.s generally ranges from half a pound to thirty or forty pounds, but sometimes reaches eighty or a hundred. The small fish are the best. The very small ones (under one pound) are fried; the larger broiled, baked and boiled. The ba.s.s are in season all the year, but best in the fall.

Sword Fish.

This is very large, with dark, firm flesh. It is nutritious, but not as delicate as other kinds of fish: It is cut and sold like halibut, and in season in July and August.

Sturgeon.

This fish, like the halibut and sword fish, is large. The flesh is of a light red color and the fat of a pale yellow. There is a rather strong flavor. A fish weighing under a hundred pounds will taste better than a larger one. The season is from April to September.

Weak-Fish.

Weak-fish is found in the New York and Philadelphia markets from May to October. In the Eastern States it is not so well known. It is a delicate fish, and grows soft very quickly. It is good boiled or fried.

Small, or "Pan"-Fish.

The small fish that are usually fried, have the general name of "pan"- fish. There is a great variety, each kind found in the market being nearly always local, as it does not pay to pack and s.h.i.+p them. A greater part have the heads and skin taken off before being sold.

Smelts.

These are good at any time, but best in the winter, when they are both plenty and cheap.

Mullet.

There are several varieties of this fish, which is much prized in some sections of the country. It is a small fish, weighing from a quarter of a pound to two or three pounds. It often has a slightly muddy flavor, owing to living a large part of the time in the mud of the rivers.

Mackerel.

This fish is nutritious and cheap. It is in the market through the spring and summer, and averages in weight between one and two pounds.

Spanish Mackerel.

These are larger than the common mackerel, and have rows of yellow spots, instead of the dark lines on the sides. They are in season from June to October, and generally bring a high price.

Eels.