A Handbook of Fish Cookery: How to buy, dress, cook, and eat fish

E.C. NEW YORK AND MELBOURNE 1897 CONTENTS. -----¤<>¤----- PAGE INTRODUCTION 1 PART I. CHOOSING AND BUYING FISH 7 PART II. THE COOKING OF FISH 17 PART III. TESTED RECIPES 23 PART IV. FISH SAUCES 81 _INTRODUCTION._ In spite of a considerable amount of trade grumbling, the best part of the market is still held by English fish, as a glance at any time over the names on the crates will show. The foreign importations, though large, are not nearly so extensive as might be supposed. As a rule the north British ports furnish the largest supply; the southern ports suffer the most from foreign competition. Continental freightage also is light, and as the foreigner rarely keeps very closely to the laws of "fence months," he gets fish into the market when no home-caught of the same kind is to be had. If all people, both rich and poor, could be persuaded to eat fish more freely, they would be benefited both in health and pocket. If the _demand_ were greater the _supply_ would be more liberal, more varied, and also much cheaper. At present, although there is much complaining about catches falling off, many grounds yielding but a poor harvest, yet tons of fish are annually sent away from the markets for manure. The trade is both risky and variable, consequently prices have to be kept up that the dealer may realise some profit, and for this state of things _the modern housewife is largely accountable_. It is not wholly a question of price, although there is still much to desire on this point. Ignorance, especially with the working-man's wife, will generally be found to be the cause of the aversion which many housewives have to the cooking of fish; even in middle and upper class households much ignorance as to the kinds of fish and the best means of making use of them prevails. The poorer classes still regard fish as "nothing to make a meal of," and, sad to say, a great many of the poor of our cities will not eat fish, however cheaply they may get