The Book of Household Management by Mrs. Beeton

"London Labour and the London Poor," and other sources, we are enabled to give the following table of the total annual supply of fish to the London market:-- Description of Fish. Number of Weight of Fish Fish in lbs WET FISH. Salmon and Salmon-Trout(29,000 boxes, 14 fish per box) 406,000 3,480,000 Turbot, from 8 to 16 lbs. 800,000 5,600,000 Live Cod, averaging 10 lbs. each 400,000 4,000,000 Soles, averaging 1/4 lbs. each 97,520,000 26,880,000 Brill and Mullet, averaging 3 lbs. each 1,220,000 3,366,000 Whiting, averaging 6 oz. each 17,920,000 6,720,000 Haddock, averaging 2 lbs. each 2,470,000 4,940,000 Plaice, averaging 1 lb. each 33,600,000 33,600,000 Mackerel, averaging 1 lb ach 23,520,000 23,520,000 Fresh herrings (250,000 barrels, 700 fish per barrel) 175,000,000 42,000,000 Ditto in bulk 1,050,000,000 252,000,000 Sprats -- 4,000,000 Eels (from Holland principally) England and Ireland 9,797,760 1,632,960 Flounders 259,200 48,200 Dabs 270,000 48,750 DRY FISH. Barrelled Cod(15,000 barrels, 40 fish per barrel) 750,000 4,200,000 Dried Salt Cod, 5 lbs each 1,600,000 8,000,000 Smoked Haddock(65,000 barrels, 300 fish per barrel) 19,500,000 10,920,000 Bloaters, 265,000 baskets(150 fish per basket) 147,000,000 10,600,000 Red Herrings, 100,000 barrels(500 fish per barrel) 50,000,000 14,000,000 Dried Sprats, 9,600 large bundles (30 fish per bundle) 288,000 9,600 SHELL FISH. Oysters 495,896,000 Lobsters, averaging 1 lb each 1,200,000 1,200,000 Crabs, averaging 1 lb each 600,000 600,000 Shrimps, 324 to a pint 498,428,648 Whelks, 227 to a half-bushel 4,943,200 Mussels, 1000 to ditto 50,400,000 Cockles, 2000 to ditto 67,392,000 Periwinkles, 4000 to ditto 304,000,000 The whole of the above may be, in round numbers, reckoned to amount to the enormous number of 3,000,000,000 fish, with a weight of 300,000 tons. ADDENDUM AND ANECDOTE. It will be seen, from the number and variety of the recipes which we have been enabled to give under the head of FISH, that there exists in the salt ocean, and fresh-water rivers, an abundance of aliment, which the present state of gastronomic art enables the cook to introduce to the table in the most agreeable forms, and oftentimes at a very moderate cost. Less nutritious as a food than the flesh of animals, more succulent than vegetables, fish may be termed a middle dish, suited to all temperaments and constitutions; and one which those who are recovering from illness may partake of with safety and advantage. As to which is the best fish, there has been much discussion. The old Latin proverb, however, _de gustibus non disputandum_, and the more modern Spanish one, _sobre los gustos no hai disputa_, declare, with equal force, that where _taste_ is concerned, no decision can be arrived at. Each person's palate may be differently affected--pleased or displeased; and there is no standard by which to judge why a red mullet, a sole, or a turbot, should be better or worse than a salmon, trout, pike, or a tiny tench. Fish, as we have explained, is less nourishing than meat; for it is lighter in weight, size for size, and contains no ozmazome (_see_ No. 100). Shell-fish, oysters particularly, furnish but little nutriment; and this is the reason why so many of the latter can be eaten without injury to the system. In Brillat Savarin's [Footnote: Brillat Savarin was a French lawyer and judge of considerable eminence and great talents, and wrote, under the above title, a book on gastronomy, full of instructive information, enlivened with a fund of pleasantly-told anecdote.] clever and amusing volume, "The Physiology of Taste," he says, that towards the end of the eighteenth century it was a most common thing for a well-arranged entertainment in Paris to commence with oysters, and that many guests were not contented without swallowing twelve dozen. Being anxious to know the weight of this advanced-guard, he ascertained that a dozen oysters, fluid included, weighed 4 ounces,--thus, the twelve dozen would weigh about 3 lbs.; and there can be no doubt, that the same persons who made no worse a dinner on account of having partaken of the oysters, would have been completely satisfied if they had eaten the same weight of chicken or mutton. An anecdote, perfectly well authenticated, is narrated of a French gentleman (M. Laperte), residing at Versailles, who was extravagantly fond of oysters, declaring he never had enough. Savarin resolved to procure him the satisfaction, and gave him an invitation to dinner, which was duly accepted. The guest arrived, and his host kept company with him in swallowing the delicious bivalves up to the tenth dozen, when, exhausted, he gave up, and let M. Laperte go on alone. This gentleman managed to eat thirty-two dozen within an hour, and would doubtless have got through more, but the person who opened them is described as not being very skilful. In the interim Savarin was idle, and at length, tired with his painful state of inaction, he said to Laperte, whilst the latter was still in full career, "Mon cher, you will not eat as many oysters to-day as you meant; let us dine." They dined, and the insatiable oyster-eater acted at the repast as if he had fasted for a week. FISH CARVING. GENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR CARVING FISH. In carving fish, care should be taken to help it in perfect flakes, as, if these are broken, the beauty of the fish is lost. The carver should be acquainted, too, with the choicest parts and morsels; and to give each guest an equal share of these _titbits_ should be his maxim. Steel knives and forks should on no account be used in helping fish, as these are liable to impart to it a very disagreeable flavour. Where silver fish-carvers are considered too dear to be bought, good electro-plated ones answer very well, and are inexpensive. The prices set down for them by Messrs. Slack, of the Strand, are from a guinea upwards. COD'S HEAD AND SHOULDERS. (For recipe, see No. 232; and for mode of serving, Coloured Plate C.) [Illustration] First run the knife along the centre of the side of the fish, namely, from _d_ to _b_, down to the bone; then carve it in unbroken slices downwards from _d_ to _e_, or upwards from _d_ to _c_, as shown in the engraving. The carver should ask the guests if they would like a portion of the roe and liver. _Note_.--Of this fish, the parts about the backbone and shoulders are the firmest, and most esteemed by connoisseurs. The sound, which lines the fish beneath the backbone, is considered a delicacy, as are also the gelatinous parts about the head and neck. SALMON. (For recipe, see No. 301; and for mode of dressing, Coloured Plate B.) [Illustration] First run the knife quite down to the bone, along the side of the fish, from _a_ to _b_, and also from _c_ to _d_. Then help the thick part lengthwise, that is, in the direction of the lines from _a_ to _b_; and the thin part breadthwise, that is, in the direction of the lines from _e_ to _f_, as shown in the engraving. A slice of the thick part should always be accompanied by a smaller piece of the thin from the belly, where lies the fat of the fish. _Note_.--Many persons, in carving salmon, make the mistake of slicing the thick part of this fish in the opposite direction to that we have stated; and thus, by the breaking of the flakes, the beauty of its appearance is destroyed. BOILED OR FRIED SOLE. (For recipes, see Nos. 321 and 327.) The usual way of helping this fish is to cut it quite through, bone and all, distributing it in nice and not too large pieces. A moderately-sized sole will be sufficient for three slices; namely, the head, middle, and tail. The guests should be asked which of these they prefer. A small one will only give two slices. If the sole is very large, the upper side may be raised from the bone, and then divided into pieces; and the under side afterwards served in the same way. In helping FILLETED SOLES, one fillet is given to each person. (For mode of serving, see Coloured Plate A.) TURBOT. (For recipe, see No. 337; and for mode of serving, Coloured Plate E.) First run the fish-slice down the thickest part of the fish, quite through to the bone, from _a_ to _b_, and then cut handsome and regular slices in the direction of the lines downwards, from _c_ to _e_, and upwards from _c_ to _d_, as shown in the engraving. When the carver has removed all the meat from the upper side of the fish, the backbone should be raised, put on one side of the dish, and the under side helped as the upper. A BRILL and JOHN DORY are carved in the same manner as a Turbot. [Illustration] _Note_.--The thick parts of the middle of the back are the best slices in a turbot; and the rich gelatinous skin covering the fish, as well as a little of the thick part of the fins, are dainty morsels, and should be placed on each plate. WHITING, &c. Whiting, pike, haddock, and other fish, when of a sufficiently large size, may be carved in the same manner as salmon. When small, they may be cut through, bone and all, and helped in nice pieces, a middling-sized whiting serving for two slices. _Note_.--The THICK part of the EEL is reckoned the best; and this holds good of all flat fish. The TAIL of the LOBSTER is the prime part, and next to that the CLAWS. [Illustration: FISH CARVERS.] [Illustration] SAUCES, PICKLES, GRAVIES, AND FORCEMEATS.