Miss Parloa's New Cook Book. Maria Parloa
least ten days before cooking; in winter three weeks is better. The cuts are the leg, saddle, loin, fore quarter and steaks. The supply regulates the price.
Partridge.
This bird is so like the grouse that the same rules apply to both. What is known as quail at the North is called partridge at the South.
Quail.
These birds are found in the market all through the fall and winter. They are quite small (about the size of a squab), are nearly always tender and juicy, and not very expensive. They come from the West.
Woodcock.
Woodcock is in season from July to November. It is a small bird, weighing about half a pound. It has a fine, delicate flavor, and is very high-priced.
Other Game.
There are numerous large and small birds which are used for food, but there is not space to treat of them all. In selecting game it must be remembered that the birds will have a gamey smell, which is wholly different from that of tainted meat.
FISH.
To fully describe all the kinds of fish found in our markets would require too much space and is unnecessary, but a list of those of which there is usually a supply is given, that housekeepers may know what it is best to select in a certain season and have some idea of the prices.
To Select Fish.
When fresh, the skin and scales will be bright, the eyes full and clear, the fins stiff and the body firm. If there is a bad odor, or, if the fish is soft and darker than is usual for that kind, and has dim, sunken eyes, it is not fit to use.
Codfish.
This is good all the year, but best in the fall and winter. When cooked, it breaks into large white flakes. It is not as nutritious as the darker kinds of fish, but is more easily digested. The price remains about the same through all seasons.
Haddock.
This is a firmer and smaller-flaked fish than the cod, but varies little in flavor from it. The cod has a light stripe running down the sides; the haddock a dark one.
Cusk.
This also belongs to the cod family, and is a firm, white fish. It is best in winter.
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 coarse 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 quantity 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-Bass.
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-Bass.
The weight of rock-bass 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 bass 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 ship 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.
These are sold skinned; are always in season, but best from April to November.
Lobsters.
This shell-fish is in the market all the year, but is best in May and June. If the tail, when straightened, springs back into position, it indicates that the fish is fresh. The time of boiling live lobsters depends upon the size. If boiled too much they will be tough and dry. They are generally boiled by the fishermen. This is certainly the best plan, as these people know from practice, just how long to cook them. Besides, as the lobsters must be alive when put into the pot, they are ugly things to handle. The medium-sized are the tenderest and sweetest. A good one will be heavy for its size. In the parts of the country where fresh lobsters cannot be obtained, the canned will be found convenient for making salads, soups, stews, etc.
Hard-Shell Crabs.
These are in the market all the year. They are sold alive and, also, like the lobster, boiled. Near the coast of the Southern and Middle States they are plenty and cheap, but in the interior and in the Eastern States they are quite expensive. They are not used as much as the lobster, because it