The Delmonico Cook Book. Alessandro Filippini
fifteen pounds each, and are selling at present for twenty-five cents a pound; but in the course of a few years there is no doubt that these fish will be sold for from ten to twelve cents a pound. Green turtle. Frogs’ legs. Crayfish during this month come from Wisconsin. They are of very fine flavor, and are the best that are found in this country. Prawns from South Carolina. Crab-meat, fresh picked. Soft crabs grow more abundant during this month, and are in excellent condition. A very choice smoked fish is in season this month, called the roe herring, and by some of the grocers under various names, such as bloaters, Burlington herring, etc.
JUNE.
Codfish may be had, but not in good condition. Haddock may be had, but not in good condition. Halibut. Striped Bass. Eels. Lobsters. Fresh salmon from the Kennebec and Penobscot rivers, Maine, and from the Restigouche and other rivers in Canada, are very abundant this month, and are to be had at the lowest price during the season, selling oftentimes as low as fifteen cents per pound by the whole fish. Large flounders for fillet of sole. Blackfish. Fresh mackerel. Pompano. Spanish-mackerel. Weakfish. Butter-fish. Kingfish. Sheep’s-head. Porgies. Sea bass. Sturgeon. Shad from the Connecticut River are still in good condition, but with the close of this month go out of season. Bluefish are larger, sometimes weighing four to six pounds each, and are improving in quality. Carp. Skate, or ray-fish. Black bass [Micropterus dolomiei] are in season from the 1st of June until the 1st of January. This is a very choice table fish; probably one of the best of the fresh water fishes. Crayfish. Frogs’ legs. Soft crabs. Crab-meat. Whitebait.
JULY.
Cod. Haddock. Halibut. Striped bass. Eels. Lobsters. Kennebec salmon. Pompano. Restigouche salmon. Large flounders for fillet of sole. Blackfish. Fresh mackerel. Spanish-mackerel. Butter-fish; this is a small, sweet pan-fish. Weakfish. Kingfish. Sheep’s-head. Porgies. Sea bass. Bluefish. Moonfish [Choetodipterus faber]. This fish is somewhat similar in appearance to the sheep’s-head, and is a very fine boiling or baking fish. Squid. Skate. Brook-trout. Black bass. Green turtle. Crayfish. Prawns. Frogs’ legs. Soft crabs. Whitebait.
AUGUST.
Cod. Haddock. Halibut. Striped bass. Eels. Lobsters. Restigouche salmon. Kennebec salmon. Large flounders for fillet of sole. Fresh mackerel. Spanish-mackerel. Bonito [Sarda mediterranea]. This fish is sometimes sold through the country as Spanish-mackerel, but it is a very inferior fish as compared with the Spanish-mackerel. Crevalle [Caranx hippos]. This fish is sometimes sold as pompano, but is a very inferior fish, as the pompano is one of the choicest fishes that we have in market. Butter-fish. Tilefish [Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps]. This fish was first discovered in our waters by the United States Fish Commission in 1880. It is very brilliant in color, but the meat is very coarse-flaked, and somewhat resembling the haddock in appearance and flavor. Lafayette [Liostomus xanthurus], a small fish weighing about a quarter of a pound each, and a very desirable pan-fish. Sea-robins [Prionotus palmipes]. This fish is found very plentifully at this season of the year in the waters of Long Island, and was first introduced as a table fish by the Ichthyophagous Club some five years ago. It is a very fair pan-fish. Sea bass. Kingfish. Sheep’s-head. Porgies. Bluefish. Moonfish. Squid. Skate. Brook-trout. Black bass. Catfish. Green turtle. Crayfish. Prawns. Frogs’ legs. Soft crabs. White-bait.
SEPTEMBER.
Codfish. Haddock. Halibut. Striped bass. Lobsters. Eels. Salmon from Nova Scotia. During this month the salmon advance very much in price, and with the close of the month fresh salmon caught on the Atlantic coast go out of season. Large flounders for fillet of sole. Blackfish. Fresh mackerel. Spanish-mackerel. During this month the Spanish-mackerel are in their best condition, being fat and of delicate flavor. Cero [Scomberomorus caballa]. A large fish, weighing from six to twenty pounds each, resembling the Spanish-mackerel in appearance, but not so fine flavored. Crevalle [Caranx hippos]. Pompano. Butter-fish. Tilefish. Weakfish. Lafayette. Porgies. Squid. Smelts make their appearance for the first time in the season during this month. Red-snapper are to be found in market this month, the first of the season. Grouper; a fish somewhat resembling the red-snapper in form, but of a darker red color, and similar in flavor to the red-snapper, and by a great many people thought to be superior to the red-snapper. Sea bass. Skate. Bluefish are in better condition, and in their prime during this month. Salmon-trout. Pickerel. Whitefish. Catfish. Wall-eyed pike. Carp. Green turtle. Crayfish. Prawns. Frogs’ legs. Scallops begin to come into market at this time, but are not quite so good as they are a month later. Hard crabs. Whitebait. Soft crabs are in better condition and of better flavor during this month than at any other time of the year. Moonfish. Butter-fish. Bonito. Sea-robins.
OCTOBER.
Codfish; during the latter part of this month codfish are brought alive to the market. Haddock. Halibut. Striped bass. Eels. Lobsters. Blackfish. Columbia River salmon commence to come into market at this time. These salmon are what are known as the steel-head variety [Salmo gardneri]. They are not as fine flavored nor as much esteemed as those that are called chinooks, which come earlier in the season. Large flounders for fillet of sole. Fresh mackerel. Cero. Spanish-mackerel. Pompano. Weakfish. Kingfish. Sheep’s-head. Grouper. White Perch. Smelts. Red-snapper. Sea bass. Bluefish. Black bass. Salmon-trout. Whitefish. Yellow perch. Pickerel. Cisco. Wall-eyed pike. Green turtle. Carp. Terrapin are caught during every month in the year, but are not considered good for the table until the weather is cold, and with the month of October are first used on the table. Crayfish. Prawns. Frogs’ legs. Hard crabs. Soft crabs are to be found in market usually up to the 10th of October. White-bait. Scallops. Redfish, or spotted bass. This is a Southern fish, and is somewhat similar in flavor to the striped bass, but not quite so good.
NOVEMBER.
Live cod. Haddock. Halibut. Striped bass. Eels. Lobsters. Salmon. Cusk. Blackfish. Fresh mackerel. Redfish, or spotted bass. Grouper. White perch. Smelts. Red-snapper. Skate. Black bass. Salmon-trout. Whitefish. Yellow Perch. Pickerel. Cisco. Shad. For the past two or three years, during the month of November, shad have been taken off the coast of Massachusetts in the nets along with the mackerel. These shad are large, weighing five pounds each, and are very fat and of excellent flavor. Bluefish. This month usually closes the bluefish season, but during the months of December, January, and February they are found in market, but always are fish that have been preserved by freezing. Masquallonge [Esox nobilier]. This fish weighs from four to twenty pounds each, and is of the pickerel family, and considered the most superior in flavor to all the pickerels. Wall-eyed pike. Catfish. Green turtle. Terrapin. Crayfish. Prawns. Scallops. Frogs’ legs. Hard crabs. Whitebait.
DECEMBER.
Live cod. Haddock. Halibut. Striped bass. Eels. Lobsters. Columbia River salmon. Large flounders for fillet of sole. Turbot. These fish are caught in extreme Northern waters. They are somewhat similar in flavor to the chicken halibut, but are black upon both sides.