"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.