Page:A New System of Domestic Cookery (1824 edition).pdf/65



every sort, stiffness, and redness of the gills, and brightness of the eyes, are invariable signs of freshness: thickness of flesh generally marks the good condition of all fish.

Turbot should be thick, and the belly of a yellowish white; if of a bluish cast, or thin, they are bad. They are in season the greatest part of the summer.

Salmon.—If new, and in season, the flesh is of a fine red (the gills particularly), the scales bright, and the whole fish stiff. When in greatest perfection, there is a whiteness between the flakes, which gives great firmness; by keeping, this melts down, and the fish is more rich. The Thames salmon bears the highest prices; that caught in the Severn is next in goodness, and is even preferred by some. Small heads, and thick in the neck, are best.

Cod.—The gills should be very red; the fish should be very thick at the neck, the flesh white and firm, and the eyes fresh. When flabby, they are not good. They are in season from the beginning of December till the end of April.

Skate, if good, is very white and thick. If too fresh, they eat tough, but must not be kept above two days.