FISH

Syn. Pisces , L. Fishes form the fourth cla of vertebrate animals ( VERTEBRATA ) in the Cuvierian arrangement of the animal kingdom, and in the variety of their genera and species are second only to the INSECT A , whilst in prolificne and number they probably exceed all other animated beings that reach a size equal to that of even the smallest member of their prodigious race. Besides their value to man as food, they furnish him with oil, isingla , and various other articles of utility and luxury, and provide, either directly or indirectly, an inexhaustible supply of manure for the fertilisation of his fields. As food fish are undoubtedly wholesome and nutritious, although le so than the flesh of animals or the grains of the cereals. Of all the various substances used as aliments by man, fish are, however, the most liable to run into a state of putrefaction, and should therefore be only eaten when perfectly fresh or, if not recently taken, then only when their perfect preservation has been ensured by any of the ordinary methods employed for the purpose. Those that are the whitest and most flaky when cooked, as cod, flounders, haddock, hake, soles, turbot, whiting, ., are the most easily digested; and those abounding in oily matter, as eels, herrings, mackerel, salmon, ., are most nutritious, though the most likely to offend the stomach. Salt-water fish have been said to be more wholesome than river fish, but without sufficient reason. Salted fish are hard of digestion, unle when carefully cooked and well masticated. Skin diseases are said to be more common among those who live continually on fish than among those who abstain from it; but this probably arises from their use being unaccompanied by a proper quantity of fresh vegetables or fruit, both of which are scarcer on the sea-coast than further inland. As one of the components of a mixed diet, the value of fish is indisputable. Acid sauces and pickles are the proper additions to fish, from their power of retarding the progre of putrefaction, and of correcting the relaxing tendency of large quantities of oil and butter. Artificial Propagation. The fecundity of fish is positively marvellous. According to the recent observations of Mr Frank T. Buck land, salmon yield about 1000 ova or eggs to every lb. of their weight; a trout weighing 1 lb. produced upwards of 1000; a mackerel (1 lb.), 86,120; a herring ( 1 ⁄ 2 lb.), 19,840; a sole (1 lb.), 134,466; a turbot (8 lbs.), 385,200; and a cod (20 lbs.), 4,872,000. The ova here spoken of form what is commonly called the ‘hard roe’ of the female fish; the ‘soft roe’ is ‘the milt’ of the male fish. To protect the spawn, and the fry, when hatched, is the object of the art of fish culture, which has made great progre during late years. When the spawn is not artificially protected, the greater portion is always wasted, being swept away by the stream, and devoured by fish, birds, and insects. The natural enemies of the newly hatched fish are, again, so numerous, that it is really surprising that any should escape destruction. According to given data and accurate calculations of the returns of fisheries made by Me rs Ashworth and Buist, only one salmon egg out of every you sand deposited ever becomes a fish fit for human food. Other fish, both fresh and salt water, suffer in proportion. The hatching of fish by artificial means has been carried out on a large scale in France, and has been commenced in Scotland and Ireland, and on a small scale in England. The spawning fish, having been caught by a net, is made to deposit her eggs by gently pre ing on the abdomen; these are impregnated by ‘milt’ expre ed from the male fish in a similar manner, and mixed with them in a shallow tub or other ve el prepared for the purpose. The impregnated eggs are placed in long shallow boxes, bottomed with gravel and pebbles, and so arranged that a small stream of water from a reservoir may flow from one to another. The time of hatching depends entirely upon the temperature of the water; from 40° to 45° Fahr. seems to be the healthiest temperature. After about 50 days (in the case of salmon), when all goes well, the young fish makes its appearance as a mi hapen creature about an inch long, with a bag containing the yolk of the egg attached to its abdomen. At 3 days old the fry is about 2 gr. in weight; at 16 months it has increased to 2 oz. To preserve the young fish in health, the boxes must be covered with shades of slate or zinc. The French fish-breeders generally feed the young fry with boiled frogs powdered fine. The Scotch give boiled liver. Mr Buck land prescribes a diet of roe of sole, or plaice, or whiting. As to the age at which it is advisable to turn the young fish out of the nursery, there is much difference of opinion. Some breeders recommend turning them out as soon as the ‘umbilical bag’ is absorbed; others think they should be taken care of till they are older and stronger, and better able to defend themselves or escape from attack. For full details respecting the artificial propagation of fish, the reader is referred to Mr Buck land’s recent work, entitled ‘Fish-Hatching.’ Nutritive Value of Fish. —The white varieties of fish, such as whiting , cod , haddock , sole , plaice , flounder , and turbot , according to Letheby, contain only about twenty-two per cent. of solid matter, of which eighteen is nitrogenous. To increase their nutritive value, therefore, these fish should be eaten with butter. According to the same authority mackerel , eels , and salmon are richer in fat than the above kinds; mackerel containing about seven per cent., and salmon about six, whilst the oily matter of eels amount to nearly fourteen per cent. The same is the case with the sprat , the herring , and the pilchard , as well as with most of our fresh-water fish. As regards shell-fish , all the different varieties of them afford about the same amount of nutrition. They contain about thirteen per cent. of solid matter, which in composition is similar to that of white fish. Shell-fish vary in digestibility; mu els , limpets , and whelks being rather difficult of digestion, whilst scallops , cockles , periwinkles , lobsters , and crabs are a trifle more easy of digestion, and oysters still more so. All shell-fish are unsuited for delicate stomachs; although they are largely eaten by the poorer dwellers on the coast. On the Continent, vineyard snails , and in China, slugs , are eaten, and are said to po e a delicate flavour and nutritive properties. [311] [311] Letheby. Choice, . “The flesh of any fish is always in the highest perfection, or in season, as it is called, during the period of the ripening of the milt and roe. After the fish has deposited the spawn, the flesh becomes soft, and loses a great deal of its peculiar flavour. This is owing to the disappearance of the oil or fat from the flesh, it having been expended in the function of reproduction.” (Fleming’s ‘Phil. Zoology.’) Fish should be dre ed as soon after being caught as po ible, as much of their peculiar delicacy and flavour is lost by keeping, even for a few hours. Turbot and salmon are said by the fishmongers to be improved in flavour when 2 or 3 days old, but this is surely a mistake, as the former, when dre ed immediately after being caught, po e es a fine creamy taste, which it afterwards loses; whilst the latter, by the lo of a single tide, loses a portion of the fine white curd which is previously found between the flakes, and by longer keeping, this curd, with the larger flakes, disappear altogether. In the eyes of some epicures the richne , is however, increased by this change. Mackerel, and some other fish suffer so much from keeping only a few hours, that they become quite unwholesome. Herrings offer a remarkable example of the advantage of dre ing fish as fresh as po ible. When cooked soon after being caught, they po e considerable delicacy and flavour, but after being kept for only a few hours, the oil separates from the flesh, and they become soft, greasy, and strong-flavoured. In the choice of every kind of fish, stiffne , brightne of the eyes, and redne of the gills, may be regarded as invariable signs of freshne . A peculiar elasticity will also be perceived in fish recently caught, little or no permanent impre ion being made by the ordinary pre ure of the fingers, from the flesh immediately rising when the pre ure is withdrawn. Fresh fish also lie in a partly curled position, and never quite straight, as in the case when they have been kept for some time. Thickne and fleshine are deemed marks of the good condition of all fish. Cleaning, dre ing, . On the proper cleaning of fish preparatory to dre ing it, depends much of its delicacy and flavour. Ordinary cooks seldom do this well, from not slitting the fish sufficiently open to permit the inside to be thoroughly washed, and seldom using sufficient water. The superior flavour of fish cleaned by the fishmongers arises from their performing the operation more completely, and from the large quantity of water they employ about them. The flavour of all fish is improved by adding a little salt or vinegar to the last water in which they are washed. The sound, milt, and roe, should be carefully cleaned and preserved. Fish is preferably ‘dre ed’ by simple boiling, broiling, or frying; in fact, the finer kinds of fish are often injured by the exce ive interference of the cook. When boiled, “all large fish, with the skin whole, must be placed on the fire in cold water; if crimped, or cut into slices or pieces, in boiling water; if whole, it must not be covered with more than two or three inches of water, or the skin will crack, and not only spoil the appearance of the fish, but will diminish the gelatine and gluten it contains, and instead of eating firm and full of flavour, it will be soft and woolly, especially if over-boiled.” (Soyer.) As soon as a scum rises from boiling, it should be removed by the skimmer. The addition of a little salt or vinegar to the water improves the flavour of most fish, and renders the flesh firmer. The proportions should be “two teaspoonfuls of salt to every quart of water.” “If the fish be whole, as soon as it begins to boil remove the cover on one side, and let it simmer gently until done. (Soyer.) A fish is known to be sufficiently dre ed by the flesh in the thicker parts separating easily from the bone. “If a large fish I generally try it by gently pushing a wooden skewer through the thickest part; if it goes in easily it is done.” (Soyer.) When this is the case it should be removed from the kettle, as by soaking in the water fish loses its firmne , and becomes soddened. Sole, skate, and mackerel, are usually put into boiling water, whether whole or sliced. Fish for broiling should be well washed in strong vinegar, wiped dry with a towel, and floured before placing them on the gridiron; and the bars of the latter should be hot, and well buttered. (Rundell.) Fish for frying should be prepared as for broiling, and the butter, oil, or lard should be allowed to boil for a minute or two before putting them into the frying-pan. The latter should be perfectly smooth and bright, and the butter or oil in abundance, to prevent the fish sticking to it and burning. As the fish are cooked solely by the heat of the melted fat, to fry them in the highest perfection there should be enough of it to cover them. Butter or oil is the best for the purpose. To avoid lo , the contents of the frying-pan, after the fish is removed, should be poured into a clean jelly-jar or basin, and reserved for another occasion. The fish being removed from the pan, the superfluous fat should be drained from them preparatory to ‘serving’ them. When fish is divided into fillets or cutlets before being cooked, it is usual to take out the bones, and to dre it with force-meat, . In serving fish of the finer kinds, no other additions are required than melted butter and the ordinary fish sauces and pickles. The dishes are commonly garnished with raw parsley, for the sake of appearance, but boiled parsley, chopped small, should accompany it. All kinds of fish should be served on a napkin. Caution. It sometimes happens that a fishbone accidentally swallowed remains in the œsophagus, and occasions serious inconvenience; in fact, instances have been known where so much irritation has arisen that death has followed. In such cases it is advisable, as soon as po ible, to take of tartar emetic, 4 gr., di olved in warm water, 1 ⁄ 2 pint; and immediately afterwards the whites of six eggs. The coagulated ma will not remain in the stomach more than two or three minutes, and the remedy has been known to “remove no le than 24 pins at once.”