CORRECT COOKING
The ease with which fish is digested is influenced largely by the quantity of fat it contains, for this
fat, acting in identically the same way as the fat of meat, has the effect of slowing the digestion that is
carried on in the stomach. It follows, then, that with possibly one or two exceptions the kinds of fish
most easily digested are those which are lean.
In addition to the correct cooking of fish and the presence of fat, a factor that largely influences
the digestibility of this food is the length of the fibers of the flesh. It will be remembered that the parts of
an animal having long fibers are tougher and less easily digested than those having short fibers. This
applies with equal force in the case of fish. Its truth is evident when it is known that cod, a lean fish, is
digested with greater difficulty than some of the fat fish because of the length and toughness of its
fibers. This, however, is comparative, and it must not be thought that fish on the whole is digested with
difficulty.
Another factor that influences the digestibility of fish is the salting of it. Whether fish is salted dry
or in brine, the salt hardens the fibers and tissues. While the salt acts as a preservative in causing this
hardening, it, at the same time, makes the fish preserved in this manner a little more difficult to digest.
This slight difference need scarcely be considered so far as the normal adult is concerned, but in case of
children or persons whose digestion is not entirely normal its effect is likely to be felt.
TABLE II
NAMES, SEASONS, AND USES OF FRESH FISH
NAME OF FISH SEASON METHOD OF COOKERY
Bass, black All the Fried, baked
Bass, sea All the year Baked, broiled, fried
Bass, striped All the year Baked, broiled, fried
Bass, lake June 1 to January 1 Baked, broiled, fried
Bluefish May 1 to November 1 Baked, broiled
Butterfish October 1 to May 1 Fried, sautéd
Carp July 1 to November 1 Baked, broiled, fried
Catfish All the year Fried, sautéd
Codfish All the year Boiled, fried, sautéd, baked, broiled
Eels All the year Fried, boiled, baked
Flounder All the year Sautéd, fried, baked
Haddock All the year Steamed, boiled, fried
Halibut All the year Boiled, fried, creamed
HerringOctober 1 to May 1 Sautéd, fried, broiled
Kingfish May 1 to November 1 Boiled, steamed, baked
Mackerel April 1 to October 1 Baked, broiled, boiled, fried
Perch, fresh water September 1 to June 1 Fried, broiled
Pike, or pickerel, fresh water June 1 to January 1 Fried, broiled, baked
Porgies, salt water June 15 to October 15 Fried, sautéd
Red snapper October 1 to April 1 Boiled, steamed
Salmon, Kennebec June 1 to October 1 Broiled, baked, boiled
Salmon, Oregon October 1 to June 1 Broiled, baked, boiled
Shad January 1 to June 1 Baked, broiled, fried
Shad roe January 1 to June 1 Broiled, fried
Sheepshead June 1 to September 15 Boiled, fried
Smelts August 15 to April 15 Fried, sautéd
Sole, English November 1 to May 1 Baked, broiled, fried
Sunfish May 1 to December 1 Fried, sautéd
Trout, fresh water April 1 to September 1 Baked, broiled, fried, boiled, sautéd
Weakfish, or sea trout May 15 to October 15 Baked, broiled
Whitebait May 1 to April 1 Fried, sautéd
Whitefish, fresh water November 1 to March 1 Baked, fried, sautéd, broiled
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