Evening star., 1902-03-01
Table and Kitchen.
Mans Food is Ever at Hand Wherever
he May Find Himself.

! principles, but with marked differences in
| some ways.
| Fish resembles meat inasnuch 1t is a
| nutritive diet, and entirely deficient in
| carbohydrates. 1t contains more water
and is more digestible, though less salts
flying and stimulating than most animal
flesh. Its proteids contain more gelatine
formers. Fish loses more than meat in
boiling owing to the greater amount Of
extractives.
While fish is valuable food and ad-
mirably suited to persons whose habits
or occupations are sedentary it is not de-
sirable that it constitute the sole kind of
heterogeneous food. The fish-eating peo-
| pie of eastern countries are cited as eX-
| amples of this fact. Among the poorer
| class of these nations there is tendency
| to affections of the skin. But this may
| arise as much from the fact that among
| people thus affected there is extreme pow
| erty which prevents them from indulging
| in the proper amount of vegetable food.
| Natural selection of suitable food combi-
| nations has established the universal GUS
| tom of serving white potatoes with fish,
| to supply the required amount Of carbohy-
| drates, while the same unerring instinct
| Graves another vegetable of antiscorbutic
| properties in order to make fish diet a
| perfectly normal one.
How Fish Are Classified.
| Fish proper are divided into two classes;
the white or oily, or oily, according to
whether their fat is confined to the liver
or distributed throughout the body. The
white fish should be selected by those
who cannot digest rich foods. The whiting,
called the chicken of the sea, is very easi-
ly dgested and when fresh possesses a
very delicate flavor. This is the invalid s
fish. Salmon is the richest of the oily
| fish and the only red fish. Most people
find it diSagrees with them, owing to the
great amount Of oil it contains, which is
very abundant in the belly. 1t should al
ways be served with vinegar or acid sauce
and accompanied by cress, spinach, let
tuce or some such green vegetable.
Shell Fish and Mollusks.
These belong to two natural divisions,
| the crustaceans and mollusks. The old
Jewish law strictly prohibits the eating of
| this class of marine food. AS a rule the
crustacea are foul feeders and the danger
arising from this habit may have made
| such law necessary, although we suspect
the highly indigestible nature Of the shell
fish, coupled with the insufficient supply
of vegetable foods among the lOWly fol-
lowers Of the "misest man" may be held
dainty monsters Of the deep. They are
highly nutritious and the natural supposi-
tion would be that they should be whole
some as WELL Unfortunately those who
most do love to feed upon them find that
perhaps, in their individual case, all shell
fish induce skin disorders, such as nettle-
rash. Those having equity and rheumatic
tendencies are more subject to these an
noyances than others. If these unfortu-
mates cannot deny themselves an occasional
indulgence let them partake only when the
fish are very fresh and properly steamed.
When the peculiar sweetness that charac-
terizes the meat of shell fish is lacking
and the flesh is strngy and tough, beware
how you partake.
The family of crustaceans embrace. be-
side the lobster and crab. the crawfish or
crayfish, the shrimp and prawn. The two
latter may be regarded more in the light
Of stimulants or appetiZers than actual
food To enjoy these thoroughly they
should be cooked in sea water. They are
cooked in their shells and are quite rich
in mineral matter. which is presented to
the body in the form of magnesia and lime
carbonateS.
The oyster is the chief representative of
the mollusk family. They have about the
same composition as milk. Their nutritive
value is not high, while their market value
places them among the luxuries. Their
delicacy of flavor and easy digestibility
make them highly esteemed by dainty
eaters and useful for the sick.
1t is doubtful whether the most careful
soft part Of the oyster. and it certainly does
not improve the hard muscle which closes
the shell.
Choosing Lobsters.
The heaviest are the best, and If they are
alive they should be very active with their
claws. A good s1nall-szed lobster will Of
ten weigh heavier than a larger one, SO do
not let size govern your choice.
For boiling select the male, the flesh is
firmer and the shell a brighter red. The
hen lobster should be chosen for sauces
and salads account Of their coral. 1t
is easy to distinguish between the two; the
! hen has broader tail and the two upper
| most fins within the tail are more plat
| than those of the male lobster.
Sardines, Maitre d'Hotel.
| Skin a number of sardines, cut off the
| tails, arrange them on hot buttered toast
and heat them in the oven. Make a cupful
| of white sauce; add one tablespoonful Of
| finely chopped onion, teaspoOnful of chop
| ped parsley and cook few minutes. Then
| add teaspoonful Of chilli vinegar and dash
| of cayenne. Pour the sauce over the nSn
and serve at once.
Smelts, Bearnaise.
| Split eighteen medium-sized smelts down
| the back; remove the bones, rub each with
| oil and season with little salt and pepper.
| Place them in a double boiler and broil for
| two minutes on each side. Pour half cup
full Of sauce BearnaiSe on a heated dish;
| arrange the smelts nicely on top and gar
| nish with gherkins and picked beets cut
| into fancy shapes
| Salmon au Bleu.
| Cut salmon In slices not quite an inch
| thick. Lay the slices in a dish and pour
| over them about half pint of boiling vine
| gar more or less, according to quantity of
| fish. Then fold it in muslin and place in a
| stewpan with an onion, one carrot, thinly
| sliced, a bunch Of parsley, shallot. bay
| leaf sprig of basil and a few whole
| spices and pepper corns, teaspoonful Of
| salt and broth enough to cover 1t. Let
| simmer gently until the FISH Is cooked
| enough; then let it remain in the liquor un-
| til cold. Drain and serve with sauce made
| of one part vinegar, two parts oil, little
| sorrel chives and chervil chopped small,
| but not very fine.
Cook the fish In pint Of red wine and a
| little broth II you use wine In cooking.
| Lobster Balls.
| Take the meat from a fine hen lobster
\ and mince very fine with the coral. Mix
| with 1t not quite the quantity of bread
| crumbs. season with salt. pepper and q
| little cayenne and bind together with two
| ounces Of softened butter. Roll the mixture
| into balls the size Of hens eggs; brush over
| with beaten egg and cover with crumbs an6
| fry light brown: serve hot with sauce
| tartare.