Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-22
THE FISH MARKET
TESTS OF FRESHNESS AND THE
TIME FOR BUYING.
The Average American Not Fastidious
Signs Of Quality in Eye,
ellis and Scales.
From the New York Evening Post.

from the New York Evening Post.
Nothing fresh enough for you. sir. to-
day." said the fish dealer. He spoke and
not in sarcasm, to a professional worker.
who, as a kind of household fad, had be-
come critic in the matter of fresh fish.
The scene was a big fish stall in Fulton
market. or rather, several fish stalls thrown
into one. Fish were everywhere In large
redundance and variety. A third of cord
of striped bass was piled symmetrically
upon one end Of the huge marble slab; cod.
paddock and bluefish strewed the fore
ground; big icebox behind was half filed
with the spoil of the salty deep; two fish
cleaners with their saw-edged scrapers were
f1inging out nebula of scales, and at the
street curb outside wagons were loading
with piles on piles of basketed fish present
ly to be whirled away to the uptown hotel
or eating house. Yet from this medley of
fish, fish everywhere yet not a fish to eat,
the connoisseur-who used to pick out his
fresh fish, buy 1t, and in a neat double
wrapped package with handle attachment
carry it to his Brooklyn home-turned away
to the ferryhouse. For him that day was
no well-savored fish fare for dinner course
or next morning breakfast and there was
the same experience perhaps two or three
times month in a family which ate fish
some three or four times a week.
Markets Here and Abroad
That experience suggests certain facts Of
the average retail fish market, which very
slight observation by the purchaser-wheth-
er housewife or husband whether buying
by order or in person-will confirm. In our
American household markets there is
much larger variety of fish, generally speak
ing, than can be found in the markets of
Europe. Our fishermen cover larger areas
OF the sea, have better fishing mechanisms
8 Tn Ia hor
transatlantic neighbors. But-referring
now to the middle and upper classes-we
are less fastidious in our fishy tastes than
the Europeans. With many an American
family any fish on the table goes" pro-
v1ded 1t Is merely mot bad'-that is, not
MaIodorous or positively stale. The term
not BAD perhaps requires its further eX-
position. 1t refers more particularly to
fish kept on ice for several days after reach
ing our markets. The ice preserves the fish
and prevents, or much retards, the pro-
cesses of positive decay; but it also extracts
the flavor and makes the fish tasteless 1t ia
not savory and good but more negatively
not bad And it is this mot bad" fish that
is the staple on probably half our household
boards, even among the well-to-do while
hotels, clubs and restaurants, notwithstand-
ing their large fish orders-perhaps on ac-
count of them-are not served much better
1t goes also with the statement that the
1lsh long iced when taken from the chest
runs quickly to the bad; and that fish If II
is to be iced at all, will keep flavor far bet.
ter on platter In the refrigerator or with
the platter placed on the ice than by direct
Icy contact.
Go to Market.
The major premise Of the house mistress
in buying fresh fish Is to go to the market
herself and make her selection; and she
cannot Of course, choose without knowl-
edge OF the tests of the fish fresh from the
water. OF these tests. one of the easiest
and best is the condition of the fish's
eye. If the eye Is clear, its circles of color
VlVldly outlined, and the cornea full and
rounded, the fish Is almost surely prime
There Is one noteworthy exception in the
case of common f1sh-the haddock-which
has very large and fabby eye that loses
luster and sinks very soon after catching
and while the flesh is still in excellent con-
dition. Another test of freshness is in gem
eral, the vivid redness Of the gills If the
gills are dark-edged or have turned to a
pale pink verging into gray. bad condition
may almost certainly be inferred. One of
the surest tests appears after the fish has
been served on the TABLETOP late to cor
rect the specific case, but not too late to
warn the marketman.
IT, In serving, the backbone comes awav
leaving the tissue below clear and clean
especially in the case OF fish with white
tissue-the fish is fresh. If. on the other
hand, there Is left either a dark deposit or
a shadowy line of discolorat ton, the fish has
usually passed it's zenith. In the case Of
the smelt this test has thus far been found
infallib!e For the smelt. by the way, there
is another and moro specific sign. If the
fish has an odor which may be described as
cross between that Of the freshly cut
cucumber and violets the fish is not merely
In good condition, but belongs to the class
OF so-cailed domestic smelt. taken in our
near tidal coves or streams, and sharnIy
distinguished, both in quality and price.
from the boxed" smelt-often frozen-sent
down from Maine or Canada. The house,
aEc
smelt by the test Of fresh violet odor will
seldom make mistake. though she will
usually have to pay high price for her
superior judgment.
A Sure Sign of Freshness.
But the surest credential of all for tho
genuinely fresh fish of the retail market is
a peculiar CLINT or CLEAN of the scales.
/: is hard to- describe 1t in words, beyond
the brief statement that the scales must
have fresh. bright color running into the
prssmatic hues or into a peculiar moist
tint when the scales are dark. This sign,
instantly recognized by the high expert,
must be learned through experience by the
housewife, who had best study the tint of
fish known to be fresh and then fit the
proof to fish that are in doubt. The mar
ketmen well know the trick Of freshening
notably in the case Of the shad and other
fish with silvery scales-can make them
counterfeit well the deceptive "glint" But
once mastered, the test is well-nigh final
indicia Of eye. gills and smell; and the
mistress who has acquired this fresh fish
eye" will probably find that she has so far
risen In the respect of the dealer that the
order by telephone or note carries the
same imperativeness as her personal pres
ence. If she calls for fresh fish they will
either be delivered fresh or not delivered
at all, with apologies for the condition Of