The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-12-26
THE FISH MARKET.
Tests of Freshness and the Time for
Buying.

household fad, had become a critic In
the matter OF fresh fish. The scene
was big fish stall In Fulton market
or rather, several fish stalls thrown in
to one. Fish were everywhere in
large redundance and variety. A third
of cord OF bass was piled symmet-
REALLY upon one end of the huge
marble slab; cod, haddock and blue
fish strewed the foreground; a big ice
box behind was half filed with the
spoil of the salty deep; two fish clean
ers with their saw-edge scrapers We're
ninSlng out nebula of scales, and at
the street curb outside wagons were
loading with piles on piles of basket
ed nsh presently to be whirled away
TO the uptown hotel or eating house
Yet from this medley of fish, fish, ev-
erywhere, yet not a fish to eat" the
connoisseur-who used to pick out his
iresh FISH, buy it, 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
mornings 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 oservation by the
purchaser whether house wife or
husband. whether buying by order or
in person-will confirm In our
American household markets there is
much larger variety OF fish, general
ly speaking. than can be found in the
markets OF Europe. Our fishermen
cover larger areas of the sea, have
better fishing mechanisms and rush
the fish quicker to sale than our
transatlantic neighbors. But-refer-
ring now to the middle and upper
classes-we are less fastidious in our
ttshy tastes than the Europeans
With many an American family any
fish on the table goes" provided 1t is
merely mot bad"-that is, not Malo-
dorous or positively stale. The term
not bad" perhaps requires Its further
exposition. 1t refers more particularly
to fish kept on ice for several days
after reaching our markets. The ice
preserves the fish and prevents, or
much retards, the process of positive
decay; but 1t also extracts the flavor
AMI makes the fish tasteless. 1t is not
savory and good" but more mega
lively not bad. And 1t is this mot
bad" fish that is the staple on prob
ably half our household boards, even
among the well-to-do; while hotels,
clubs and restaurants, notwithstand-
ing their large fish orders-perhaps
on account of them--are not served
much better. 1t goes also with the
statement that the fish long iced when
taken from the chest runs quickly to
the bad, and that fish, IL 1t is to be
iced at all. will keep favor far better
on a 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 knowledge of the tests
of fish fresh from the water. OF
these tests, one Of the easiest and best
is the condition of the fish's eve. If
the eye is clear, its circles of color
wildly outlined, and the cornea full
and rounded, the fish is almost surely
prime. There is one noteworthy ex-
ception in the case of a common fish
the haddock- which has a very
large and fiabby eye, that loses lustre
and sinks very soon after catching
and while the flesh is still in excel
lent condition. Another test of
freshness is, in general, the vivid red
ness 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 table
too late to correct the specific case,
but not too late to warn the market
men.
If, in serving, the backbone comes
away, leaving the tissue below clear
and clean-especiallly 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 discoloration, the
fish has usually passed it's zenith
In the case of the smelt this test has
thus far been found infallible. For
the smelt by the way there is another
and more specific sign. If the FISH has
an oder which may be described as a
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-called domestic"
smelt, taken in our near tidal coves OF
streams, and sharply distinguished,
both in quality and price, from the
boxed" smelt often frozen--and
sent down from Maine or Canada,
The housewife who seeks quality and
will thus buy smelt by the test OF
fresh violet odor will seldom make a
mistake, though she will usually have
to pay a higher price for her superior
judgment.
Sure Sign of Freshness.
But the surest credential Of all for
the genuinely fresh fish of the retail
market is a peculiar CLINT or CLEAN OF
the scales. 1t is hard to describe il
in words beyond the brief statement
that the scales must have fresh. bright
color running into the prysmatic
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 marketmen well know
the trick OF freshening the tint by dip
ping the FISH in water and
notably in the case of the shad and
other fish with silvery scales--can
make them counterfeit we'll the de-
ceptive CLINT" But once mastered
the test is weil-nigh final and absolute
1t does away with the minor indicia
Of the eye, gills and and smell. and
the mistress who has acquired this
fresh fish eys" will probably find
that she has so far risen In the re-
spet 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 the market.
Department Store Ribbon Clerk
-t.-.-f., oanaNt rpaorao~f.-