Woman's Institute Library of Cookery Volume III Part 28

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 24]

Remove all skin and bones from the salmon when it is taken from the can, and mince it thoroughly with a fork. Add the vinegar, salt, and pepper.

Prepare the gelatine by dissolving it in the boiling water. Add the seasoned salmon to the prepared gelatine. With cold water, wet a ring-shaped mold having an open s.p.a.ce in the center. Pour the salmon-and-gelatine mixture into this mold, and allow it to stand until it solidifies. Arrange a bed of lettuce leaves on a chop plate, turn the mold out on this, and fill the center with dressing. Serve at once. A very desirable dressing for this purpose is made as follows:

DRESSING FOR SALMON MOLD

1 c. cream 2 Tb. vinegar 1/2 tsp. salt 2 Tb. sugar 1 c. finely chopped cuc.u.mber

Whip the cream until it is stiff, and add the vinegar, salt, and sugar.

Fold into this the finely chopped cuc.u.mber.

71. SALMON PATTIES.--Delicious patties can be made from salmon by combining it with bread crumbs and using a thick white sauce to hold the ingredients together. These may be either sauted in shallow fat or fried in deep fat.

SALMON PATTIES (Sufficient to Serve Eight)

2 c. finely minced salmon 1 c. fresh bread crumbs 1 c. thick white sauce 1/2 tsp. salt 1/8 tsp. pepper Dry bread crumbs

With the salmon, mix the fresh bread crumbs and the white sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Shape into round patties, roll in the dry bread crumbs, and fry in deep fat or saute in shallow fat. Serve hot with or without sauce.

72. CREAMED SALMON WITH RICE.--A creamed protein dish is always more satisfactory if it is served on some other food, particularly one high in carbohydrate. When this is done, a better balanced dish is the result. Creamed salmon and rice make a very nutritious and appetizing combination.

CREAMED SALMON WITH RICE (Sufficient to Serve Six)

1 c. salmon 1 c. medium white sauce Steamed rice

Break the salmon into moderately small pieces and carefully fold these into the hot white sauce. Serve this on a mound of hot steamed rice.

RECIPES FOR LEFT-OVER FISH

73. So as not to waste any food material, it is necessary that all left-over fish be utilized in some way. This is not so simple a matter as in the case of meat, because fish is one of the foods that are not popular as a left-over dish. Still fish left-overs can be used if a little thought is given to the matter. Of course, it is a wise plan to prepare only the quant.i.ty of fish that can be consumed at the meal for which it is cooked, but should any remain it should not be thrown away, for some use can be made of it. A point to remember, however, is that fish is not satisfactory in soup of any kind except a fish soup; therefore, bits of left-over fish may be added to only such soups as clam chowder or other fish chowder.

Whether the fish has been boiled, steamed, baked, fried, sauted, or prepared in any other way, it may always be made into croquettes. When used for this purpose, all the bones should be carefully removed. These may be easily taken out after the fish has become cold. If the fish has been stuffed and part of the stuffing remains, it may be broken into pieces and used with the flesh of the fish. A recipe for croquettes in which fish is combined with rice follows.

74. FISH CROQUETTES.--If any quant.i.ty of left-over fish is on hand, it may be combined with rice to make very tasty croquettes.

FISH CROQUETTES (Sufficient to Serve Six)

1-1/2 c. cold fish 1 c. cold steamed rice 1 c. thick white sauce Salt and pepper 1 egg Crumbs

Mince the fish into small pieces, mix with the rice, and add the white sauce. Season with salt and pepper and shape into croquettes. Dip into slightly beaten egg, roll in crumbs, and fry in deep fat. Drain and serve with any desired sauce.

75. CREAMED FISH IN POTATO NEST.--Fish may also be combined with mashed potato to produce a most appetizing dish. Line a baking dish with hot mashed potato, leaving a good-sized hollow in the center. Into this pour creamed fish made by mixing equal proportions of left-over cold fish and white sauce. Season well with salt and pepper, sprinkle with crumbs, and dot the top with b.u.t.ter. Bake until the crumbs are brown. Serve hot.

Sh.e.l.l FISH

NATURE, VARIETIES, AND USE OF Sh.e.l.l FISH

76. Besides the varieties of fish that have already been considered, the general term fish also includes Sh.e.l.l FISH. Fish of this kind are different in structure from bony fish, for they are acquatic animals that are entirely or partly encased in sh.e.l.ls. They include _mollusks_, or _bivalves_, such as oysters, clams, and scallops, and _crustaceans_, such as lobsters, crabs, and shrimp.

77. The popularity of the edible varieties of mollusks and crustaceans mentioned depends largely on whether they can be easily obtained and whether they are pleasing to the local or individual taste. As they are found in salt rivers, bays, and other shallow salt-water sources, their greatest use is among people living near the seash.o.r.e, but they are much favored where they can be procured in edible condition. They are not so cheap as many other fish foods; that is, a certain amount of money will not purchase so great a quant.i.ty of sh.e.l.l fish, lobster for instance, as some of the well-known varieties of fish proper, such as halibut or whitefish. Lobsters and crabs are usually more expensive than oysters and clams; consequently, they are used more often to provide a delicacy or to supply something more or less uncommon for a special meal.

78. Several precautions should be observed in purchasing sh.e.l.l fish. For instance, crabs and lobsters should be purchased alive. They are usually shipped on ice so that they will remain in this condition for some time, and they are displayed on ice in the markets for the same reason. Such sh.e.l.l fish should be kept alive until they are plunged into boiling water to cook. Oysters and clams bought in the sh.e.l.l must also be alive when purchased. A tightly closed sh.e.l.l indicates that they are alive, whereas a slightly open sh.e.l.l proves that they are dead. If these two varieties are bought out of the sh.e.l.ls, the fish themselves should not be accompanied by a great quant.i.ty of liquid. Considerable liquid is an indication that the oysters or clams have been adulterated by the addition of water. Formerly it was the custom to keep oysters in fresh water, as the water they absorb bloats or fattens them. This practice, however, has fallen into disfavor.

79. Sh.e.l.l fish lend themselves admirably to a large variety of dishes, including soups, entrees, salads, and subst.i.tutes for meat dishes. They possess a great deal of distinctive flavor, their food value is comparatively high, and, provided they are in good condition and are properly prepared, they are healthful and easily digested. It can therefore be seen that sh.e.l.l fish have much to recommend their use.

There is considerable danger, however, in using any varieties that are not perfectly fresh or freshly cooked. In the case of mollusks, or bivalves, much harm has resulted from the use of those which have been grown or bred in unsanitary surroundings. Because of these facts, it is of the utmost importance that great care be exercised in selecting and preparing sh.e.l.l fish.

80. COMPOSITION AND FOOD VALUE OF Sh.e.l.l FISH.--In composition, the varieties of fish included under sh.e.l.l fish do not differ greatly from fish proper. Most of them, however, contain more waste and less of the food substances than fish, so that their food value is somewhat lower.

Table IV will serve to give a good idea of the composition and food value of the several varieties of sh.e.l.l fish, and in studying it, a good plan will be to compare it with Table I, which gives the food value of fish. As will be observed, protein forms a very large proportion of the food substance of sh.e.l.l fish. Also, they contain more carbohydrates than fish, the amount ranging from .4 to 5.2 per cent., which is in the form of sugar. Although this amount is too small to warrant much consideration as a supply of carbohydrates, it is mentioned because it is an interesting fact.

TABLE IV

COMPOSITION AND FOOD VALUE OF Sh.e.l.l FISH

Name of Fish Water Protein Fat Total Ash Food Value Carbo- Per Pound hydrates Calories Clams, removed from sh.e.l.l 80.8 10.6 1.1 5.2 2.3 340 Crabs, whole 77.1 16.6 2.0 1.2 3.1 415 Lobsters, whole 79.2 16.4 1.8 .4 2.2 390 Oysters, in sh.e.l.l 86.9 6.2 1.2 3.7 2.0 235 Scallops 80.3 14.8 .1 3.4 1.4 345

TABLE V

SEASONS FOR Sh.e.l.l FISH

NAME OF FISH SEASON

Clams, hard sh.e.l.led..............All the year Clams, soft sh.e.l.led..............May 1 to October 15 Crabs, hard sh.e.l.led..............All the year Crabs, soft sh.e.l.led..............March 1 to October 15 Lobsters.........................All the year Oysters..........................September 1 to May 1 Scallops.........................September 15 to April 1 Shrimp...........................March 15 to June 1, and September 15 to October 15

81. SEASONS FOR Sh.e.l.l FISH.--With the exception of clams and lobster, which can be obtained all the year around, sh.e.l.l fish have particular seasons; that is, there is a certain time of the year when they are not suitable for food. It is very important that every housewife know just what these seasons are, so that she will not include the foods in the diet of her family when they should not be used. Table V, which will furnish her with the information she needs, should therefore be carefully studied.

OYSTERS, CLAMS, AND SCALLOPS

OYSTERS AND THEIR PREPARATION

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 25]

82. OYSTERS, CLAMS, and SCALLOPS are salt-water fish that belong to the family of mollusks, or soft-bodied animals. They are entirely encased in hard sh.e.l.ls, which, though of the same general shape, differ somewhat from each other in appearance. Fig. 25 shows a group of oysters and clams, the three on the left being oysters and the three on the right, clams. Oysters are larger than clams and have a rough, uneven sh.e.l.l, whereas clams have a smooth, roundish sh.e.l.l. The three varieties of mollusks are closely related in their composition and in their use as food, but as oysters are probably used more commonly than the others they are considered first.

83. COMPOSITION OF OYSTERS.--Oysters occupy a prominent place among animal foods, because they are comparatively high in protein. In addition, they contain a substance that most flesh foods lack in any quant.i.ty, namely, carbohydrate in the form of glycogen, and for this reason are said to resemble milk closely in composition. A comparison of the following figures will show how these foods resemble each other:

WATER PROTEIN FAT CARBOHYDRATE MINERAL SALTS Milk......... 87.0 3.3 4.0 5.0 .7 Oysters...... 86.9 6.2 1.2 3.7 2.0

Oysters, as will be observed, contain only a small quant.i.ty of fat, and for this reason their total food value is somewhat lower than that of milk. A pint of milk has a value of 325 calories, while the same quant.i.ty of oysters has an approximate value of only 250 calories.

Because of the difference in the cost of these two foods, oysters costing several times as much as milk, the use of oysters is not so cheap a way of supplying food material.