Fish deteriorates and becomes injurious sooner than any other animal food. Great care should be taken to select that which is strictly fresh. It is impossible to transport it a great distance and keep it as fresh as is necessary for health. For this reason it is not wise for those who live inland to rely upon this class of food, except such as may be secured from bodies of water near home. Fresh fish is firm, with no evidence of discoloration. Scales and eyes should be bright, gills red and fins firm. One should study the comparative value of the different varieties, as there is great difference in nutritive worth, largely due to the greater amount of fat in some, such as salmon.

In general white fleshed fish has the oil confined in the liver and is therefore apt to be a little more digestible than the dark fleshed fish where the oil is distributed throughout the body. Note: Whitefish, halibut, etc.; salmon, mackerel and bluefish. There is a decided difference in texture, firmness and price.

Haddock is an excellent cheap fish for frying, being firmer than cod. It is usually from 8 to 10 cents a pound. Halibut is the preference of the more expensive, costing from 14 to 18 cents. There is less waste in halibut, as the slices are from so large a fish that the head and tail are not included as in smaller fish. This should be taken into account in ordering.

Cod and bluefish are usually selected from the cheap fish for baking. Haddock is also good. The bluefish is preferred by most, being somewhat dry and of sweet flavor. It is always to be distinguished by a dark line running along each side from head to tail While cod and haddock are in season throughout the year, bluefish are in season only from May to October except as they are frozen and kept in cold storage. A frozen fish is not as desirable as fresh, so that the season will govern choice somewhat. Halibut and mackerel are good to bake.

In selecting fish for boiling it is desirable to secure a firm fish and a solid piece which can be wrapped in cheesecloth and cooked without breaking in pieces. Halibut and salmon are especially good for this purpose. Haddock is the best of the three cheaper fish already mentioned.

The fish already mentioned are those which are best as ordinarily found in the city markets. Many other varieties which are very delicious when freshly caught lose in flavor so much that it is not very satisfactory to try to serve them except when one may secure them strictly fresh. Trout, flounders and perch are examples. It is an excellent plan to have some system of tables showing the season of such foods as have a distinct season which can be hung on kitchen wall or other available place to show at a glance the most desirable times to buy the various foods. For example, for fish:

The Season of Fish

The same general directions hold for buying shell fish. Clams, oysters and lobster are not suitable to be eaten unless strictly fresh and procured from sources of which the healthfulness of the supply is assured. Injurious preservatives are sometimes used in shipping to the middle and Western states. Clams and lobster may be purchased the year round. Oysters, scallops and shrimps are in season from September to March. Fish is not a substitute for meat in nutritive value, because it has less fat but makes a pleasant change for those who are able to purchase under favorable conditions.