If more fish and less meat were used in the daily meals, it would help to reduce the cost of living. Fish contains the same food value as meat at a much smaller cost, and furnishes a food that not only tastes good, but is easily digested.

Whitefish, haddock, halibut, cod, flounder, smelts, perch, pickerel, sunfish and crappies belong to the white-fleshed family. Salmon, shad, lake trout, butterfish and herring belong to the red-fleshed family.

As the white-fleshed fish is considered more easy of digestion than the red-fleshed, it should be selected for invalids, convalescents or those suffering from weak digestion.

Fish should be eaten while fresh and in season. Stale fish is poisonous, so great care should be used in its selection. Fish contains albumen, and as albumen (which is like the white of egg) clots at a low temperature, it should be cooked at a temperature below boiling point of water.

Local fish should be used as much as possible. Find out all the kinds of fish that can be obtained in your locality.

How To Select Fresh Fish

Select a fish that has bright eyes and gills, shiny scales, firm flesh, and is free from a disagreeable odor.

How To Clean Fish

Remove the scales by drawing a knife over the fish, beginning at the tail and working toward the head.

Wipe the fish inside and outside with a cloth wet in cold, salted water, then wipe with a clean dry cloth kept for the purpose. Head and tail may or may not be taken off, according to the manner of cooking.

Methods Of Cooking Fish

Broiling, baking and steaming are the best methods for cooking fish.

Fish suitable for broiling are: Split mackerel, white fish, cod, shad, trout, etc., sliced halibut and salmon, white smelts and small fish. To broil - brush with melted fat, sprinkle with flour, salt and pepper, and cook over a flame or clear fire.

Fish suitable for baking whole are: Whitefish,cod,haddock,smalI salmon, shad. Follow directions for baked fish.

Fish suitable for boiling are: Salmon, halibut, cod, haddock, trout, etc. Cook in piece of cheese-cloth. Add 1 tablespoon vinegar and 1 table-spoon salt to each quart of water.

Fish suitable for frying are the white-fleshed. Cook in deep fat or saute in a little fat in a frying pan.

Test For Cooking Fish

When the fish can be easily separated from the bone, the fish is sufficiently cooked.

Fish - Baked, With Stuffing

Select a fish weighing from 2½ to 4 pounds. Bake with or without stuffing.

Stuffing

1 cup crumbs (bread or crackers, or half and half)

¼ cup melted fat

¼ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon celery salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Few drops onion juice,

if liked ¼ cup water

Mix ingredients in order given. If a dry filling is desired, the water may be omitted. Three tablespoons catsup, chopped parsley, capers, pickles, or oysters may be added. Clean and wipe the fish. Rub the inside with salt. Fill with stuffing and sew together. Cut diagonal gashes 1½ inches apart on both sides of the fish and place a strip of bacon or salt pork fat in each gash. Brush with melted fat, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Dredge with flour, tie in the shape of a letter "S" and bake on a baking sheet or strips of cotton cloth (so that it may be easily removed from the pan in a dripping pan). When the flour is browned, baste the fish once in 10 minutes. Cook until the flesh is firm and separates easily from the bone.

Salmon Steaks - Stuffed

Buy slices of salmon ½-inch in thickness. Arrange half the number of slices in a baking pan, on thin slices or strips of salt pork fat. Cover with a well-seasoned, bread-crumb stuffing. Cover with remaining slices of salmon. Sprinkle with flour, salt and pepper. Surround with left-over boiled potatoes, cut into fourths lengthwise. Arrange strips of salt pork fat on top and bake in a moderately hot oven about 30 minutes or until done. Garnish with lemon and parsley.

Broiled Trout Or Other Fish

Clean trout; wipe dry. Cut into suitable pieces for serving. Dip pieces in melted fat and broil over a clear fire for about 12 minutes. Other fish may be broiled in the same way.

Fish Croquettes

To 1 cup cold, flaked fish, add ½ cup or more of thick white sauce. Season with salt and pepper (lemon juice and onion if liked). Cool, shape into cutlets, roll in crumbs, egg and crumbs again. Fry in deep fat.

Codfish Balls

1 cup salt codfish

4 medium-sized potatoes

½ tablespoon butter 1 egg

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Wash fish in cold water, and pick into small pieces. Wash, pare and cut potatoes in ¼-inch slices. Cook potatoes and codfish in boiling water to cover, until potatoes are soft. Drain off every drop of water, return to kettle; mash. Add butter, egg (well-beaten) and pepper. Beat with a fork two minutes. Drop by spoonfuls into smoking hot fat. Fat should be very hot. Fry until brown. Remove from fat and drain on paper. Serve with egg sauce.

Scalloped.FLAKED Cod Or Other Fish

1 pound can flaked cod 1½ cups white sauce

1 ½ cups mashed potato

1/2 cup buttered crumbs

Arrange the fish and sauce in layers in a well-greased baking dish. Cover with mashed potatoes and bread crumbs. Bake until heated throughout and crumbs are browned on top. Any kind of cooked fish may be flaked and prepared in this way. Layers of boiled onion or green peas may be used in this recipe.

Scalloped Salted Codfish And Rice

¼ cup rice 2 cups cold water 1 cup salt codfish, soaked overnight and drained

l¼ cups scalded milk 1 tablespoon finely-chopped green pepper

½ cup white sauce

½ cup buttered crumbs

Add rice to cold water in a saucepan. Heat to boiling point and boil 5 minutes. Drain. Cook the drained rice, soaked codfish and milk in a double boiler until rice is soft. Finnan haddie or smoked fish can be prepared in this way, adding it to the rice when it is almost done.

Salmon Loaf

1 cup flaked cooked salmon 1 cup stale bread crumbs soaked in 1 cup scalded milk

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon onion juice

2 egg yolks, beaten

½ teaspoon lemon juice

2 egg whites, stiffly beaten

Combine ingredients in order given, folding in the stiffly beaten whites last. Drop mixture into a well-greased and crumbed pan and bake in a moderately hot oven or steam the mixture. The eggs may be omitted, using ¼ cup less milk. Serve with white sauce.