FISH should be a great resource of the housewife. Its use not only adds another course, another possibility, but variety and delicious-ness to the diet.

In buying fish select those showing plainly that they are fresh; those with bright eyes, firm flesh, shiny scales, red gills, and stiff fins. Beware of one with dull, sunken eyes, dry scales easily loosened, or flesh so soft that it shows an indentation if the finger is pressed against it. Fish is at its best when eaten as quickly as possible after being caught. Frozen fish is perfectly wholesome but should be cooked as soon after thawing as possible, therefore the wise housewife purchases the fish while frozen and thaws it in her own home, rather than to have the thawing done in the fish market. Frozen fish spoils quickly after thawing, so that this is merely a safe precaution. One cannot hope to find firm flesh in fish that has once been frozen, so that this old-time " rule for fresh fish " must be disregarded in selecting fish that are shipped frozen. In buying fish we pay for a great deal of waste material which has to be thrown away. This amounts in some cases to 70 per cent, of the total weight. So it often proves more economical to buy a solid slice from a large fish at a seemingly high price than to buy a whole small fish at a lower price per pound.

Preparation For Cooking

Did you ever watch a guide or sportsman prepare a fish for broiling over a wood fire on the shore, or in the woods? The deftness and ease with which he scales and cleans it may be employed with as good results at home. He grasps the fish firmly and scales it first, working from the tail toward the head. The blade of the knife should be held slightly slanting against the fish, so that the scales fall back on the knife. When necessary rinse the blade in cold water and continue to work until no scales are left. Then split the fish open from the gills half way down the lower part of the body, take out the entrails, and wash the fish carefully inside and out. If the fish is small, as smelts, it may be cleaned by cutting a slit at the gills, bending back the head, and pressing the entrails out through the opening. This leaves the body of the fish in better shape than if it were cleaned in the usual way. When fish are bought in market they are generally cleaned and scaled. If necessary, complete the process, being careful to remove every trace of blood which may have remained on the inside along the bone. Wash the fish under the faucet or wipe it off with a damp cloth and then wipe it dry. The fish is now ready for cooking unless it is desired boned.

Any fish may be boned, but those with small bones, such as shad, or herring, are not so frequently prepared in this way as cod or haddock, from which the bones may be more easily removed. Before starting work, rub the fingers over with salt, so that the fish may be held without slipping. Then cut off the head, cut down both sides of the fin on the back the entire length of the fish, and pull off this strip of skin. Loosen the rest of the skin below the head and pull it off, first on one side of the fish and then on the other. Now begin at the tail and work toward the head, scraping the flesh from each side of the backbone and removing the backbone and spine entire. A few small bones will probably be left sticking in the flesh, but these may be easily pulled out.

The fish is now in pieces, freed from skin and bone, and ready to cook as desired. These strips of fish are called fillets, and may be used whole or cut into small pieces. Recipes often call for fillets of halibut or other large fish. To prepare these cut off the skin which is around the edge of the slice, remove the bone in the center, and cut the flesh into pieces the right size for individual service.