Fish

Fishmongers seem to be a vanishing race, and if you live inland and can find a fish that has been for a swim in the last week, you are lucky. If you do have an excellent fishmonger, or live near the sea and know that the catch has just come in, fish is one of the greatest treats. But it is an absolute must to have fish that is fresh; you can tell by the smell, and by the general glossiness of its condition. Most books recommend a look at the gills to see how fresh a fish is, but few fishmongers are very agreeable about this; and beware, Tante Marie advises, of those who brighten the gills with lamb’s blood just to deceive you (as if they would bother. Anyway fresh fish looks fresh and not at all dingy, and if it is a herring it will be floppy and slippery, if a mackerel stiff and a radiant blue or green. You should always ask the man behind the counter what he recommends. If he wants you to come back he is unlikely to suggest something doubtful.