The Most Delicate Fish 257 



know) as being the subject of special Dominical legisla- 

 tion, in common with milk. It is an article of faith 

 that milk and Mackerel may be sold on Sunday without 

 breaking the law, on account of their non-keeping 

 properties ; but judging from the scenes always to 

 be witnessed in the poorer quarters of London on 

 Sunday, where whole streets are given up to vociferous 

 trading in any and every kind of article, it would 

 seem that laws against commercial Sabbath-breaking 

 have been allowed to fall into desuetude. And the one 

 article that I can confidently aver that I have never 

 seen sold in London on a Sunday is fresh Mackerel. 

 The kippered Mackerel of course is sold, with bloaters, 

 haddocks, and other merchandise of the ' wet and dry ' 

 fishmonger of poor neighbourhoods. 



This may perhaps be accounted for by the extreme 

 proneness of Mackerel to go ' bad.' No fish is more 

 liable to sudden taint and the development of ptomaines 

 than the Mackerel ; under certain atmospheric con- 

 ditions two hours are quite sufficient from the time of 

 its capture to render it dangerous for eating purposes. 

 And what is a great deal worse, the Mackerel may be 

 quite unfit for food, but its conditions be unknown 

 to even the most careful observer until it is cooked 

 and tasted. Then indeed there is no concealment, 

 for the taste is horrible and the flesh has become of a 

 putty-like consistency. 



It is rather difficult to understand how or why 

 the Mackerel as an edible fish has attained to its present 

 undoubtedly high degree of popularity among our 

 workers. In point of flavour it is far surpassed by 

 many other fish, notably by the much cheaper herring, 

 a fact which is distinctly referable to its rapidity in 

 getting stale. A Mackerel freshly caught and cooked 

 is a delicious morsel, bearing no resemblance whatever 



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