HOW TO PRESERVE FISH. 91 



HOW TO PRESERVE FRESH FISH IN WARM WEATHER. 



A simple and effectual mode of preparing fresh trout, 

 or any other kind of fish so they can be preserved, perfectly 

 fresh and good, for from seven to ten days, at any time of 

 the year, and in almost any climate. 



Trout, as well as other fish, should be killed as soon as 

 caught, and never be permitted to again touch water; fish 

 will keep longer, and retain their flavor better, than by 

 attempting to keep them alive in the water, or permitting 

 them to die out of the water. 



To prepare trout, kill them as soon as they are caught, 

 keeping them in a clean basket, box, or creel, and free from 

 water. When you have caught a sufficient quantity to make 

 a package, prepare them as follows: With a dry towel or 

 cloth, wipe them clean and dry, open them on the belly 

 for the purpose of removing the entrails; then with the 

 thumb, or a round bladed knife, scrape the blood from the 

 back bone, then remove the gills, also the eyes, as the fluid 

 from the eyes would give the fish an unpleasant flavor; 

 now, again wipe them dry; the more thoroughly this is 

 done, the better they will keep; then, from the inside, split 

 the fish through the backbone to the skin on the back, 

 then sprinkle salt over the open fish and rub it well in, 

 using just enough to properly season the fish when cooked, 

 close the sides together so the fish will look natural, then 

 spread them over night on a dry log or board for the purpose 

 of cooling. The nights where trout are usually caught are 

 cool, sufficiently so for this purpose: In the morning, before 

 sunrise, carefully fold the fish in dry towels, in rows, dis- 

 tributed in such a manner that there will be a fold of the 

 towel between each fish; this must be done with care, then 

 carefully wrap the whole package snugly in a piece of 

 muslin, then with a coarse needle and thread, sew the pack- 

 age close and tight; wrap again in a piece of woolen 



