MAY.
Codfish during this month is apt to be poor, as no live fish are brought to the New York markets. It is mostly fish caught off Nantucket and repacked in Boston, and from there shipped to New York. Haddock; the same applies to this fish as to the cod. Halibut is in excellent condition this month, both large fish for steaks, and small chicken halibut for dinner fish. Striped bass. Eels. Lobsters. Blackfish [Teutogo onitis]. Salmon from Restigouche make their appearance about the 20th of May. Oregon salmon continue to come during this month, although not in as good order as in previous months. Large flounders for fillet of sole are excellent this month. Fresh mackerel. Spanish-mackerel and pompano from Pensacola, Florida. A few come to market from North Carolina during this month. Butter-fish [Stromateus triacanthus] make their appearance in the market this month. Weakfish [Cyonoscion regale] plenty and cheap. Kingfish from Long Island make their appearance during this month in the markets, and are an excellent fish, growing better each month till October, when they go out of season. Sheep’s-head; a few make their appearance from Long Island. Porgies [Stenotomus chrysops], from Long Island. Sea bass during this month are abundant from Narragansett Bay. Shad from Connecticut is probably at its best this month. There is no doubt that shad from this river possesses a flavor superior to all others. Shad from the North River begin to get soft and are not in good condition. Bluefish; there are a few weighing one and a half to two pounds each in market. Squid [Loligo pealæi] This is an article of food that Spaniards and Italians think a great deal of, but it is very little used by American people as yet. It has been introduced to the American public by the dinners of the Ichthyophagous Club, which is composed of a few gentlemen connected with the leading newspapers, and some eminent scientific men, whose object is to cultivate a taste and demand for those varieties of fish which are not generally supposed to be good edible food. Brook-trout under the existing law come into market on April 1. Probably the finest flavored trout found on this continent are the wild brook-trout taken in the streams of Long Island. Cultivated brook-trout that are raised in ponds and preserves depend very much upon the character of their food as to what the flavor will be. Trout that are fed entirely upon chopped liver are usually flat and insipid to the taste. But trout that are fed upon small minnows or other fish-food, such as clams, larvae of insects, and small fish of any kind, are always more delicate in flavor. Salmon-trout and whitefish; a few are found in market this month, but during warm weather it is very difficult to obtain them in New York City markets in prime condition. Carp [Cyprinus carpia]. These fish are now making their appearance in our markets in considerable quantities, having been introduced into this country through the instrumentality of Professor Spencer F. Baird, late United States Fish and Fisheries Commissioner, some eight years ago. They have been distributed in nearly every State of the Union, and in the Southern States have grown larger, and are found in better condition, than they are in Germany, where the parent fish came from. The market is principally supplied now with fish caught in the Potomac River, weighing from two to fifteen pounds each, and are selling at present for twenty-five cents a pound; but in the course of a few years there is no doubt that these fish will be sold for from ten to twelve cents a pound. Green turtle. Frogs’ legs. Crayfish during this month come from Wisconsin. They are of very fine flavor, and are the best that are found in this country. Prawns from South Carolina. Crab-meat, fresh picked. Soft crabs grow more abundant during this month, and are in excellent condition. A very choice smoked fish is in season this month, called the roe herring, and by some of the grocers under various names, such as bloaters, Burlington herring, etc.
JUNE.
Codfish may be had, but not in good condition. Haddock may be had, but not in good condition. Halibut. Striped Bass. Eels. Lobsters. Fresh salmon from the Kennebec and Penobscot rivers, Maine, and from the Restigouche and other rivers in Canada, are very abundant this month, and are to be had at the lowest price during the season, selling oftentimes as low as fifteen cents per pound by the whole fish. Large flounders for fillet of sole. Blackfish. Fresh mackerel. Pompano. Spanish-mackerel. Weakfish. Butter-fish. Kingfish. Sheep’s-head. Porgies. Sea bass. Sturgeon. Shad from the Connecticut River are still in good condition, but with the close of this month go out of season. Bluefish are larger, sometimes weighing four to six pounds each, and are improving in quality. Carp. Skate, or ray-fish. Black bass [Micropterus dolomiei] are in season from the 1st of June until the 1st of January. This is a very choice table fish; probably one of the best of the fresh water fishes. Crayfish. Frogs’ legs. Soft crabs. Crab-meat. Whitebait.
JULY.
Cod. Haddock. Halibut. Striped bass. Eels. Lobsters. Kennebec salmon. Pompano. Restigouche salmon. Large flounders for fillet of sole. Blackfish. Fresh mackerel. Spanish-mackerel. Butter-fish; this is a small, sweet pan-fish. Weakfish. Kingfish. Sheep’s-head. Porgies. Sea bass. Bluefish. Moonfish [Choetodipterus faber]. This fish is somewhat similar in appearance to the sheep’s-head, and is a very fine boiling or baking fish. Squid. Skate. Brook-trout. Black bass. Green turtle. Crayfish. Prawns. Frogs’ legs. Soft crabs. Whitebait.
AUGUST.
Cod. Haddock. Halibut. Striped bass. Eels. Lobsters. Restigouche salmon. Kennebec salmon. Large flounders for fillet of sole. Fresh mackerel. Spanish-mackerel. Bonito [Sarda mediterranea]. This fish is sometimes sold through the country as Spanish-mackerel, but it is a very inferior fish as compared with the Spanish-mackerel. Crevalle [Caranx hippos]. This fish is sometimes sold as pompano, but is a very inferior fish, as the pompano is one of the choicest fishes that we have in market. Butter-fish. Tilefish [Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps]. This fish was first discovered in our waters by the United States Fish Commission in 1880. It is very brilliant in color, but the meat is very coarse-flaked, and somewhat resembling the haddock in appearance and flavor. Lafayette [Liostomus xanthurus], a small fish weighing about a quarter of a pound each, and a very desirable pan-fish. Sea-robins [Prionotus palmipes]. This fish is found very plentifully at this season of the year in the waters of Long Island, and was first introduced as a table fish by the Ichthyophagous Club some five years ago. It is a very fair pan-fish. Sea bass. Kingfish. Sheep’s-head. Porgies. Bluefish. Moonfish. Squid. Skate. Brook-trout. Black bass. Catfish. Green turtle. Crayfish. Prawns. Frogs’ legs. Soft crabs. White-bait.
SEPTEMBER.
Codfish. Haddock. Halibut. Striped bass. Lobsters. Eels. Salmon from Nova Scotia. During this month the salmon advance very much in price, and with the close of the month fresh salmon caught on the Atlantic coast go out of season. Large flounders for fillet of sole. Blackfish. Fresh mackerel. Spanish-mackerel. During this month the Spanish-mackerel are in their best condition, being fat and of delicate flavor. Cero [Scomberomorus caballa]. A large fish, weighing from six to twenty pounds each, resembling the Spanish-mackerel in appearance, but not so fine flavored. Crevalle [Caranx hippos]. Pompano. Butter-fish. Tilefish. Weakfish. Lafayette. Porgies. Squid. Smelts make their appearance for the first time in the season during this month. Red-snapper are to be found in market this month, the first of the season. Grouper; a fish somewhat resembling the red-snapper in form, but of a darker red color, and similar in flavor to the red-snapper, and by a great many people thought to be superior to the red-snapper. Sea bass. Skate. Bluefish are in better condition, and in their prime during this month. Salmon-trout. Pickerel. Whitefish. Catfish. Wall-eyed pike. Carp. Green turtle. Crayfish. Prawns. Frogs’ legs. Scallops begin to come into market at this time, but are not quite so good as they are a month later. Hard crabs. Whitebait. Soft crabs are in better condition and of better flavor during this month than at any other time of the year. Moonfish. Butter-fish. Bonito. Sea-robins.