posted 09-20-2015 04:14 PM            

quote:

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MUSCLES AND COCKLES

Must first be well washed in several waters, and then boiled in a closely covered saucepan, without water. When the shells open, take out the fish; strain the liquor; pick out the meat, carefully removing a tough membrane from the tongue of each muscle, and a substance resembling a small crab, which would be highly pernicious. To ascertain that nothing injurious remains, dip a silver spoon into the hot liquor, if it turns black, the next thing is to throw the whole away; but if otherwise, proceed to simmer the fish in the liquor, with a little salt and nutmeg, and a good piece of butter rolled in flour. Serve on toasted bread.

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And in The New London Cookery and Complete Domestic Guide. By a Lady, 1827 pg. 122

quote:

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At certain times. of the year, several, perhaps most kinds of fish are unwholesome, and have a tendency to produce cholera morbus and other violent diseases. Skate is particularly so, nor is salmon free from the tendency. Muscles possess in general a poisonous quality, the cause of which is not exactly ascertained. The presence of this injurious quality in any fish may be easily ascertained by the simple test of putting into the vessel in which the fish is cooked, apiece of silver. If it turn black, the fish must be considered dangerous, if not absolutely poisonous.

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