In choosing fish, the housekeeper should always remember that when fresh it is firm and the eyes are bright, the gills red, and the scales in good condition; when stale, the flesh is flabby, and the eyes are dull and have a film over them. The smell is hardly apparent in fresh fish, and small fish like herrings, sprats, smelts and whitebait should always be bright and silvery; if otherwise, it is not safe to buy, mackerel being particularly dangerous when the colour has departed. In the case of lobsters, if fresh, the tail is elastic.

— Fish and How to Cook It by Mrs. C. S. Peel (1907)