These should be carefully washed, then drained and set aside in a marinade for an hour.

When cooked, they should be heated to the boiling-point in their own liquor, then drained and cut in halves.
The adductor muscle of the oyster--the white, button-shaped part that connects the animal with its shell--is often discarded.

Other fish than shellfish, when used in salads, are boiled, broiled or baked; they present the best appearance, however, when boiled.

Thudichum recommends sea water, whenever it is available, for boiling fish; lacking this, hot water, salted (an ounce of salt to a quart of water), and acidulated pleasantly with lemon juice or vinegar, is the proper medium of cooking.
The addition of a slice or two of onion and carrot, a sprig of parsley, a stalk of celery, with aromatic herbs or spices, provided they be not used so freely as to overpower the delicate savor of the fish, is thought to improve the dish.
The quantity of water should be adjusted to the size of the fish; in no case should it be larger than will suffice to produce the desired result.

At the moment the fish is immersed in the water the temperature should be at the boiling-point, and thereafter the vessel should be permitted to simmer during the process of cooking.
The fish may be cooked whole, or cut into small pieces, similar in shape and size.