To Boil Fish
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Scale and clean the fish.
Cut open the fish to clean the inside and remove any black blood from the backbone.
Soak the fish in saltwater for 20 minutes.
Boil and serve
Tie the fish in a cloth and cover it with cold water.
Boil slowly until the fish is done, timing depends on the size.
Remove the cloth and drain off the water before serving.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Fish
- Is the main protein, cooked gently in water until its flesh turns opaque and flakes.
- Salt
- Seasons the fish during the saltwater soak.
The step that matters
Boil slowly until the fish is done. Boiling vigorously can break up the delicate flesh and toughen it, so a gentle simmer keeps the fish moist and intact. Size changes cooking time, so check doneness rather than relying only on the clock.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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