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To Boil the John Dory

Boiled John Dory fish served with parsley, lemon slices, and optional lobster, shrimp sauce or melted butter.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 3 ingredients
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To Boil the John Dory

Oven, in the book's wordsA moderate oven

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Prepare the fish by removing the gills.

  2. In a fish kettle, combine water and salt.

  3. Bring the water to a boil.

Cook and serve

  1. Add the fish and let it simmer for about 45 minutes, adjusting time for size.

  2. Serve the fish in a folded napkin, garnished with curled parsley and lemon slices.

  3. Accompany with lobster sauce, shrimp sauce, or melted butter.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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

John dory fish
Provides the main flesh, which turns firm and flaky when gently simmered.
Coarse sea salt
Seasons the poaching water so the fish is lightly flavored as it cooks.

The step that matters

Keep the water at a simmer once the fish is added. Adding fish to water that is still at a rolling boil can toughen and break the flesh. A gentle simmer cooks the protein evenly and keeps the fish moist and intact.

“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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