The recipe
Ingredients
Contains: fish (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
Directions
Prepare
Clean the fish thoroughly and rub a little salt over the thick part and inside of the fish 1 to 2 hours before cooking.
Place the fish in a fish kettle and add enough cold water to cover it, being careful not to pour water directly on the fish.
Poach
Keep the water at a simmer; if it boils away, add more water gently at the side of the kettle.
Add salt in the proportion mentioned and gradually bring it to a boil.
Skim carefully, then reduce the heat and let it gently simmer until done.
Serve
Remove the fish and drain it; serve on a hot napkin garnished with cut lemon, horseradish, roe, and liver.
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
- Cod head (in the method)
- Is the main cooked element; gentle simmering keeps its flesh moist and tender.
- Salt
- Seasons the fish and water, and firms the flesh of the thick part before cooking.
The step that matters
Keep the water at a gentle simmer. A hard boil breaks up the delicate flesh and can make it tough and flaky. Gentle heat cooks the fish evenly while keeping it intact, so add water gently if the level drops.
“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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