Boiled Pike
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Scale and clean the pike, then fasten the tail in its mouth with a skewer.
Place the pike in cold water.
Boil and serve
When the water boils, add the salt and vinegar.
Boil the pike for about 30 to 60 minutes, depending on its size.
Serve with Dutch or anchovy sauce and plain melted butter.
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
- Pike
- The main fish, whose firm flesh holds its shape during long gentle simmering.
- Coarse sea salt
- Seasons the poaching water so the fish is flavoured as it cooks.
- Vinegar
- Adds a little acidity to the poaching water, lightly brightening the fish's flavour.
The step that matters
Boil the pike for about 30 to 60 minutes, depending on its size.. Boiling too hard can break up the flesh and toughen it, while too short a time leaves the centre underdone. Judging by size, and checking the flesh flakes easily at the thickest point, helps achieve even cooking.
“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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