Boiled Bass
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Clean the fish.
Dredge a cloth with flour.
Wrap the fish in the floured cloth.
Place it in a fish kettle.
Pour enough water to cover the fish.
Avoid pouring water over the fish directly.
Add the salt.
Boil
Bring the water to a gradual boil.
Boil for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of the fish.
Serve
Remove the fish.
Unwrap the cloth.
Drain.
Serve on a hot napkin garnished with sliced hard-boiled eggs.
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 food cooked gently in the water until it becomes flaky and tender.
- Coarse sea salt
- Seasons the cooking water so the fish is flavoured as it poaches.
The step that matters
Bring the water to a gradual boil. Starting with a gradual boil heats the fish slowly, so the outside does not toughen or break apart before the inside cooks through. Rapid, violent boiling can make the flesh tough and ragged.
“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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