To Boil Fresh Cod
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Wash and clean the fish, remove the roe and liver, rub salt on the inside, and if the weather is very cold keep it until the next day.
Fill the fish-kettle with enough water to cover the fish, and add a large handful of salt.
When the salt has melted, put the fish into the water.
Boil and serve
Boil the fish: about 20 minutes for a very small codfish, or about 30 minutes or more for a larger one.
Garnish the fish with fried roe and liver, or with scraped horseradish.
Serve the fish with oyster sauce in a boat.
Optionally, make a sauce by flavoring melted butter with a glass of port wine and at least one tablespoon of soy.
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. See the original page.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Cod (in the method)
- The main ingredient, cooked whole in salted water until its flesh turns opaque and flakes.
- Salt
- Seasons the fish from the outside and dissolves into the cooking water to season it.
The step that matters
Boil the fish for the right time. Cooking time depends on the fish's size. Too long in simmering water makes the flesh dry and tough, while too short leaves the centre undercooked and translucent.
“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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