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To Boil Codfish

A simple boiled codfish prepared with salt and water, simmered until tender, served with oyster sauce or melted butter.

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

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the poaching water

  1. Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil and add 1 pound of coarse sea salt.

  2. Add the crimped codfish slices to the boiling water.

Poach and check

  1. Reduce heat and let the fish simmer slowly for 20 minutes to 30 minutes.

  2. Check for doneness; the bone should pull out easily.

  3. Avoid overcooking to prevent toughness.

Serve

  1. Serve with oyster 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

Crimped codfish
Protein that turns flaky and opaque as it cooks gently in simmering water.

The step that matters

Simmer gently and check for doneness. Proteins in fish tighten and squeeze out moisture when heated too hard or too long, making the flesh tough and dry. A slow simmer cooks the fish evenly, and checking whether the bone releases easily shows when it is cooked through.

“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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