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Broiled Shad

A whole shad is split, seasoned, broiled, basted with butter, and folded back before serving.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 3 ingredients
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Broiled Shad

Oven, in the book's wordsA very moderate oven

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Split the shad down the back and wash it thoroughly.

  2. Season the shad well with coarse sea salt.

  3. Heat the gridiron and grease the bars.

Broil and serve

  1. Place the shad on the gridiron and broil it slowly until fully cooked and browned on both sides.

  2. Baste the shad well with butter on both sides.

  3. Fold the shad over to return it to its original form and serve.

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

Shad
The main protein; its flesh firms and turns opaque as the heat sets it.
Butter
Adds fat that carries flavor and moisture and helps the surface brown while basting.

The step that matters

Broiling slowly until fully cooked. Slow broiling lets the thick flesh cook through to the center before the skin and surface scorch. Browning comes from the Maillard reaction, which needs steady heat and some surface moisture, so basting with butter helps the fish brown evenly without drying out.

“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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