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To Boil Salmon

A whole salmon is boiled in salted cold spring water.

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

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Place the cleaned salmon in a well-scoured fish kettle.

  2. Cover the salmon with cold spring water to heat gradually.

  3. Add 6 ounces of coarse sea salt to the water.

  4. Remove any scum that forms on the surface.

Cook

  1. Boil the fish slowly, allowing 8 to 10 minutes per pound.

  2. Check for doneness when the eyes start to bulge and the meat separates from the bone.

  3. Once cooked, lift the fish strainer and rest it across the kettle to drain.

  4. Cover the fish with a soft cloth to prevent it from soaking in hot water.

Serve

  1. Serve on a hot fish plate with a napkin underneath.

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

Salmon
Is the main protein; gentle simmering keeps its flesh moist and tender rather than dry and firm.
Coarse sea salt
Seasons the poaching water so the fish is flavoured as it cooks.

The step that matters

Boil the fish slowly. Simmering gently cooks the flesh evenly and keeps it moist. A hard boil toughens the proteins and breaks the fish apart, so keep the water barely bubbling.

“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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