How to Boil Fish
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare and cook
Fill a pot with water and add saltpetre if using.
Bring the water to a boil.
Gently place the cleaned John Dory into the boiling water.
Boil the fish until cooked through, then remove it immediately.
Serve
Transfer the fish to a hot serving plate and cover with a cloth dipped in boiling water to keep warm.
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
- John dory
- The main protein; its flesh sets and turns opaque as it cooks through.
- Saltpetre
- Optional additive that helps firm the fish flesh during boiling.
The step that matters
Boil the fish until cooked through, then remove it immediately. Fish proteins set quickly and toughen and dry out if boiled too long. Removing it as soon as it is cooked through keeps the flesh moist and tender.
“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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