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To Boil Plaice or Flounders

A simple boiled fish dish using plaice or flounders, salted, simmered, and served with melted butter.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 5 ingredients
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To Boil Plaice or Flounders

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Clean the fish thoroughly and make an incision in the back.

  2. Soak the fish in cold spring water.

  3. Add coarse sea salt and saltpeter to the water.

Cook and serve

  1. Bring the water to a boil, then let the fish simmer for 4 to 5 minutes, or longer if needed.

  2. Serve the fish with plain 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

Plaice or flounders
Provides the main flaky white flesh, which firms and turns opaque as it cooks.
Melted butter
Adds richness and a smooth, mild fat that complements the delicate fish.

The step that matters

Simmering the fish. Once the water boils, the fish should simmer gently. Strong boiling or overcooking tightens the proteins, squeezing out moisture and leaving the flesh dry and tough.

“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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