Brine for Boiling Fish
Ingredients
Directions
Mix 4 ounces of coarse sea salt with 1 gallon of water for small fish.
For cod, lobsters, crabs, prawns, and shrimps, use 5 to 6 ounces of salt.
For salmon, use 8 ounces of salt.
Ensure the water is well skimmed from the moment scum begins to form.
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
- Coarse sea salt
- Draws water out of the fish and seasons it, firming the flesh as it cures.
The step that matters
Skimming the water. Scum that forms on the brine is protein and impurities from the water and fish. If it is left on the surface it can cloud the brine and spoil its flavour, so it should be removed as soon as it appears.
“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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