To Boil Perch
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Wipe or wash the perch to remove slime.
Scrape off the scales and clean the insides thoroughly.
Remove the gills and cut off the fins.
Cook and serve
Place the perch in equal parts of cold and boiling salted water.
Boil for 8 to 10 minutes for smaller perch, or 12 to 15 minutes for larger ones.
Serve on a napkin, garnished with curled parsley, with melted butter or sauce.
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
- Perch
- Provides the main flesh, which turns firm and flaky when gently boiled.
- Melted butter or maitre d'hotel sauce
- Adds richness and moisture to the mild, lean fish at serving.
The step that matters
Boil for the stated time. Overcooking makes the lean flesh dry and tough, while undercooking leaves it translucent near the bone. Timing depends on fish size, so smaller and larger perch need different durations.
“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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