Aspic of Fish
Ingredients
Directions
Make the aspic
Pour warm savory jelly into a plain tin or copper mold, about 1½ inches deep.
Boil fresh smelts gently in strong saltwater until cooked, then place them on a drainer.
Once the jelly in the mold is cold, lay the smelts on top with the best side down.
Pour a little more lukewarm jelly over the fish, then let it cool.
Fill the mold with more savory jelly.
Serve
To serve, dip the mold in warm water, place a dish on top, and turn it over.
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
- Savory jelly
- Forms the clear, firm setting layers that hold the fish in place and give the aspic its body.
- Fresh smelts
- Serve as the fish filling, set in the jelly so the finished aspic shows the fish.
The step that matters
Let the jelly cool before laying the fish. Lukewarm jelly can soften or cloud the fish and disturb the layers. Cold, set jelly holds the smelts in position so they stay neatly arranged when the aspic is turned out.
“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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