To Boil a Turbot
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the fish
Clean the turbot thoroughly, removing the insides and rinsing until clean.
Rub a little coarse sea salt over the outside to remove slime.
Make a shallow incision in the thickest part of the back on the dark side of the fish.
Poach
In a large fish kettle, dissolve the coarse sea salt and saltpetre in enough cold spring water to cover the fish.
Place the turbot in the kettle, white side up, and bring the water to a slow boil, skimming off any scum.
Let the water simmer gently until the fish is cooked through.
Carefully lift the fish out, drain it, and transfer it to a hot serving dish.
Serve
Serve immediately with rich lobster sauce, melted butter, and dressed cucumber.
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
- Turbot
- Is the main protein; gentle simmering keeps its flesh moist and tender rather than tough.
- Coarse sea salt
- Seasons the fish and firms the surface when dissolved in the poaching water.
The step that matters
Bring the water to a slow boil and simmer gently. Vigorous boiling breaks up the delicate flakes of fish and toughens the protein. A gentle simmer cooks the turbot evenly and keeps it moist and intact. Skimming removes scum that would cloud the liquor.
“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.
More boiled turbot recipes
You might also like
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Brown Bread461 recipes
Mutton Broth292 recipes
Yorkshire Pudding264 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.