To Boil Pike

Modern cookery for private families · Acton, Eliza · 1845
Source
Modern cookery for private families
Status
success · extracted 13 days ago
Not a recipe
No
Ingredients (5)
For soaking the fish
For stuffing the fish
For boiling the fish
For serving
Instructions (12)
  1. Take out the gills, empty and clean the fish very thoroughly.
  2. Soak it for half an hour with a cup of vinegar thrown into as much water as will cover it well, should there be any danger of its having a muddy taste.
  3. Wipe the inside dry.
  4. Fill it with oyster-forcemeat, or with common veal forcemeat made either with butter or with suet.
  5. Curl the fish round, and fasten it with the tail in the mouth.
  6. Lay it on a fish-plate.
  7. Cover it well with cold water.
  8. Throw in some salt as soon as it boils.
  9. Skim it well.
  10. Boil the fish gently from half to a whole hour according to its size.
  11. Some persons prefer the scales taken off the pike when it is prepared for this mode of dressing; and many cooks still put the fish into boiling water well salted and skimmed.
  12. Serve it with plain melted butter, or anchovy sauce.
Original Text
TO BOIL PIKE. [In best season from September to February.] Pike. Take out the gills, empty and clean the fish very thoroughly, and soak it for half an hour with a cup of vinegar thrown into as much water as will cover it well, should there be any danger of its having a muddy taste.[49] Wipe the inside dry, and fill it 81with oyster-forcemeat, or with common veal forcemeat made either with butter or with suet (for which see Chapter VIII.); curl the fish round, and fasten it with the tail in the mouth, lay it on a fish-plate, cover it well with cold water, throw in some salt as soon as it boils, skim it well, and boil the fish gently from half to a whole hour according to its size. Some persons prefer the scales taken off the pike when it is prepared for this mode of dressing; and many cooks still put the fish into boiling water well salted and skimmed. Serve it with plain melted butter, or anchovy sauce. 49.  Soaking fish is always better avoided when it can be so; well washing the inside with strong vinegar would perhaps remove the objectionable flavour without it. Moderate sized, 1/2 hour; large, 1 hour. Obs.—We must repeat that it is impossible to give for fish which varies so much in quality as well as in size, directions for the exact time which is required to cook it; a few minutes, more or less, must often be allowed; and it should always be watched attentively, and lifted from the water as soon as it is done.
Notes
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