What kind of fish can I use?

The recipe uses boiled, picked fish – that is, leftovers of boiled fish cleaned of skin and bones. Count on about one deep plateful, which corresponds to roughly 400–500 g of fish meat.

Why should the fish stand in lemon juice?

The fish is lightly salted and moistened with the juice of 1/4 lemon and left for 15 minutes. This adds flavor and freshness to the already-boiled fish before it is mixed into the white sauce.

How do I make the ragout sauce itself?

Melt 50 g butter, stir in 30 g wheat flour, thin with 1/4 liter meat stock, bring to a boil and let simmer for a couple of minutes. Take the pan off the heat before stirring in 2 egg yolks, pepper, nutmeg and anchovy butter – that way the eggs won't curdle.

Do I have to use scallop shells as the dish?

The ragout is traditionally filled into shells, sprinkled with rusk crumbs and grated cheese and drizzled with melted butter before gratinating in a hot oven. If you don't have shells, you can use small ovenproof individual dishes.

Fish Ragout in Shells

Erken's fish ragout in shells from 1914: boiled fish seasoned with lemon and salt, folded into a butter sauce of 50 g butter, 30 g flour and 2.5 dl meat stock with egg yolks, nutmeg, pepper and anchovy butter, plus cooked macaroni. Filled into shells, sprinkled with rusk crumbs and cheese, drizzled with butter and gratinated for 15 minutes.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 134 (falt i det fri)

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About the dish

Erken's fish chapter is full of dishes that make use of boiled fish from the day before. Here, real scallop shells or small gratin dishes are filled with a rich fish ragout with macaroni, gratinated to a golden surface — a typically "finer" everyday dish from 1914.

How to make it

1
Season the fish
Clean the boiled fish of skin and bones and pick it into pieces. Sprinkle with a little salt and drizzle with the lemon juice. Let it stand this way for 15 minutes.
2
Boil the macaroni
Boil the macaroni in salted water until tender, drain off the water and cut it into small pieces.
3
Make the sauce
Melt 50 g butter, stir in the flour and thin with the meat stock. Bring the sauce to a boil and let it simmer for a couple of minutes.
4
Mix the ragout
Take the pan off the heat and stir in the egg yolks, pepper, nutmeg and anchovy butter. Then fold in the fish and the macaroni.
5
Fill and gratinate
Fill the ragout into shells or small gratin dishes, sprinkle with rusk crumbs and grated cheese and drizzle with the melted butter. Bake in a hot oven, 200 °C (390 °F), for about 15 minutes until the surface is light golden brown. Serve immediately.

Changes from the original

Measurements have been converted to modern units (dl, tbsp, tsp). "Kavring" (rusk) is given as crushed rusks/breadcrumbs. Sardine butter can be replaced with anchovy butter or anchovy paste. The amount of meat stock was unclear in the original print and has been interpreted as 2.5 dl. Baking settings are given for an electric oven.

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Tidsmaskin – hva endret seg?

Velg to utgaver og se hva Henriette Schønberg Erken la til, fjernet eller endret mellom dem.

Fra1914 1949 Modernisert

Til1914 1949 Modernisert

1914 (korrekturlest, s. 134) → 1949 (korrekturlest, s. 162)~56% av teksten endretfjernetlagt til

60 gr. makaroni 1 dyp ~~tallerkenfuld kokt,~~ tallerkenfull kokt opplukket fisk 50 gr. smør 30 gr. hvetemel saft av ~~1/4 citron 1/4~~ ½ sitron ¼ l. ~~kjøtkraft~~ kjøttkraft 2 ~~eggeblommer~~ eggeplommer 1 ~~teske sardelsmør~~ teskje sardellsmør 1 ~~knivsod~~ knivsodd pepper 1 — muskat 1 kavring 1 ~~spiseske~~ spiseskje reven ost 1 ~~spiseske~~ spiseskje smeltet smør. Den rensede, opplukkede fisk bestrøes med litt salt, dynkes med ~~citronsaften; staar saaledes 1/4~~ sitronsaften; står således ½ time. 50 gr. smør smeltes, irøres melet, ~~spædes~~ spedes med kraften, ~~gives~~ gis et opkok, ~~smaakoker~~ småkoker et par minutter, ~~tages~~ tas av ~~ilden,~~ varmen, irøres ~~eggeblommerne,~~ eggeplommene, pepper, muskat, ~~sardelsmør~~ sardellsmør samt fisken og den kokte, ~~smaat opskaarne~~ smått opskårne makaroni. ~~Ragouten fyldes i skjæl, bestrøes med kavring og den revne ost, dryppes med det smeltede smør. Skjællene sættes i varm ovn og steker, til de er lyse gulbrune; omtrent i 15 minutter.~~

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Frequently asked questions

What kind of fish can I use?: The recipe uses boiled, picked fish – that is, leftovers of boiled fish cleaned of skin and bones. Count on about one deep plateful, which corresponds to roughly 400–500 g of fish meat.
Why should the fish stand in lemon juice?: The fish is lightly salted and moistened with the juice of 1/4 lemon and left for 15 minutes. This adds flavor and freshness to the already-boiled fish before it is mixed into the white sauce.
How do I make the ragout sauce itself?: Melt 50 g butter, stir in 30 g wheat flour, thin with 1/4 liter meat stock, bring to a boil and let simmer for a couple of minutes. Take the pan off the heat before stirring in 2 egg yolks, pepper, nutmeg and anchovy butter – that way the eggs won't curdle.
Do I have to use scallop shells as the dish?: The ragout is traditionally filled into shells, sprinkled with rusk crumbs and grated cheese and drizzled with melted butter before gratinating in a hot oven. If you don't have shells, you can use small ovenproof individual dishes.

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