How long should the stock cook?

The fish with water, butter, roots, onion, white wine and spices simmers gently under a lid for about 1 hour after it has been skimmed at the boil. Then the stock is strained through a fine sieve or straining cloth. Total time for the soup is roughly 100 minutes.

What of the pike do I use?

1 kg pike, plus the head, bones and skin – they give the stock good flavor. Everything is washed well and placed in cold liquid in an enameled pot.

How is the soup thickened and colored?

60 g butter is melted, 60 g flour is stirred in, and it is thinned with the stock and half the cream. Lobster coloring is stirred in until the soup is pale red; the rest of the cream is added just before serving, and the soup is salted to taste.

What is served in the soup?

Small fish balls and celeriac. The recipe is from Henriette Schønberg Erken's "Stor kokebok" (1914), p. 45, and is intended for 6 servings.

Pike Soup (potage de brochet)

Name: Pike Soup (potage de brochet)
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 40 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Norwegian
Ingredients: 1 kg pike (with head, bones and skin); 100 g butter (for the stock); 1 pcs carrot; 1 pcs onion; 1 knifepoint paprika; 1 slice celeriac; 20 g salt; 1 tsp pepper (original: 10 g); 2 dl white wine; 3 l water (cold); 2 dl cream; 60 g butter (for the roux); 60 g all-purpose flour; lobster coloring (or lobster butter); small fish balls (for serving); celeriac (boiled and finely cut, for serving)

Erken's pike soup from 1914: a stock of 1 kg pike with head and bones cooked with roots, white wine and spices for 1 hour, strained and thickened with a butter roux, cream and lobster coloring into a pale-red soup, served with small fish balls and boiled celeriac.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 45 (falt i det fri)

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About the dish

Pike soup was one of Erken's freshwater fish dishes, in which the head, bones and skin were used for stock. Lobster coloring (lobster butter/carmine) was used to give the soup the coveted pale-red color.

How to make it

1
Set up the stock
Wash the fish well and place it in an enameled pot together with the cold water, 100 g butter, the cleaned roots, the onion, the white wine and the spices.
2
Cook the stock
Skim as soon as it comes to a boil, and let the stock simmer on under a lid for 1 hour.
3
Strain
Strain the stock through a fine strainer or cloth.
4
Thicken the soup
Melt 60 g butter, stir in the flour and thin with the stock and half of the cream. Stir in lobster coloring until the soup is pale red.
5
Finish
Just before serving, stir in the rest of the cream. Season with salt.
6
Serve
Serve the soup with small fish balls and boiled, finely cut celeriac.

Changes from the original

Measures converted to dl. The original's "10 g pepper" has been reduced to 1 tsp, which is more in keeping with modern taste. Lobster coloring can be replaced with lobster butter or a little tomato purée. An enameled pot is still recommended to avoid a metallic taste.

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Time machine – what changed?

Pick two editions and see what Henriette Schønberg Erken added, removed or changed between them.

From1914 1949 Modernised

To1914 1949 Modernised

1949 (proofread, p. 57) → 1914 (proofread, p. 45)~29% of the text changedremovedadded

~~(Potage de brochet.)~~ 1 kg. gjedde, hode, ben og ~~skinn~~ skind 100 gr. smør 1 gulerot 1 løk 1 knivsod paprika 1 skive selleri 20 gr. salt 10 gr. pepper 2 ~~dl.~~ del. hvitvin 2 3 l. ~~vann~~ vand 2 ~~dl.~~ del. fløte 60 gr. smør 60 gr. hvetemel hummerfarve ~~eller rødbeteskive små~~ smaa fiskeboller sellerirot. Den godt vaskede fisk ~~hæles~~ haves i emaljert gryte sammen med det kolde ~~vann,~~ vand, de 100 gr. smør, de rensede røtter, løken, vinen og ~~krydderiene.~~ krydderierne. Skummes straks det koker ~~opp,~~ op, og ~~småsurrer~~ smaasurrer videre under ~~lokk~~ lok 1 time. Siles gjennem fin ~~sikt~~ sigt eller sileklæde. De 60 gr. smør smeltes, irøres melet og ~~spedes~~ spædes med kraften og halvparten av fløten; irøres ~~hummerfarve eller rødbeteskiven~~ hummerfarve, til suppen er blekrød. Like før suppen skal serveres, ~~hæles~~ haves resten av fløten i. Salt efter smak. — I suppen serveres ~~små~~ smaa fiskeboller og kokt ~~småskåren~~ smaaskaaren selleri.

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Frequently asked questions

How long should the stock cook?: The fish with water, butter, roots, onion, white wine and spices simmers gently under a lid for about 1 hour after it has been skimmed at the boil. Then the stock is strained through a fine sieve or straining cloth. Total time for the soup is roughly 100 minutes.
What of the pike do I use?: 1 kg pike, plus the head, bones and skin – they give the stock good flavor. Everything is washed well and placed in cold liquid in an enameled pot.
How is the soup thickened and colored?: 60 g butter is melted, 60 g flour is stirred in, and it is thinned with the stock and half the cream. Lobster coloring is stirred in until the soup is pale red; the rest of the cream is added just before serving, and the soup is salted to taste.
What is served in the soup?: Small fish balls and celeriac. The recipe is from Henriette Schønberg Erken's "Stor kokebok" (1914), p. 45, and is intended for 6 servings.

Equipment for this dish

Cast-iron cookware set →Cast iron handles long, slow simmering – just what soups and stocks need.Engrospris.no

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