Why cook the skin and bones first?

The skin and bones are put in 2 liters of cold, salted water and boiled for half an hour to make fish stock. The stock is strained and used both to cook the fish slices in and as the liquid in the sauce (3/4 l).

How long should the fish slices cook?

Finger-thick slices of halibut are put in boiling stock and poach slowly for about 15 minutes, until the flesh is firm and white. Total time including making the stock is around 75 minutes.

Can I make the sauce without vegetables?

Yes. Instead of carrots and celeriac, the sauce can be liaisoned with egg yolk, as the original recipe mentions. Otherwise it is made as a roux of 50 g butter and 40 g wheat flour thinned with the stock to the right thickness.

Where does the recipe come from?

From Henriette Schønberg Erken's "Stor kokebok" (1914), page 93. It is calculated for 6 servings and uses 1.5 kg halibut.

Halibut as Fricassee

Name: Halibut as Fricassee
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Norwegian
Ingredients: 1.5 kg halibut (in finger-thick slices, skin and bones for the stock); 2 l water (cold, for the stock); 1 tbsp salt; 50 g butter (for the sauce); 40 g wheat flour; 7.5 dl fish stock (from the cooking); 2 pcs carrots (cooked, nicely cut up); 0.5 pcs celeriac (cooked, nicely cut up); 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley; 1 pcs egg yolk (optional, for the variant); 1 dl cream (optional, for the variant); 1 tsp curry powder (optional, ½–1 tsp)

Halibut slices are cooked in a stock made from the skin and bones; the stock is used for a thickened sauce with cooked carrots and celeriac, or alternatively liaisoned with egg yolk, cream and curry.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 93 (falt i det fri)

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About the dish

A classic fricassee in which the fish trimmings first become stock, which then both cooks the fish and forms the base for the sauce – good household economy as Erken advocated.

How to make it

1
Cut up the fish
Wash the fish, remove skin and bones and cut the flesh into finger-thick slices.
2
Cook the stock
Put the skin and bones on to boil in the cold, salted water and let it boil for half an hour. Strain the stock and put it back over the heat.
3
Cook the fish
Put the fish slices in the boiling stock and let them poach slowly until the fish is firm and white, about 15 minutes. Lift the fish carefully onto a warm serving platter.
4
Make the sauce
Melt the butter, stir in the flour and thin with the stock until the sauce is the right thickness.
5
Finish
Put the cooked, cut-up root vegetables into the sauce and pour it over the fish. Sprinkle over finely chopped parsley.
6
Variant
Instead of vegetables, the sauce can be liaisoned with an egg yolk and 1 dl cream and flavored with ½–1 tsp curry powder.

Changes from the original

The ingredient list is separated out from the jumbled column in the OCR text and modernized to grams and deciliters. Parsley is listed as garnish/addition. The variation with egg yolk, cream and curry is kept as its own step.

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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

1914 (proofread, p. 93) → 1949 (proofread, p. 112)~47% of the text changedremovedadded

~~1 1/2~~ 1½ kg. ~~helleflyndre~~ fisk 2 l. ~~vand~~ vann 1 ~~spiseske~~ spiseskje salt 50 gr. smør 40 50 gr. hvetemel ~~3/4~~ ½ l. fiskekraft 2 gulerøtter ~~sellerirot~~ grønne erter 1 ~~spiseske~~ spiseskje finhakket ~~persille.~~ persille Fisken vaskes, befries for ~~skind~~ skinn og ben, skjæres i fingertykke skiver. ~~Skind~~ Skinn og ben ~~sættes~~ settes over ~~ilden~~ varmen i det kolde, saltede ~~vand~~ vann og koker ~~1/2~~ ½ time. Kraften siles og ~~sættes~~ settes igjen over ~~ilden. Fiskeskiverne haves i, naar~~ varmen. Fiskeskivene hes i når kraften koker, og koker ~~sagte,~~ sakte til fisken er fast og hvit, ca. ~~1/4~~ ¾ time. ~~Smørret~~ Smøret smeltes, irøres melet, ~~spædes~~ spedes med ~~kraften,~~ kraften til sausen er passe ~~tyk.~~ tykk. De kokte, pent ~~opskaarne røtter haves~~ opskårne røtter, erter og persille hes i sausen, som ~~heldes~~ helles over fisken, der er lagt pent op ~~paa~~ på varmt anretningsfat. Istedenfor at å ha ~~grønsaker~~ grønnsaker i sausen kan man jevne den med en ~~eggeblomme,~~ eggeplomme, 1 del. fløte og ~~tilsætte 1/2—1 teske~~ tilsette ½—1 teskje karri.

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Frequently asked questions

Why cook the skin and bones first?: The skin and bones are put in 2 liters of cold, salted water and boiled for half an hour to make fish stock. The stock is strained and used both to cook the fish slices in and as the liquid in the sauce (3/4 l).
How long should the fish slices cook?: Finger-thick slices of halibut are put in boiling stock and poach slowly for about 15 minutes, until the flesh is firm and white. Total time including making the stock is around 75 minutes.
Can I make the sauce without vegetables?: Yes. Instead of carrots and celeriac, the sauce can be liaisoned with egg yolk, as the original recipe mentions. Otherwise it is made as a roux of 50 g butter and 40 g wheat flour thinned with the stock to the right thickness.
Where does the recipe come from?: From Henriette Schønberg Erken's "Stor kokebok" (1914), page 93. It is calculated for 6 servings and uses 1.5 kg halibut.

Equipment for this dish

Cast-iron pot set →Stews and roasts were made in heavy iron pots that hold an even heat.Engrospris.no

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