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Salmon, whole poached

Erken's basic recipe for whole poached salmon (3 kg) in boiling salted water; about 20 min per kilo for the front part, 14 min for the tail piece, cooked until the flesh comes away from the bone. Served with potatoes, melted butter, or hollandaise. Serves 12.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 103 (falt i det fri)

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About the dish

From the fish chapter of 'Stor kokebok' (1914), where Erken states that salmon is juiciest when cooked whole. For 12 people she reckoned a salmon of about 3 kg, and she recommends English potatoes, melted butter, sauce hollandaise, or mousseline sauce with it.

How to make it

  1. 1

    Clean the fish

    Scrape all the slime off the fish from head to tail, and the scales from tail to head. Rinse in several changes of cold water and gut the fish without slitting the belly.

  2. 2

    Score the skin

    Make a couple of small cuts in the skin along the back, so the skin does not split as easily during cooking.

  3. 3

    Bring the water to a boil

    Bring the water and salt to a boil in a fish kettle. Boiling water preserves the fish's color best.

  4. 4

    Add the fish

    Put the fish into the boiling, salted water – only enough water to just cover the fish. Remove all scum as soon as it appears on the surface; if it settles on the salmon flesh, it is impossible to remove.

  5. 5

    Let it barely simmer

    Draw the kettle to the side so the water only barely simmers. Allow about 20 minutes per kilo when cooking the upper part of the salmon, and about 14 minutes per kilo for the tail piece. The cooking time depends more on how thick the fish is than on its weight.

  6. 6

    Test whether it is done

    Cook until the flesh just comes away from the bone – then it is sufficiently cooked. If overcooked, it turns dry and flat.

  7. 7

    Plating

    Place the salmon on a fish platter with a rack or on a platter with a napkin, and garnish with parsley and lemon slices. Serve with English potatoes, melted butter, sauce hollandaise, or mousseline sauce.

Changes from the original

The amount of salt has been converted to grams (the original's '6 del. salt' is very generous; here about 30 g of salt per liter of water). Otherwise the method is unchanged, but described in modern steps with the clarification that the water should barely simmer, not boil hard.

Tidsmaskin – hva endret seg?

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

Fra19141949Modernisert
Til19141949Modernisert
1914 (korrekturlest, s. 103) → 1949 (korrekturlest, s. 128)~73% av teksten endretfjernetlagt til
3 kg. laks 6 l. vand 6 1. vann 3 del. salt. salt sitronskiver. Et par små snitt i skinnet på helkokt fisk langs ryggen gjør at skinnet ikke så lett revner under kokingen. Fisken renses, lægges legges i fiskekjelen med kokende, saltet vand, saa vann, så meget vand vann at fisken netop nettop er dækket. — dekket, og sitronskiver. For at å bevare fiskens farve er kokende vand bedst. vann best. Fisken smaatrækker småtrekker i vandet, vannet til den er kokt (den tid, der behøves, tid derbehoves, er mer avhængig av, avhengig av hvor tyk tykk fisken er, end enn av vegten). vekten). 20 minutter for hvert kilo, naar kilo når man koker det øverste av laksen, og 14 minutter, minutter om det er halestykket man koker. Kok, Kok til kjøttet netop nettop slipper benet, da er den tilstrækkelig tilstrekkelig kokt; blir den «overkokt», blir den tør tørr og flau. Man kan også sette hel eller store stykker fisk på 2 å 3 kg. over i koldt vann; man må da beregne at fisken skal koke i 20 minutter, efterat vannet har nådd kokepunktet; dette bør ikke nåes før ca. % time efterat fisken er lagt i. Men fisken bevarer ikke så godt sin farve på denne måte. Laksen anrettes på varmt fat, dryppes med smeltet smør, pyntes med sitronskiver, persille og tomatskiver. — På skrå over fisken legges en stripe finhalket, kokt rogn og finskåren salat. Serveres med hollandsk saus, smeltet smør med persille eller mousselinesaus. Agurksalat eller tomatsalat serveres til.

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Frequently asked questions

How long should the salmon cook?
Allow 20 minutes per kilo when cooking the upper (thickest) part of the salmon, and 14 minutes per kilo for the tail piece. A whole 3 kg salmon thus takes about an hour. The cooking time depends more on how thick the fish is than on its weight.
How do I know the salmon is done?
Cook until the flesh just comes away from the bone – then it is sufficiently cooked. Overcooked salmon turns dry and flat in flavor.
Should the fish be put in cold or boiling water?
In boiling, salted water. Boiling water preserves the fish's color best. Use only enough water to just cover the fish, and let it barely simmer – not boil hard.
How much salt and water do I use?
The recipe (Stor kokebok 1914, p. 103) calls for 6 liters of water and 6 deciliters of salt for 3 kg of salmon, which serves 12.

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