For eating purposes pike should be between three to seven pounds in weight.
To cook: Clean, but do not scale. Stuff with veal forcemeat, bake, basting well with salted butter to which a glass of claret has been added. When the pike is done, to the sauce in the pan may be added more butter and the juice of two or three oranges, the whole being heated again and then being put into a sauceboat, the inside of which has been rubbed with a clove of garlic.
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The liver of the pike may be shredded very fine and incorporated with the stuffing, but the roe should be thrown away.
Pike are better after the first frosts when they have lost their small forked bones.
Eat and enjoy!
Taken from: The Wild Foods of Great Britain by L Cameron, originally published 1917, republished 1977.
It sounds very tasty. My family has always eaten anything it hunts. This may sound strange to you, but remember I'm in Texas. I have cooked squirrel, doves, wild pig, deer, duck, and all kinds of fish. Do you know, I have fish in my pond? I should do a post about it!
ReplyDeleteNot sure if your local waters have Northern Pike in them Meggie but there should be some Muskelunge (a species of N. American Pike). Apparently a great sporting fish to catch and can grow huge.
DeleteHi Meggie, With the wonderful title of your blog, and knowing that you are a gal from Texas, I would have been deeply disappointed to learn anything less. You are made of much sterner stuff than I! I would love to hear about your pond; I am revelling in seeing your wonderful farm and learning a little more about Texas. Bring it on!
DeleteWow, thank you Elaine, that recipe looks delicious and definitely one to try.
ReplyDeleteThere is the small matter of me catching one first though...lol. I'll keep you posted :-D
Hi Chris, I couldn't resist posting the recipe as soon as I saw your post - it helped that the recipe book happened to be right next to my chair in the kitchen!
DeleteGood luck with the fishing - and with the key!
Well of course you're serious, but the further I read the more I realized this is fish cooking from one of the oldies in your library. Nice share.
ReplyDeleteHi Joanne, I happened to read Chris' post and I immediately knew where there was a recipe for Pike, and as the book was at my elbow... It was a bit of an easy post but we have been looking after the ever-hungry Francesca today, and we were joined by Harry this afternoon. I love them dearly, adore being with them - but they do take a lot of input and energy.
DeleteI'm not that fond of fish--unless it's been filleted, battered and deep-fat fried and accompanied by pots of tartar sauce. (Of course, I'd eat most anything that was prepared that way!) Minnesota's state fish is the Northern Pike and my mom always took the fillets, dipped them in egg and coated them with corn meal before pan frying. Maybe I would have liked pike if she had made it differently.
ReplyDeleteHi Ms Sparrow, I really enjoy eating fish when I am out - my problem with cooking it at home is down to not liking the smell. My super-sensitive nose has been the bane of my life, from childhood. There could easily be a couple of blog posts in the problems that has led me to! I've never tried pike - is it a very 'fishy' fish, in taste and/or smell?
DeleteNortherns, as we call them, are a pretty well-liked fish, but the Walleye Pike is much preferred. I'm not sure why.
DeleteI have virtually lost me sense of smell so I couldn't comment on that!
I love hearing old recipes told so, and they are usually full of wisdom we can use in present days too.
ReplyDeleteSo do I, Linda! My favourite recipe books are the old ones - old, battered, well thumbed, usually without illustrations of any kind, but packed with fascinating information.
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