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A fish boil is a culinary tradition in areas of
Many credit Scandinavian immigrants for bringing the fish boil to Door County. Fish boils were originally used to feed large crowds of lumberjacks and fishermen. It was a quick economic way to feed large groups of people. It later became an attraction at restaurants.
Photos of a traditional fish boil
in Door County, Wisconsin (Archived February 10, 2021)
Upper Great Lakes Fish Boil
''Minnesota Sea Grant'' — includes a recipe (Archived February 4, 2012)
Sagamité and Booya: French Influence in Defining Great Lakes Culinary Heritage
(Discusses a Native American origin to the fish boil.)
Scandinavian Horseradish
"A review of Scandinavian horseradish butter and fish." {{DEFAULTSORT:Fish Boil Fish dishes Cuisine of the Midwestern United States Door County, Wisconsin Cuisine of Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
and along the coastal Upper Great Lakes, with large Scandinavia
Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...
n populations. Fish boils enjoy a particularly strong presence in Door County, Port Wing
Port Wing (also Portwing) is an unincorporated census-designated place in the town of Port Wing, Bayfield County, Wisconsin, United States. The community is along Wisconsin Highway 13 and Bayfield County Highway A. It is west of Bayfield. The F ...
and Port Washington, Wisconsin
Port Washington is the county seat of Ozaukee County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on Lake Michigan's western shore east of Interstate 43, the community is a suburb in the Milwaukee metropolitan area 27 miles north of the City of Mil ...
. The meal most often consists of Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...
or Lake Superior
Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh wa ...
whitefish (though lake trout
The lake trout (''Salvelinus namaycush'') is a freshwater char living mainly in lakes in northern North America. Other names for it include mackinaw, namaycush, lake char (or charr), touladi, togue, and grey trout. In Lake Superior, it can also ...
or salmon
Salmon () is the common name for several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family (biology), family Salmonidae, which are native to tributary, tributaries of the ...
can be used), with other ingredients.
History
Many credit Scandinavian immigrants for bringing the fish boil to Door County. Fish boils were originally used to feed large crowds of lumberjacks and fishermen. It was a quick economic way to feed large groups of people. It later became an attraction at restaurants.
Preparation
The fish is cut into small chunks and cooked in boiling water with red potatoes. Some boilers add onions as well. Salt is the only seasoning used. It raises thespecific gravity
Relative density, or specific gravity, is the ratio of the density (mass of a unit volume) of a substance to the density of a given reference material. Specific gravity for liquids is nearly always measured with respect to water (molecule), wa ...
of the water. Up to one pound of salt per two gallons of water is used. The fish and potatoes are prepared in a cast-iron kettle. When the water comes to a boil, the potatoes, kept in a wire basket, are lowered in.
The fish are then placed in another wire basket and lowered in. After 9–10 minutes, when the fish are cooked, the oils rise to the top of the pot. The boiler then tosses a small amount of kerosene on the fire and the increase in flames causes a boilover. The fish oils spill over the side of the pot and the fish is done. The fish chunks remain whole and firm. Chefs usually drip melted butter over the fish before serving. Scandinavian practice often include ground horseradish
Horseradish (''Armoracia rusticana'', syn. ''Cochlearia armoracia'') is a perennial plant of the family Brassicaceae (which also includes mustard, wasabi, broccoli, cabbage, and radish). It is a root vegetable, cultivated and used worldwide ...
in the melted butter; however, this practice is no longer observed in most commercial North American fish boil fare. Although not part of the traditional recipe, tartar sauce
Tartar sauce (French: ''sauce tartare''; spelled tartare sauce in the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, South Africa) is a condiment made of mayonnaise, chopped pickles and/or relish, capers, and herbs such as tarragon and dill. Tarta ...
and lemon slices are often served with the fish.
Fish boils do not always involve a flare up with kerosene or fuel oil. This practice originated in Door County to entertain tourists.
See also
*Clambake
The clambake or clam bake, also known as the New England clambake, is a traditional method of cooking seafood, such as lobster, mussels, crabs, scallops, soft-shell clams, and quahogs. The food is traditionally cooked by steaming the ingredients ...
* Fish fry
A fish fry is a meal containing battered or breaded fried fish. It usually also includes french fries, coleslaw, macaroni salad, lemon slices, tartar sauce, hot sauce, malt vinegar and dessert. Some Native American versions are cooked by coati ...
* Seafood boil
Seafood boil is the generic term for any number of types of social events in which shellfish, whether saltwater or freshwater, is the central element. Regional variations dictate the kinds of seafood, the accompaniments and side dishes, and the ...
* Crab boil
A crab boil is a social event where boiled crabs are eaten, a kind of seafood boil.
Louisiana and New Orleans
Boiled seafood in southern Louisiana tends to be spicier than that found in other parts of the country. Homemade crab boil recipes call ...
* Louisiana Creole cuisine § Crawfish boil
* Booyah (stew)
* Sagamite
* List of fish dishes
This is a list of notable fish dishes. In culinary and fishery contexts, fish includes shellfish, such as molluscs, crustaceans and echinoderms. Fish has been an important source of protein for humans throughout recorded history.
Fish dishes
...
References
External links
Photos of a traditional fish boil
in Door County, Wisconsin (Archived February 10, 2021)
Upper Great Lakes Fish Boil
''Minnesota Sea Grant'' — includes a recipe (Archived February 4, 2012)
Sagamité and Booya: French Influence in Defining Great Lakes Culinary Heritage
(Discusses a Native American origin to the fish boil.)
Scandinavian Horseradish
"A review of Scandinavian horseradish butter and fish." {{DEFAULTSORT:Fish Boil Fish dishes Cuisine of the Midwestern United States Door County, Wisconsin Cuisine of Wisconsin