No. 1321 — Fried Pike
English historical translation of Molokhovets recipe No. 1321 from the 1901 Russian cookbook, retaining original methods and measures.
Clean and cut the fish into even pieces, remove bones, salt for an hour and dry thoroughly.
Melt all the butter in a frying pan, coat the fish in flour or beaten egg and sifted rusks, and fry both sides in hot butter.
The author applies the same technique to other fish, scoring thick pieces to cook them through and leaving small fish whole.
The specified butter should be put in the pan from the start rather than added gradually, as the latter may cause sticking or burning.
Arrange the fried fish in a hollow square on a platter, sprinkle with parsley and serve with salad.
To provide
3 Russian pounds of fish and 3 spoonfuls of flour Or 2–3 yolks and 5–10 rusks | ½ Russian pound of butter Green parsley |