We do realise, this post has only the most tenuous of links to door and door hardware … but we couldn’t resist writing about anything with so fascinating a name as ‘The Door County Fish Boil’!

Some of you may feel differently … but for me personally, not being a fish eater, it conjures up an immediate acrid feeling in my nostrils and a rolling in my stomach, listening to the name. Knowing that the chef in this event (which is supposedly a culinary masterpiece!) is known as the boil-master makes me feel like I would be present at some sort of sadistic satanic ritual – no offense meant!

Looking at these photos, at first I thought that the whole pit made with bricks was used to contain the fish and water … but on closer inspection I noticed that the chef would have actually been standing in the cooking pot then. Oops!

Firstly, they add potatoes and onions to the water – apparently purists (from the early days of this tradition in the logging camps) say that only salt should be used as a seasoning … anything else is just a bit too modern (and here we sympathise, being from the traditional school ourselves). The fish and other veges are added – Great Lakes whitefish is used in this example, but presumably even purists allow you to use other species! When the veges are soft enough and the fish is done, kerosene is thrown onto the fire – the water boils over and the oils burn away, leaving only the fish and veges. After they serve it they use butter for flavour, instead of having fish oil. I don’t mind the sound of that … and rye bread is also mandatory.

Hence, the fine but stinky classical tradition of the Door County Fish Boil!

Photo credits: Exploring Door County - The Fish Boil

          

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