THE FINE ART OF PIKE COOKING 



pike needs no addition other than the outdoor appe- 

 tite to make it palatable. 



Boiled Great Pike 



"Why should anyone boil a pike?" methinks I hear 

 someone ask. Well, if a party is spending a week or 

 two in camp, a change of diet is desirable and wel- 

 come. If conservation of food becomes necessary be- 

 cause starvation lurks behind every tree, then boiling 

 is in order to retain every atom of life-sustaining ele- 

 ments in the fish. Even the water in which the meat is 

 boiled can be drunk. May that never be the reader's 

 portion. "But to return," as the Chautauqua lecturers 

 say. Undoubtedly boiled fish as a regular diet, would 

 pall upon the appetite, but for a change now and then 

 it will be greeted joyously by hungry campers, espe- 

 cially so, if well and toothsomely prepared. 



The larger the fish, the better. Cut up into convenient 

 sections for the camp kettle, carefully tying each piece 

 in a cloth bag if procurable, so that the flesh will not 

 fall apart and be "lost" in the broth. Have the kettle 

 two-thirds full of boiling salted water (note the empha- 

 sis upon the word "boiling"), to which the juice of a 

 lemon or a gill of vinegar has been added. (If on a 

 hard trip, citric acid in crystals will be carried in place 

 of either.) Boil slowly until done (about eight minutes 

 per pound). Of course if the cook has any cooking 

 pot of so unwieldy a shape as to fit the body of a pike, 

 he can cook the fish whole. Onions, spices, or horse- 

 radish can be added to the water, if one likes highly 

 seasoned dishes. The camp epicure will demand a 

 sauce. Directions for making one have already been 

 given. 



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