Fish Boil

White fish, caught locally each day

New red potatoes and sweet onions are put into the boiling pot of salted water and white fish.

While the fish cooks, the fish oils rise to the top of the pot.

One minute before the half hour, kerosene is poured onto the fire, bringing the intense heat to boil over the pot of fish, potatoes and onions and causing the fish oil to spill over the top. This is supposed to make the fish taste better. Pat and I had been standing next to the chain talking to the owner who was managing the fish boil. Boy, did we step back when warned to do so!

A waiter helps the owner lift the cooking pots out of the boiling water.

The fire dies down a bit, but is soon readied for the next batch.

Saturday night we headed to Pelletier's in Fish Creek, Wisconsin, for their famous fish boil. I was a little skeptical, since I don't really care for fish unless it is batter-fried, and tastes like a donut! Once assured there were other things on the menu, I felt much better about this.

What a fun experience! We got there in time to see the entire process, which takes about 20 minutes to make a huge pot of fish soup that feeds 90+ people. This form of cooking fish began several hundreds of years ago by the Scandinavians who settled in Door County. A batch of boiled fish is made every half hour from 5 to 8 pm each summer night.

Everyone ordered the fish dinner except me. I ordered the baked chicken. Let me tell you, my chicken was DELICIOUS, as were the new red potatoes and Cole slaw. All of my family members enjoyed their fish - saying it resembled lobster. Included in the meal was a piece of cherry pie.