Taart Van Mooten Salm
"Pie Of Salmon Pieces"
From the treasured pages of Het Hollands, of Neederlands kook-boek
Unknown Author
Taart Van Mooten Salm
"Gy moet een Moot Salm nemen, en dien laten kooken in zyn Nat in een Casserool met een glas Rinsen Bleikert, dan hem nemen by kleine Sneetjens, en in een fyne Korft zetten; voorts kruiden met Peper, Zout, Nagelen, Champinjons, Morilles, en goede Boter, alles dus op uwe Onderkorft gefchikt zynde, foo dek het, en na dat de Taart zal wezen gebacken, foo zult gy fe met Citroen-zap aanregten."
English Translation
"Pie of Salmon Pieces. You need to take a piece of salmon, and let it cook in its own liquid in a casserole with a glass of white Rhine wine, then cut it into small slices and place them in a fine pastry crust; further season with pepper, salt, cloves, mushrooms, morels, and good butter, arranging everything thus on your bottom crust. Then cover it, and when the pie is baked, serve it with lemon juice."
Note on the Original Text
Recipes of the period were written tersely, assuming the cook’s familiarity with technique, and with units of measure only loosely defined. Quantities were rarely precise, and instructions were often sequential without explicit times or oven temperatures. Spelling reflected both French and Dutch influences (e.g., 'Casserool' for casserole, 'Onderkorft' for lower crust), and employed long 's' shapes, ligatures, and phonetic renderings. The recipe is a direct, practical blueprint: poach, cut, layer, season, bake, and finish with lemon.
Title
Het Hollands, of Neederlands kook-boek (1725)
You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome
Writer
Unknown
Era
1725
Publisher
J. du Vivie
Background
A delectable journey into 18th-century Dutch cuisine, this cookbook serves up traditional recipes, culinary wisdom, and a flavorful glimpse of the Netherlands’ rich gastronomic heritage.
Kindly made available by
Internet Archive
This recipe for 'Taart van Mooten Salm' comes from the Dutch cookbook 'Het Hollands, of Neederlands kook-boek', published in Leiden in 1725. The Netherlands in the early 18th century was a vibrant hub of global trade, meaning fine ingredients—like imported wine and exotic spices—were available to the well-to-do. Savory pies were hugely popular across Europe at this time, serving both as impressive banquet dishes and practical ways to prepare fish and game. Poaching salmon in wine and topping it with a pastry crust combines the courtly style of the day with distinctly Dutch flavors and practicality.
In the early 18th century, cooks would have used a charcoal or wood-fired hearth, with cast-iron or copper saucepans for poaching the salmon. Flat, round tart pans—probably made of tin or copper—would hold the pastry. Knives for cutting the fish, spoons for stirring, and pastry boards with rolling pins for shaping the crust would all feature in the kitchen. Baking was done either in a dedicated brick oven or with coals heaped on the lids of sturdy cast-iron bake pans (Dutch ovens), to achieve an even bake.
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
40 mins
Servings
4
We've done our best to adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, but some details may still need refinement. We warmly welcome feedback from fellow cooks and culinary historians — your insights support the entire community!
Ingredients
- 14 oz salmon steak
- 1/2 cup (4 fl oz) light Rhine white wine (Riesling or similar)
- Shortcrust pastry for an 8-inch tart (top and bottom crusts)
- 2 oz button mushrooms, chopped
- 0.75 oz dried morel mushrooms (or substitute with more button mushrooms), rehydrated
- 1.5 oz unsalted butter
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- A pinch of ground cloves
- Juice of half a lemon
Instructions
- Begin by poaching a salmon steak (about 14 oz) gently in its own juices with approximately 1/2 cup (4 fl oz) of light Rhine wine (such as Riesling) in a saucepan.
- Once cooked, allow the salmon to cool slightly, then flake or cut it into small slices.
- Place the salmon pieces in a prepared shortcrust pastry shell (an 8-inch tart pan works well).
- Season generously with freshly ground black pepper, salt, and a small pinch of ground cloves.
- Add around 2 oz of chopped button mushrooms and, if available, 0.75 oz of dried morel mushrooms (rehydrated and chopped).
- Dot the surface with 1.5 oz of good-quality butter cut into small pieces.
- Cover the filling with another layer of pastry to form a closed tart.
- Bake the tart at 350°F (180°C) until the pastry is golden and crisp, about 30-40 minutes.
- Serve warm, finished with a splash of fresh lemon juice.
Estimated Calories
450 per serving
Cooking Estimates
It takes about 20 minutes to prepare the ingredients and another 40 minutes to cook and bake the tart. The recipe serves 4 people, and each serving has about 450 calories.
As noted above, we have made our best effort to translate and adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, taking into account ingredients nowadays, cooking techniques, measurements, and so on. However, historical recipes often contain assumptions that require interpretation.
We'd love for anyone to help improve these adaptations. Community contributions are highly welcome. If you have suggestions, corrections, or cooking tips based on your experience with this recipe, please share them below.
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