Wisconsin Traditions - Door County Fish Boils

Surrounded by water on three sides, the Door County Peninsula of Wisconsin is naturally beautiful with a rich commercial fishing history that spans more than a century. Summer is a hot-spot for family vacations.

Ephriam, Wisconsin - More than 100 years ago, in the early days of Wisconsin history there were few professions that prospered more in the peninsula than fishing and logging.  Fresh fish was plentiful from Lake Michigan and locals ate a lot of it.  King salmon, whitefish, perch, and trout were the usual catch of the day.  The simplicity of a boil became the time honored tradition of the fish boil that still prevails in tourism season today.

In the 1960's some residents of the area who still cooked fish this way had the great idea to offer this "show" to tourists who populated the area in summers.  Since a fish boil involved a visually interesting process of preparation and cooking ending in a spectacular fire(overboil) the experiment of showmanship began and is still done today in about 14 hotels and restaurants throughout the peninsula.

A fish boil is exactly that; boiled whitefish, served as a meal, paired with famous Door County Cherry Pie.  A blazing hot fire is prepared with a large vat of water hovering above it.  A steel basket is filled with a bottom layer of peeled potatoes and whole onions with a top layer of whitefish steaks added.  When the fire is at its maximum heat the basket is lowered in the boiling water and salt is added.  The food cooks between 8 and 10 minutes. Then, kerosene is added to the fire to make the water boil over the top of the kettle creating a huge flame.  This process of overflow removes impurities from the food that may remain such as fat and residual sand leaving only the perfectly prepared fish steaks and vegetables.  This is such a popular tradition for visitors.  The fish according has very little flavor as no other spices are used in the process except salt leaving it bland for my taste, but the preparation is fun to watch and really is a must see.

  Serving is by buffet style.  Dessert usually also comes with the dinner; Door County Tart Cherry Pie.  This remaining tradition of Fish Boil is only found performed today in the Door County Peninsula of Wisconsin and no where else in the United States, so be sure to check it out if you visit.

Fish boils typically cost between $16-$20 per person depending on where you go.  Some restaurants have 2 seatings a night; others are continuous cooking another batch of fish approximately once per hour.

The photos pictured here are from the Old Post Office Restaurant which is located in the Edgewater Beach Hotel complex.  The building actually was an old post office which was built in 1874.  The boilmaster at this place was Earl. It is apparent that his show is very refined from years of entertaining tourists.  One thing to note about this picturesque city of Ephraim, Wisconsin that has not changed in generations, the city is alcohol-free (a dry city) due to it's religious origins.  Guests are generally permitted to bring their own wine or beer, but establishments do not have alcoholic offerings with dinner, only coffee, milk, water, and lemonade.

Cities in the peninsula even today have very small populations not including the summer tourist traffic.  In winter cities dwindle to barely a few thousand.