cast iron oval fish skillet

This is a cast iron oval fish skillet. They are no longer made.

I had seen oval cast iron skillets before, and thought they were just oval for aesthetic reasons.

I had not realized that they were called fish skillets, and had a specific purpose.

Their purpose, of course, was for cooking... FISH!

An oval shaped skillet can fit a whole fish fillet, for pan frying or baking.

That's why I like to use my oval casserole dish for salmon.

They did make lids for these skillets, which are even harder to find.

You need a lid if you want to poach fish.

So if you want to poach a whole fillet, then I'm sure a large round skillet with a lid will do.