[Sca-cooks] fish at SCA feasts

[Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius]

On Aug 12, 2005, at 12:50 AM, Stefan li Rous wrote:

>> I was warned that no
>> one would eat it and that the barony would not pay for
>> it!
>>
>
> I keep hearing this phrase about not eating fish, but I've heard  
> many other comments to the contrary. Me? I'd love to see a lot  
> more, well-prepared fish at SCA feasts.

We serve fish pretty frequently at our feasts, but we live near the  
ocean, which makes seafood readily available and also probably helps  
provide a receptive crowd. Favorite period fish dishes include  
cuminade de poissons from Taillevent and/or Le menagier, any of  
several egredouce recipes, saumon gentil from, IIRC, The Forme of  
Cury, and a 17th-century English mussel recipe whose source I forget  
(but can probably locate) whose product is virtually  
indistinguishable from modern moules mariniere.

> So, has anyone served eel? How well did it go over? So far, I've  
> only had eel out of a can.

Smoked eel is exceptional. I've never served eel at an event, but I  
vaguely recall that al-Sayyid Ras al Zib served some kind of  
crustades for a fish day that involved salmon and eels, on at least  
one occasion.

Adamantius

"S'ils n'ont pas de pain, vous fait-on dire, qu'ils  mangent de la  
brioche!" / "If there's no bread to be had, one has to say, let them  
eat cake!"
     -- attributed to an unnamed noblewoman by Jean-Jacques Rousseau,  
"Confessions", 1782

"Why don't they get new jobs if they're unhappy -- or go on Prozac?"
     -- Susan Sheybani, assistant to Bush campaign spokesman Terry  
Holt, 07/29/04