[Sca-cooks] Salt fish recipes?-- I.E. SALTED (preserved) fish

[Daniel Myers]

I did a quick search for "stockfish" and here are the recipes that  
appear to involve salted fish:


From: Ein Buch von guter spise
(Germany, ca. 1345 - Alia Atlas, trans.)

20. Dis sagt von eime stockvische (This speaks of a stockfish). Nim  
einen stockvisch. do niht garst in si. tu im die hut abe. weich in in  
kaltem wazzer eine naht. und nim denne heruz und drücke in in ezzig.  
also daz er blibe gantz. binden uf zwo schinen. und lege in uf einen  
hülzinen rost. strich daz fiur under allenthalben. daz er erwarme.  
laze in wol belaufen mit butern. dor noch mache einen schoenen teyc  
mit wizzem melwe. und mit eyern. dor zu tu gestozzen pfeffer oder  
ingeber und ein wenic saffrans. saltz zu mazze. sprengez uf den  
visch. als der visch gar heiz si. so slahe den teyg dor uf mit eime  
swanke riche vaste koln dor under. daz er rot werde. also tu daz e du  
in abe nemest und betrauf in veizt mit butern. und giv in hin.

Take a stockfish, which has no rotten meat in it. Take the skin down  
(off). Soak it in cold water a night. And then take thereout and  
press it in vinegar, so that it stays whole. Tie off two forms and  
lay it on a wooden grill. Spread the fire under all sides, so that it  
warms. Sprinkle it well with butter. Thereafter make a fine dough  
with white meal and with eggs. Thereto do ground pepper or ginger and  
a little saffron. Salt to mass. Sprinkle it on the fish. When the  
fish is very hot, beat the dough (batter) thereon with a swing  
(endore it). Put strong wide coals thereunder, so that it becomes  
red. So do that earlier. You take it down and sprinkle it rich with  
butter and give it out.

----

From: The Good Housewife's Jewell
(England, 1596)

To boile Stockfish. Take Stock fish when it is well watered, and  
picke out all the baste cleane from the fish, then put it into a  
pipkin, and put in no more water than shall cover it, and set it on  
the fire, and assoone as it beginneth to boyle on the one side, then  
turne the other side to the fire, and assoone as it beginneth to  
boile on the other side, take it off, and put it into a Colender, and  
let the water runne out from it, but put in salt in the boyling of  
it, then take a little faire water and sweete butter, and let it  
boyle in a dish untill it bee something thick, then powre it on the  
stockfish and serve it.

----

From: Das Kochbuch des Meisters Eberhard
(Germany, 15th century - Giano Balestriere, trans.)

If you want to make good stockfish. Let it boil as long as veal and  
let it boil at a simmer. Pour off the broth and take out the fish and  
pick it apart well. Then take a pan and put lard in it, let it warm  
up, then place the stockfish into the butter and let it heat up in  
there. Take ginger and saffron and the broth of the fish and color it  
with that, pour it over the stockfish into the pan and let it boil up  
once or three times. That way it is well done.

Wiltu einen gutten stockfisch machenn. So laß in siedenn als ein kalb  
fleisch vnd laß in ein siedenn auff halben wogk vnd seig dann die  
brue dar vonn vnd schüet den stockvisch herauß vnd erclaub in wol vnd  
nym dann ein pfannen vnd thue smalcz dar ein vnd laß es warmm werdenn  
vnd leg dann den stockvisch in die putternn vnd laß sie dar ynnen  
erhiczenn vnd nym dann ingwerr vnd saffran mit des visch brüe vnd  
ferb das do mit ein vnd geuß es v:eber den stockvisch in die pfannen  
vnd laß es ein wal oder drej thun. So ist er gerecht.

----

From: Le Menagier de Paris
(France, 1393 - Janet Hinson, trans.)

COD (morue) is not spoken of in Tournay unless it is salt, for the  
fresh is called "cabillau", and it is eaten and cooked in the same  
manner as is told below for cod.

Item, when this cod is caught at the edge of the sea and you want it  
to keep for ten or twelve years, you gut it, and take off its head,  
and dry it in the air and sun, and not with fire or smoke; and when  
this is done, it is called stockfish. And when it has been so kept  
and you want to eat it, you should beat it with a wooden mallet for a  
good hour, and then put it to soak in warm water for a good twelve  
hours or more, then cook and skim it well like beef; then eat with  
mustard or drenched in butter. And if anything is left in the  
evening, make it into tiny pieces like lint, fry and put powdered  
spices on it.

STOCKFISH must be cut into square pieces like a chequerboard, then  
soak for only one night, then take it out of the water, and put it to  
dry on a cloth; then put your oil on to boil, then fry your pieces of  
fish in a little oil, and eat with mustard or garlic sauce. Stockfish  
is made, apparently, from cod.

----

From: A NEVV BOOKE of Cookerie
(England, 1615)

A Chewet of Stockefish. BOyle watered Stockefish, and make it fit to  
be eaten: when it is colde take the whitest of the Fish, and mince it  
small: put in parboyld Currens, Razins of the Sunne. Season it with  
Nutmeg, Pepper, Salt, and a piece of sweet Butter. Bake it, but  
before you serue it in, cut it vp, and wring in the iuyce of an Orenge.

----

From: Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books
(England, 1430)

Sauce for stokefysshe. Take faire brothe of elys, other of pyke, or  
els of freysshe Samon, and strayne it thurwe a straynour: and take  
faire percely, and hewe it smal, and put the brothe and the percele  
in-to a faire erthyn vessel; and put ther-to poudre gingere, and a  
litil verious, and lete boile to-gedre. And thanne take faire sode  
stockefysche, and ley it in faire hote watre: and whanne thou wilt  
serue it forthe, take the fysshe fro the watre, and ley it in a clene  
disshe; and cast the sauce al hote ther-on, and serue it forth.

Sauce for stokfysshe in an-other maner. Take curnylles of walnotys,  
and clouys of garleke, and piper, brede, and salt, and caste al in a  
morter; and grynde it smal, and tempre it up with the same brothe  
that the fysshe was sode in, and serue it forthe.

----

From: Le Viandier de Taillevent
(France, ca. 1380 - James Prescott, trans.)

Stockfish. Soak it for three days in water, wash it very well, and  
fry it in oil without flour. Eat it with Garlic Cameline [Sauce] like  
ray. Some eat it with its own juices, as one eats venison, or with  
Mustard [Sauce].



- Doc


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  La sauce ne vaut pas mieux que le poisson.
  The sauce should not be better than the fish.
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