[Sca-cooks] another tasty fish dish - with no breading or frying

[devra at aol.com]

>From the first edition of PLEYN DELIT, by Constance Hieatt & Sharon Butler

(Take makerels and smyte hem on pecys; cast hem on water and verious; seeth hem with myntes and iwth other erbes; color it grene or yelow, and mess it forth.--Forme of Curye)

2 -3 mackerels, amounting to at least 2 lb of fish
1 C water, salted (use about .5 t salt)
.25 C vinegar (they recommend white vinegar, but I like to use cider vinegar)
4 large sprigs parsley and 3 or so of fresh mint (if you use dried mint, ca 1 Tbsp) - (parsley is separated...)
3-4 scallions or green onions

Mackerel should be cleaned and the head removed (though it may be left on if you wish to cook it whole.
?Either leave fish whole or cut into pieces about two inches long. Put it in a cooking pot with the scallions, mint, and 3 of the parsley sprigs; pour salted water and vinegar over it and bring to a simmer. Cook gently for 15-20 minutes (depending on whether fish is whole or cut up.) Remove fish to a serving dish. Sprinkle with remaining parsley, finely minced, and pour some of the cooking liquid, strained, over it. (Or use some sorrell, minced or gound with salt, in place of minced parsley for the sauce.)? {But I like to just eat the cooked greens with the fish.)

If you have verjuice, you might try substituting it for the vinegar....

The vinegar and herbs help to cut the slightly oily nature of the fish.

Devra the Baker