Salsa Verde with Mullet – Roman Recipes for Modern Cooks

Salsa Verde with Mullet – Roman Recipes for Modern Cooks

Sally Grainger's Salsa Verde with Mullet

Another sauce for grilled mullet: rue, mint, coriander, fennel, all of them green; pepper, lovage, honey, liquamen, and a little oil (and vinegar). APICIUS 10.1.12.

 

The idea of a ‘green sauce’ made from large quantities of different fresh herbs with a simple acid/oil combo and minimal spices goes back centuries and can be found in all areas of the Mediterranean. The historical links are quite distinct in the case of salsa verde. We can see the basic idea in Apicius above, and we find a very similar recipe from the writer Columella from the early Roman Empire as a basic sauce for dipping. We find the same ideas in early medieval cooking in France, Italy, and Spain, though a single herb is usually recommended. A green sauce in 14th century France, ‘sauce vert’, found in the cookbook known as the Viandier, was made with breadcrumbs, parsley, ginger, vinegar, lemon juice, and wine, and was often served with fish, as ours will be. The modern Italian version maintains the idea of a single herb, parsley, with vinegar, capers, garlic, onion, anchovies, olive oil, and mustard. The anchovies hint at a strong association with the Roman original. The Spanish idea of a green sauce is strongly associated with fish too as they were always cooked together. The Pan-American idea of green sauce has evolved to include green tomatoes and chilli in Mexico, but we need not go there.

I have embraced the Roman idea of multiple varieties of herbs and also taken garlic from the Italian version and added vinegar. The Apicius recipe suggests that this sauce should be served with mullet, and this is entirely delicious. I used sea bass for my trial, but a fish with a firm flesh is ideal. The fish sauce needs to be quite punchy, so I am using an aged colatura, or you could use flor di garum or Red Boat.

INGREDIENTS

1 large bunch of fresh herbs, dominated by coriander, mint,
fennel, parsley (a small sprig of rue, if you have it, dill, soft green thyme tops, and chives)

1 small tsp of lovage, dill, or celery seed

Black pepper

1 clove of garlic

1 tbsp of runny honey

2 tbsp of fish sauce, colatura di alici

2 tbsp of white wine vinegar

4 tbsp of olive oil

4 fillets of mullet, bream, or sea bass

METHOD (serves 4)

Strip the leaves from all the stalks—this makes it more appealing as the stalk can just look stringy. Wash if necessary but allow to dry fully. Put all the herbs in a food processor and whizz so they are all evenly fine. Roast and grind the seeds to a powder with the pepper and add to the food processor, along with the garlic, honey, fish sauce, vinegar, and olive oil, and pulse to combine. It’s that simple! If you want to grind it all in a mortar you can, as its quite a traditional way of making these sauces today but be prepared for some labour. In a frying pan heat olive oil to a sizzle and fry the fillets, skin down, until crisp. Put a lid on the pan to finish cooking the tops, if necessary, but briefly. You should not need to turn them unless they are really too thick. Put a spoonful of salsa verde onto the fillet and let the mixture melt down over the edges of the fish and sizzle. Serve immediately!

 

 

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Sally Grainger’s Roman Recipes for Modern Cooks presents 34 modern interpretations of recipes taken from ancient texts, presenting a perfect blend of ancient and modern cooking. Filled with historically inspired line drawings by award winning illustrator Joana Avillez, Roman Recipes for Modern Cooks is a uniquely delightful cookbook with an ancient twist. Read more on Sally Grainger’s Roman Recipes for Modern Cooks here

 

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