Gunard-PVS-art - 4/7/18
"Gurnard (Sea-Robin) in Pepper/Vinegar Sauce" by Lady Marie Hélène of the New Forest.
NOTE: See also the files: exotic-meats-msg, beaver-meat-msg, caviar-msg, eels-msg, fish-msg, peacocks-msg, rabbit-dishes-msg, snails-msg, whale-meat-msg.
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NOTICE -
This article was added to this set of files, called Stefan's Florilegium, with the permission of the author.
These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org
Copyright to the contents of this file remains with the author or translator.
While the author will likely give permission for this work to be reprinted in SCA type publications, please check with the author first or check for any permissions granted at the end of this file.
Thank you,
Mark S. Harris...AKA:..Stefan li Rous
stefan at florilegium.org
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Gurnard (Sea-Robin) in Pepper/Vinegar Sauce
by Lady Marie Hélène of the New Forest
While perusing Take a Thousand Eggs (or more), I came across a recipe for a creature not normally on the list of ingredients found at my local grocery, or even online. The creature was called a gurnard, or a sea robin. This got me to wondering what dishes we have lost to the sands of time because of inaccessibility or cultural trends.
Being a medieval cook is a bit of a challenge - we are given paragraphs of receipts and descriptions of feasts, or books like Apicius and Le Viandier's How to Cook a Peacock, which tantalize our minds and skills, but alas, the ingredients are hard to source, where once they were considered "common fare". In the cooking of feasts, we are limited to the "big three" - Chicken, Beef, and Pork and the occasional Lamb. Everything else is pretty much looked upon a bit askance, as "alien", or too expensive.
It is sad to think that those of us who research and explore the "ancient" cuisines will not be welcome to expose our feasters to dishes such as dormouse, eel pie, or even the delectable Egredouce (Conynges in egredouce) - a sweet and sour rabbit dish, except to maybe a small sampling to the most adventurous of palates. The reason is, as surmised, part accessibility and part taste, and I would also add part ignorance to the creature's "edibility". Let's take eel, for example: Most view eel as unappealingly "slimy", and thus "yucky". Whereas most eels fished in the US are sent to Japan and other points in Asia as "prized" for sushi (it is usually smoked as the fish is slightly oily and takes to smoking very well) and grilling. The ironic thing is that Asian cultures ship some of the eel back to the US for a goodly amount of money.
I can guess that some of you don't know what a "sea-robin" is, either. It is a spiny, "ugly" fish, Some can be brightly colored and patterned, and now considered a "trash fish". It is common in most temperate waters and many species "sing". Some species can grow up to 28 inches long.
Most people don't realize that we can eat most animals, some are more palatable than others, and I'm not even mentioning insects and arthropods. Too long have we been taught that we can only eat certain "acceptable" protein sources and, as far as fish are concerned, certain species are so utilized as to be endangered with extinction. Again, accessibility.
Sea Robin is slightly sweet, firm textured and flaky when cooked; most equate it to fluke or flounder, but it is far more abundant and not a flat fish.
From Godecookery
Gurnard
PERIOD: England, late 15th c.
SOURCE: MS Pepys 1047
CLASS: Authentic
DESCRIPTION: Fish cooked in ale and served with a pepper vinegar sauce.
Transcription of original receipt :
Gurnard
Take hym and slytte A litill the wombe And take owte the guttys and and seth hym in sauce of salte water and ale the sauce is pepur And vyneAger.
Modern translation:
Gurnard.
Take him and slit a little the womb and take out the guts and boil him in sauce of salt water and ale. The sauce is pepper and vinegar.
Modern recipe:
1 whole salt-water fish
1 cup slightly salted water
2 cups vinegar, cider or wine
The Gurnard was a salt-water fish; feel free to substitute with any convenient variety. The fish should be gutted and clean, but left whole. Combine the water and vinegar; place the fish in a large baking dish and add enough of the liquid to immerse 2/3 of the fish. Place in a 375 degrees F oven and bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until fish is thoroughly cooked and flakes when tested with a fork - add more liquid if necessary. Remove from pan and place on a serving platter; serve the fish hot or cold with the pepper vinegar in small bowls as a dipping sauce.
Pepper Vinegar Sauce: This original medieval recipe comes from the 14th century Le Viandier de Taillevent.
Poivre noir: Black Pepper Sauce. Grind ginger, round pepper and burnt toast, infuse this in vinegar (var.: and a little verjuice) and boil it.
Modern recipe
2 cups red wine vinegar
1 Tbs. ginger (see note)
1 Tbs. pepper (see note)
1-2 cups bread crumbs made from burnt toast
Bring the vinegar to a boil; reduce the heat slightly, and with a wire whisk, beat in the spices. With the whisk slowly begin to beat in the bread crumbs until you reach the thickness of sauce that you desire. Continue beating until you have a smooth consistency and the mixture has again returned to the boil. Remove from heat and serve as an accompaniment to meats and poultry.
This very tart sauce may startle a few people, but many love its sharp and unique taste. Feel free to adjust the spices to your personal taste - some may enjoy using less pepper and more ginger, etc. The sauce can be as thin as a gravy or as thick as a dip.
With any hope, you can find some Sea Robin/Gurnard and experience this surprising fish. I also hope you will find the courage to try the occasional "palate tester", you may end up pleasantly surprised and find a new "favorite treat".
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Copyright 2017 by Sandi Rust. <feo2mouse at yahoo.com>. Permission is granted for republication in SCA-related publications, provided the author is credited. Addresses change, but a reasonable attempt should be made to ensure that the author is notified of the publication and if possible receives a copy.
If this article is reprinted in a publication, please place a notice in the publication that you found this article in the Florilegium. I would also appreciate an email to myself, so that I can track which articles are being reprinted. Thanks. -Stefan.
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