Medieval Peasant Fish with Garlic Sauce

Boiled carp fillets with a thick garlic-walnut sauce

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City/Region: England

Time Period: c. 1450

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In addition to their regular schedule of backbreaking work, medieval European peasants often had to work extra days for their lord, called boon days. The upside to this was that the peasants were given better food on boon days, which could include cheese, good bread, ale, meat, and fish.

While the medieval cookbooks we have today were written for the wealthy, these seemed like good choices if a lord wanted to feed their serfs: good, but not too good, and fancier than their everyday fare, but not heavily spiced like the nobility’s dishes.

I’d never tried carp before and thought it was quite good, and the garlic is by far the dominant flavor in the sauce. All in all, it’s not amazing, but if I was a medieval peasant, I don’t think I would complain.

“Barbell boyled.
Take a barbell, and kutte him, and draw him round; And pike in the nape of the hede and seth him in water and salt, Ale, and parcely. And whan hit bygynneth to boile, skeme hit clene, and caste the barbel there-to, And seth him. And his sauce is garlek or vergesauce, And then serve him forth.”

— Harleian MS 4016 (c. 1450)

“Take kernels of walnuts, and cloves of garlic, and pepper, bread, and salt, and cast all in a mortar; and grind it small, & mix it up with the same broth that the fish was sodden in, and serve it forth.”

— Ashmole MS 1439

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Ingredients:

Fish

• 1 quart (1 L) ale, something not hoppy
• 3 quarts (3 L) water
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 cup fresh parsley
• 1 1/2 lbs (700 g) barbel, carp, or catfish, preferably whole or with skin

Sauce

• 3/4 cup (80 g) walnuts
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1 cup stale breadcrumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (235 ml) liquid from cooking the fish

Instructions:

1. For the fish: Combine the ale, water, and salt in a large pot and bring it to a simmer.
2. Add the parsley and fish and simmer for 5 to 8 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets or if your fish is whole.
3. When the fish is cooked through, gently remove it. If it’s whole or has the skin, it’ll probably hold together better than mine did. Either way, be careful so it doesn't break up too much. Keep the cooking liquid for the sauce.
4. For the sauce: Grind the walnuts, garlic, black peppercorns, breadcrumbs, and salt either in a mortar and pestle or in a food processor. You want crumbs about the size of coarse polenta or grits.
5. In a pot, stir together the ground ingredients and the 1 cup (235 ml) of liquid from cooking the fish. Cook on low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce simmers and thickens a bit. Keep in mind that it will thicken more as it cools. The sauce will be grainy, and you can leave it like that as I did, or you can strain it and still be period-accurate.
6. Serve the fish forth with the sauce either poured over it or on the side.

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