Turbut Roste Ensauce

PERIOD: England, 15th century | SOURCE: Harleian MS. 4016 | CLASS: Authentic

DESCRIPTION: Ginger Wine Sauce for Fish

ORIGINAL RECEIPT:

Take a Turbut, and cut of the vynnes in maner of a hastelette, and broche him on a rounde broche, and roste him; And whan hit is half y-rosted, cast thereon smale salt as he rosteth. And take also as he rosteth, vergeous, or vineagar, wyne, pouder of Gynger, and a litull canell, and cast thereon as he rosteth, And hold a dissh vnderneth, fore spilling of the licour; And whan hit is rosted ynow, hete the same sauce ouer the fire, And caste hit in a dissh to the fissh all hote, And serue it forth.

- Austin, Thomas. Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books. Harleian MS. 279 & Harl. MS. 4016, with extracts from Ashmole MS. 1429, Laud MS. 553, & Douce MS 55. London: for The Early English Text Society by N. Trübner & Co., 1888.

MODERN RECIPE:

• 2 pounds turbot or other fish, whole or filleted
• 2 T dry wine
• 2 T wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp powdered ginger
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon
• Salt to taste

2. Place fish in a roasting pan, and sprinkle with salt and spices. Put fish in oven and, basting frequently with wine and vinegar, bake for half an hour, or until fish is cooked through.

3. Place the fish on a serving platter, pour the juice from the roasting pan, and the remaining wine and vinegar, over the fish.

Yields three quarters of a cup of sauce. Serves four to six.

NOTES ON THE RECIPE:

Oven roasting precludes the need to hold a pan under a fish roasting over an open fire to catch the sauce with which it is being basted. I have chosen to use vinegar rather than verjuice.

Turbut Roste Ensauce is featured in Servise on a Fisshe Day