Fish Sauce à la Craster (1808)
Fish courses were a standard feature of Regency dining. This sauce, from Mrs. Rundell’s New System of Domestic Cookery complements cod, swordfish, and other fleshy white fish. On a Regency table it was probably served with pike or turbot.
Fish Sauce à la Craster
From Mrs. Rundell (1808) this rich béchamel-base sauce is suited to fleshy, mild white fish.
Ingredients
- ¼ lb unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp white all-purpose flour
- 1 lb fresh anchovies OR: 10 anchovy fillets in oil
- 1 medium onion coarsely chopped
- 6 blades fresh mace pounded OR: 1/4 tsp powdered mace
- 10 whole cloves
- 2 tsp black peppercorns mixed with a few whole allspice
- 1 bunch bouquet garni -parsley, savoury, thyme, sage, basil, marjoram
- ½ tsp prepared horseradish
- 1 pint beef stock
- ½ pint good fino sherry
Instructions
- Melt the butter, add the flour and gently brown over low heat.
- Chop fresh anchovies, or take the anchovy fillets from the jar and sit them on a paper towel to drain the oil, then break up slightly.
- Remove the browned flour from heat. Add some beefstock and stir till smooth and free of lumps.
- Add the anchovies, herbs, onions, sherry and remaining beef stock. Stir to blend.
- Return to medium heat and bring to a slow simmer.
- Turn heat down and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Strain the sauce through a sieve.
- Add salt to taste if needed (the anchovies are salty enough in my experience).
- Store in glass, not plastic, and use within 4 days. Freeze if desired.
