A dauce egre

PERIOD: England, 14th century | SOURCE: Utilis Coquinario | CLASS: Authentic

DESCRIPTION: Fish in a sweet and sour onion sauce

ORIGINAL RECEIPT:

17. A dauce egre. Tak luces or tenches or fresch haddok, & seth hem & frye hem in oyle doliue. & þan tak vynegre & þe thridde pert sugre & onyounnes smal myced, & boyle alle togedere, & maces & clowes & quybibes. & ley þe fisch in disches & hyld þe sew aboue & serue it forth.

- Hieatt, Constance B. and Sharon Butler. Curye on Inglish: English Culinary Manuscripts of the Fourteenth-Century (Including the Forme of Cury). New York: for The Early English Text Society by the Oxford University Press, 1985.

GODE COOKERY TRANSLATION:

Sweet and Sour Fish. Take luce or tench or fresh haddock, & boil them & fry them in olive oil. And then take vinegar and the third part sugar & onions minced small, & boil all together, & mace & cloves & cubeb. And lay the fish in dishes & pour the sauce above & serve it forth.

INGREDIENTS:

• Haddock, either whole (gutted & cleaned) or filets or "steaks"
• Olive Oil
• Red Wine Vinegar
• Sugar
• Onion, minced
• Mace
• Cloves (powder)
• Cubeb or substitute with Black Pepper

Place the fish in a baking dish; add just enough water to cover about 2/3 of the fish, then bake in a hot oven just until the fish is cooked (do not overcook). Remove from the pan & drain well. In a saucepan, combine all other ingredients, using sugar and vinegar in ratio to produce a sweet and sour taste. (The original recipe calls for "þe thridde pert sugre" which would mean to use about 1 cup vinegar to 1/3 cup sugar.) Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cooking until the onions are soft. Fry the fish in olive oil until the outside is crispy; remove from oil and drain. Place the fish in a serving platter and cover with the sauce. Serve forth!