Rolled Salmon
Excerpted from Festive Feasts Cookbook and drawn from Mrs. Eliabeth Raffald's Experienced English Housekeeper, published in 1768.
This dish is actually quite simple to make. Like so many 18th-century recipes it tastes wonderfully fresh -- especially if you use freshly grated nutmeg.
Ingredients
* 1 medium (2 kilo/4.5 lb) salmon, boned and skinned but with the two sides still in 1 piece
* 200g/7oz mussels or clams, freshly cooked, frozen or tinned
* 1 large slice wholemeal (whole wheat) bread, crumbed
* 6 large sprigs of parsley, chopped
* sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
* 1/2 teaspoon ground mace
* 1 small head fennel, chopped
* 1 large bunch parsley
* 2 lemons
* 40g/1 1/2 oz butter
* 40g/ 1 1/2oz flour
* 4 teaspoons grated horseradish (no horseradish cream or sauce)
* 90ml/ 3 fl oz/ 3/8 cup medium sherry
Lay the 2 sides of salmon on thye counter, insides facing upwards, and arrange the mussels, breadcrumbs and parsely down the middle of each. Generously season them with salt and pepper, nutmeg and mac. Roll both up carefully and wrap or tie them in a piece of muslin to prevent them falling apart. If you do not have any muslin a new J cloth does very well.
Put both rolls in a pan just big enough to hold them with the fennel, parsley and one lemon, sliced, and cover with water. Cover the pan and bring it very slowly to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes then turn off the heat. Leave the fish toi continue cooking in the water for at least another hour. Remove the rolls of fish carefully from the pan and keep them warm. Strain the fish stock and reserve.
In a separate pan melt the butter gently. Add the flour, stir around well, then add the horseradish. Slowly, stirring all the time, add 400 ml (14 fl oz/ 1 3/4 cups) of the fish stock. Continue to cook until the sauce thickens, then add the sherry and season to taste if it needs it.
Remove the muslin from the 2 salmon rolls and place them in the middle of a serving dish. Surround with the dressed spinach and decorate with the remaining lemon, sliced and formed into butterflies. Serve the sauce separately.
Serves 8
