Charente Shad Grilled with Sorrel
A Charente fish grilled then melted into a sorrel compote, whose acidity is reputed to soften the many bones of the shad. Simple and fresh, it is the taste of spring in the Charente region.
A Charente fish grilled then melted into a sorrel compote, whose acidity is reputed to soften the many bones of the shad. Simple and fresh, it is the taste of spring in the Charente region.
When the shad runs up the Charente, we took full baskets of them, and it was a festival throughout the land. The devil is that it is stitched with bones; so we lay it on a bed of sorrel, whose sharpness, they say, softens the bones. Grill it over the embers, then let it steam in this green herb: the fatty flesh and the acid answer each other like two voices in the same psalm. Here is a dish for lean days that does not make one envy meat.
- •Shad from the Charente — one, gutted (main fish)
- •Fresh sorrel — a large bunch (acidic bed)
- •Butter — a piece (binder)
- •Verjuice — a dash (acidity)
- •Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Charente Shad Grilled with Sorrel
A Charente fish grilled then melted into a sorrel compote, whose acidity is reputed to soften the many bones of the shad. Simple and fresh, it is the taste of spring in the Charente region.
Why this dish? Agrippa's Saintonge is crossed by the Charente, where shad migrate upstream in spring to spawn. This river fish, abundant and cheap, graced Saintonge tables and fed both gentlemen and peasants on days when meat was abstained from.
When the shad runs up the Charente, we took full baskets of them, and it was a festival throughout the land. The devil is that it is stitched with bones; so we lay it on a bed of sorrel, whose sharpness, they say, softens the bones. Grill it over the embers, then let it steam in this green herb: the fatty flesh and the acid answer each other like two voices in the same psalm. Here is a dish for lean days that does not make one envy meat.
Ingredients (period version)
- Shad from the Charente — one, gutted (main fish)
- Fresh sorrel — a large bunch (acidic bed)
- Butter — a piece (binder)
- Verjuice — a dash (acidity)
- Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Shad (or failing that, mackerel / oily sardines) — 1 large fish, gutted (main fish)
- Fresh sorrel — 400 g (acidic bed)
- Butter — 40 g (binder)
- Verjuice or lemon juice — 1 tbsp (acidity)
- Salt, pepper — to taste (seasoning)
Method
- Score the fish skin, salt it, and grill in the oven or on a grill for 8-12 minutes depending on size, until the skin is golden.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in a wide pan and add the washed sorrel, which wilts in a few minutes into a compote.
- Season the sorrel with salt and a dash of verjuice.
- Place the grilled fish on the sorrel bed, cover, and steam over low heat for 5 minutes to blend flavors.
- Serve immediately, the fish napped with its green compote.
How it was made : The shad running up rivers in spring was a popular fish throughout Atlantic France. The pairing with sorrel, whose oxalic acid was thought to dissolve bones, is an old culinary tradition of the West, still alive today.
The contemporary twist : A touch of raw chopped sorrel sprinkled on top at serving adds a fresh, tart brightness and vivid color.
Agrippa d'Aubigné · Charactorium
