flipTinca in carpione (Po tench marinated in vinegar)
Tinca in carpione (Po tench marinated in vinegar)
Why this dish? The Church calendar imposed many lean days in Cremona, when meat gave way to river fish. Carpione — fried fish then preserved in a marinade of vinegar and herbs — allowed fish to be kept for several days, a fragile commodity in a plain city far from the sea.
Small river fish floured and fried, then cold-marinated in vinegar perfumed with onion, sage, and bay: sour, fresh, and keeps well.
On Friday and throughout Lent, no meat at my table — the Church sees to that. But the Po and the Adda give us tench and roach. We fry them in flour, then lay them in hot vinegar with onion, sage, and bay leaf. Prepared thus, the fish keeps three or four days without spoiling, and its tart taste wakes you up better than a sermon. It's the wisdom of the plain folk, where the sea is too far for fresh fish.
- •Tench or small river fish — a few (base)
- •Flour — for coating (frying)
- •Oil and lard — for frying (frying)
- •Wine vinegar — to cover (marinade)
- •Onion — one, sliced (marinade)
- •Sage and bay — a few leaves (flavor)
Tinca in carpione (Po tench marinated in vinegar)
Small river fish floured and fried, then cold-marinated in vinegar perfumed with onion, sage, and bay: sour, fresh, and keeps well.
Why this dish? The Church calendar imposed many lean days in Cremona, when meat gave way to river fish. Carpione — fried fish then preserved in a marinade of vinegar and herbs — allowed fish to be kept for several days, a fragile commodity in a plain city far from the sea.
On Friday and throughout Lent, no meat at my table — the Church sees to that. But the Po and the Adda give us tench and roach. We fry them in flour, then lay them in hot vinegar with onion, sage, and bay leaf. Prepared thus, the fish keeps three or four days without spoiling, and its tart taste wakes you up better than a sermon. It's the wisdom of the plain folk, where the sea is too far for fresh fish.
Ingredients (period version)
- Tench or small river fish — a few (base)
- Flour — for coating (frying)
- Oil and lard — for frying (frying)
- Wine vinegar — to cover (marinade)
- Onion — one, sliced (marinade)
- Sage and bay — a few leaves (flavor)
Ingredients
- Trout fillets or small freshwater fish — 500 g (base)
- Flour — for coating (frying)
- Olive or sunflower oil (neutral oil) — for frying (frying)
- White wine vinegar — 250 ml (marinade)
- Onion — 1 large, sliced (marinade)
- Fresh sage — 6 leaves (flavor)
- Bay leaves — 2 (flavor)
Method
- Dry the fish, flour them, and fry in hot oil until golden; drain and arrange in a shallow dish.
- In a saucepan, sweat the onion in a little oil without browning.
- Add the vinegar, sage, and bay, bring to a simmer for 5 minutes, then let cool.
- Pour this warm marinade over the fish until covered.
- Marinate in the fridge for at least 24 hours before serving, cold, with bread.
How it was made : The carpione technique (scapece/escabèche) was widespread in northern Italy since the Renaissance: frying then preserving in vinegar extended the shelf life of fish before refrigeration. The vinegar acidifies and inhibits bacteria.
The contemporary twist : Arrange the carpione fillets on a slate with translucent marinated onion and a few crispy fried sage leaves as garnish.
Bernardino Campi · Charactorium
