flipTarichos — Salted Mackerel Fillets
Tarichos — Salted Mackerel Fillets
Why this dish? Alexandria thrived on Mediterranean trade, and salted fish (tarichos) arrived by whole shiploads in its warehouses. Heron, whose daily fare included "fresh or dried fish from the Mediterranean," would draw on these preserved fillets on days when the market offered nothing fresh.
Mackerel fillets packed in sea salt, keeping for weeks. Dense, salty, deeply marine flesh: you tear off thin strips to enliven a barley flatbread or a plate of lentils.
Salt is a more faithful guardian than any lock I have designed. I lay the fillets in salt as one arranges pieces in a chest, and I forget them: time does the work for me. When the harbor market is empty, I pull out a strip, place it on my maza, and the sea returns to my table in deepest winter. Nothing is lost that has been well preserved — that is true of fish as of knowledge.
- •Whole mackerel (or tuna) — according to the catch (fish to preserve)
- •Sea salt — in abundance (preserving agent)
- •Bay leaves — a few (flavor, natural antiseptic)
Tarichos — Salted Mackerel Fillets
Mackerel fillets packed in sea salt, keeping for weeks. Dense, salty, deeply marine flesh: you tear off thin strips to enliven a barley flatbread or a plate of lentils.
Why this dish? Alexandria thrived on Mediterranean trade, and salted fish (tarichos) arrived by whole shiploads in its warehouses. Heron, whose daily fare included "fresh or dried fish from the Mediterranean," would draw on these preserved fillets on days when the market offered nothing fresh.
Salt is a more faithful guardian than any lock I have designed. I lay the fillets in salt as one arranges pieces in a chest, and I forget them: time does the work for me. When the harbor market is empty, I pull out a strip, place it on my maza, and the sea returns to my table in deepest winter. Nothing is lost that has been well preserved — that is true of fish as of knowledge.
Ingredients (period version)
- Whole mackerel (or tuna) — according to the catch (fish to preserve)
- Sea salt — in abundance (preserving agent)
- Bay leaves — a few (flavor, natural antiseptic)
Ingredients
- Very fresh mackerel fillets — 4 fillets (fish)
- Coarse sea salt — 500 g (salting)
- Bay leaves — 3 (flavor)
- Olive oil — for serving (softens when eating)
Method
- Line a dish with a layer of coarse salt.
- Place the fillets skin side down, tuck in the bay leaves, then cover completely with a second layer of salt.
- Cover and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours depending on thickness.
- Rinse the fillets in fresh water, pat dry thoroughly.
- Slice into thin strips, drizzle with olive oil, and serve on a barley flatbread.
How it was made : Tarichos (salted or dried fish) was a pillar of ancient diet and trade: salting workshops dotted the Mediterranean, with transport in amphorae. It allowed port cities like Alexandria to eat fish far from the coast and out of season.
The contemporary twist : Dressed in thin translucent slices on the barley flatbread, a drizzle of oil and a turn of the pepper mill, an ancient "tataki" version of mackerel.
Hero of Alexandria · Charactorium
