Pike in Verjuice, for Lean Days
A freshwater fish poached then napped with a sauce of verjuice, ginger and parsley, bright and tangy. A penitential dish without meat or animal fat, both sober and refined, worthy of a noble table on a lean day.
A freshwater fish poached then napped with a sauce of verjuice, ginger and parsley, bright and tangy. A penitential dish without meat or animal fat, both sober and refined, worthy of a noble table on a lean day.
On the road to the Grail, there are days when meat is forbidden, when the knight must fast and keep his soul clean. Then I remember the Fisher King, who on the still waters cast his line. They served me pike, that wolf-fish of the rivers, not in fat but in tart verjuice, with ginger that warms and parsley from the garden. Light it is, and yet noble, for even in penance a knight does not eat like a swine. Take it on Friday, friend, and think of what you seek.
- •Pike (or other river fish) — a fine fish (lean-day dish)
- •Verjuice — for the sauce (noble acidity, replacing lemon)
- •Ginger — a pinch (warm spice)
- •Parsley and green herbs — a handful (color and freshness)
- •Bread crumbs — a little (sauce thickener)
- •Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Pike in Verjuice, for Lean Days
A freshwater fish poached then napped with a sauce of verjuice, ginger and parsley, bright and tangy. A penitential dish without meat or animal fat, both sober and refined, worthy of a noble table on a lean day.
Why this dish? At the heart of the quest stands the Fisher King, wounded guardian of the Grail, who fishes from his boat. Fish is the food of lean days — Fridays, Lent, spiritual penances — that mark Perceval's path to the Grail. This pike in verjuice, tangy and light, is the food of the knight who fasts and purifies himself.
On the road to the Grail, there are days when meat is forbidden, when the knight must fast and keep his soul clean. Then I remember the Fisher King, who on the still waters cast his line. They served me pike, that wolf-fish of the rivers, not in fat but in tart verjuice, with ginger that warms and parsley from the garden. Light it is, and yet noble, for even in penance a knight does not eat like a swine. Take it on Friday, friend, and think of what you seek.
Ingredients (period version)
- Pike (or other river fish) — a fine fish (lean-day dish)
- Verjuice — for the sauce (noble acidity, replacing lemon)
- Ginger — a pinch (warm spice)
- Parsley and green herbs — a handful (color and freshness)
- Bread crumbs — a little (sauce thickener)
- Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Pike fillets (or zander, perch) — 600 g (fish)
- Verjuice (or 2/3 green grape juice + 1/3 mild vinegar) — 120 ml (acidic sauce)
- Fresh grated ginger — 1 tsp (spice)
- Flat-leaf parsley — 1 bunch (herb)
- Stale bread crumbs — 30 g (thickener)
- Court-bouillon (water, salt, herbs) — 1 L (poaching liquid)
Method
- Prepare a light court-bouillon (water, salt, a little parsley) and poach the pike fillets at a simmer for 6-8 min. Keep warm.
- Soak the bread crumbs in a little verjuice.
- Blend or pound together the verjuice, ginger, soaked bread and half the parsley to obtain a smooth, bright sauce; season with salt.
- Warm the sauce without boiling (the verjuice must remain tangy).
- Nap the fish with the sauce, sprinkle with remaining parsley. Serve with white bread.
How it was made : Lean days (about half the year in the Middle Ages) required fish and almond milk instead of meat and lard. Verjuice, the sour juice of unripe grapes, was the medieval cook's citrus, abundantly cited in Le Ménagier de Paris and Le Viandier for fish sauces.
The contemporary twist : Plate the pearly fillet on a veil of green sauce, a few borage flowers: "the Fisher King's dish" revisited, sober and luminous.
Sources : Le Ménagier de Paris (1393) · Le Viandier (Taillevent, 14th c.)
Perceval · Charactorium