Tarichos, the Salt Fish for Long Voyages
Fillets of fatty fish salted and dried, preserved for weeks, then desalted and eaten with oil and herbs. Very salty, slightly fermented, deeply marine — the food that defies time and the open sea.
Fillets of fatty fish salted and dried, preserved for weeks, then desalted and eaten with oil and herbs. Very salty, slightly fermented, deeply marine — the food that defies time and the open sea.
You who take to the sea, listen well to the Earth-Shaker. Fresh fish I give or take back as I please — but salted fish follows you faithfully from Corinth to the Pillars of the West. They lay it in salt as in a tomb, let it drink the sun, and it keeps the sea prisoner within. Desalt it in water, anoint it with oil, and share it on board: thus have my sailors crossed my waters since the dawn of time.
- •Fatty tuna or mackerel fillets — as much as you like (heart of the dish)
- •Sea salt — in large quantity (preservation)
- •Olive oil — for serving (binder)
- •Oregano or cumin — a pinch (aroma)
Tarichos, the Salt Fish for Long Voyages
Fillets of fatty fish salted and dried, preserved for weeks, then desalted and eaten with oil and herbs. Very salty, slightly fermented, deeply marine — the food that defies time and the open sea.
Why this dish? On the triremes that ply Poseidon's domain, they do not eat fresh: they eat salted. Tarichos, fish preserved in salt, nourished sailors during long crossings that the god could at any moment shatter or bless. It is the traveler's food that entrusts itself to the Earth-Shaker of the waves.
You who take to the sea, listen well to the Earth-Shaker. Fresh fish I give or take back as I please — but salted fish follows you faithfully from Corinth to the Pillars of the West. They lay it in salt as in a tomb, let it drink the sun, and it keeps the sea prisoner within. Desalt it in water, anoint it with oil, and share it on board: thus have my sailors crossed my waters since the dawn of time.
Ingredients (period version)
- Fatty tuna or mackerel fillets — as much as you like (heart of the dish)
- Sea salt — in large quantity (preservation)
- Olive oil — for serving (binder)
- Oregano or cumin — a pinch (aroma)
Ingredients
- Very fresh mackerel (or tuna) fillets — 4 fillets (heart of the dish)
- Coarse sea salt — 500 g (preservation)
- Extra virgin olive oil — 4 tbsp (binder for serving)
- Dried oregano — 1 tsp (aroma)
- Red onion or capers (optional) — to taste (garnish)
Method
- Spread a layer of coarse salt in a dish, place the fillets skin-side up, cover entirely with salt.
- Refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours depending on thickness (the fish firms up and loses water).
- Rinse, then desalt in cold water for 2 to 3 hours, changing the water (taste to adjust).
- Pat dry, slice thinly, arrange on a plate.
- Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with oregano; add onion or capers to taste. Serve with maza.
How it was made : Tarichos (salted fish) was a pillar of Mediterranean trade: it came especially from the Pontus Euxinus (Black Sea) and Spain, and provided storable protein for cities and ships. Salt transformed a perishable catch into provisions lasting several months.
The contemporary twist : Served as 'trireme toast' on crispy maza, with a drizzle of modern garum-mayo and lemon zest: a marine travel mezze.
Sources : Athenaeus of Naucratis, The Deipnosophists (on tarichos) · Robert I. Curtis, Garum and Salsamenta, Brill, 1991
Poseidon · Charactorium