Artificial Anchovies
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the salt mixture
In a mortar, pound together the salt, coarse sea salt, saltpetre, prunella, and cochineal.
Pack and cure
In a stone pan, layer the sprats and the salt mixture alternately until full. Press down hard on the layers.
Cover the pan tightly and let it sit for six months.
After six months, the mixture will be ready to use as a flavorful sauce.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Sprats
- Provide the fish flesh that breaks down during curing into a savoury, umami-rich paste.
- Salt
- Draws out moisture and preserves the fish while flavour develops over the long cure.
- Saltpetre
- Helps preserve the colour of the cured fish and adds to the preservation during curing.
The step that matters
Pressing the layers firmly. Packing the sprats and salt tightly removes air pockets and keeps the fish submerged in its own brine, which limits spoilage during the long cure.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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