To Pickle Sprats
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the cure
In a mortar, pound together the salt, saltpetre, bay salt, salt-prunella, and cochineal, then mix the pounded ingredients together.
Pack and store
Clean the sprats and do not wash or wipe them.
In a stone pot or barrel, layer the sprats and the salt mixture until full.
Press the sprats down hard and cover them tightly.
Let them stand for six months before using.
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
- The fish being preserved; the salt cure draws out moisture and firms the flesh.
- Coarse sea salt
- Draws water out of the fish and inhibits spoilage-causing microbes during long storage.
- Saltpetre
- Helps keep the fish's colour and firmness during long curing.
- Cochineal
- Adds a red colour to the cured fish.
The step that matters
Press the sprats down hard and cover them tightly. Packing firmly and sealing the container excludes air and keeps the fish submerged in its 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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