Sea Bass – Ancient Roman Recipe

Welcome to our kitchen. Today we prepare an ancient Roman fish recipe, poached sea bass with a delicious aromatic sauce. We need a sea bass. Then 30 milliliters of white wine vinegar, 100 milliliters of dry white wine, a bit of honey, olive oil, wheat starch, and garum. We'll talk later about it. Then dry onions and the spices, black pepper and lovage, and some fresh herbs, parsley and oregano. First, we grind the spices. Black pepper and lovage are widely used in ancient Roman cuisine. We add the dry onions and we finely grind them. You can use more or less according to your taste. The original recipe is part of the collection attributed to Marcus Cavius Apicius, the most extensive source of ancient Roman recipes. The author recommends this sauce with any poached or simmered fish. We chose to use sea bass, a fish highly prized by ancient Romans. Saltwater fish was a staple food in ancient Roman banquets, while freshwater fish was mostly consumed by common people. We discard the stems of the oregano and we mince it. Then we mince the parsley. We prefer to use more parsley than oregano. Oregano can easily be overpowering. Now we prepare the sauce. We pour the olive oil in a pot, then the white wine, vinegar, and garum. We add just a little honey to balance the acidity. Garum was a fish sauce produced and used throughout the ancient Mediterranean. It was made from different species of fish, with or without spices. You can substitute it with a Southeast Asian fish sauce. They are produced in the same way as some types of garum. Garum, or fish sauce, is pretty salty. Use it sparingly. When the sauce starts to boil, we add the spices and onion. Then we pour the starch mixed with a bit of water. When the sauce thickens, we add the oregano and parsley. Keep aside a little to garnish the plate. Now the sauce is ready. Then we poach the sea bass. There are no directions about this step in the original recipe. We chose to rely on the recipes of later centuries. We poach it with just water, salt, and vinegar. Now we plate the sea bass, pour the sauce, and add fresh parsley and oregano. This fresh and aromatic dish is a delicious way to experience the ancient Roman flavors.