This is a British recipe involving ingredients that weren’t available in the same marine habitat in American waters.

Recipes

Salmon in Slices with Prawn Sauce

Date

March 6, 2023

Learn about this recipe from our Historic Foodways staff, then try it at home.

This is a British recipe involving ingredients that weren’t available in the same marine habitat in American waters. The range of the Atlantic Salmon in North America begins in the colder waters of the Northeast, whereas the shrimp is found in southern latitudes.

Learn how we make this recipe in our kitchens based on the 18th-century description below, then use our 21st-century translation to try the recipe at home!

18th Century

Take about six slices of salmon and lay in soak in what the French call hot marinade; scrape some fat bacon, or a piece of butter, and a little minced shallot, a green onion, a mushroom, sweet basil and parsley, and a very little pepper and salt; fry all gently for two or three minutes...

— Verral, William. Verral’s Complete System of Cookery (1759). London: Sylvan Press, 1948, p. 65.

21st Century

Ingredients

Shrimp Stock

1 carrot, minced
1 stalk celery, minced
1 onion, minced
1 tablespoon butter
½ lb. shrimp, shelled and deveined
½ lb. shelled crawfish tails
shrimp shells, or crayfish bodies along with tail shells
1 anchovy
juice of 1 lemon
2 cups of water

Hot Marinade

½ stick butter or 3 slices of bacon
1 shallot, minced
2 green onions, minced
1 cup of button mushrooms, minced
½ lemon, sliced
3 Tbsp. fresh basil, minced
3 Tbsp. fresh parsley, minced
salt and pepper for seasoning
six 6-oz. salmon fillets

Instructions

Shrimp Stock

Fry the celery, onion, and carrot in the butter until soft. Then add the shrimp shells or crayfish bodies, lemon juice and anchovy. Saute the ingredients together until fragrant.
Add the water and bring to a low boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer for 30 minutes.
Strain out the shells and return the broth to the pan. Add in the shelled crayfish tails or uncooked shrimp. Take the pan off the heat and cook the shrimp off the heat. Cover and keep warm.

Hot Marinade

Season the salmon steaks with salt and pepper.
Melt the butter or render the bacon fat in a frying pan over medium heat.
Add the next six ingredients and cook until the onions and shallots are translucent.
Take the pan off the heat and add the salmon steaks, turning frequently.
Grill or broil the salmon steaks 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Serve with the shrimp/crawfish broth as a sauce, using the shrimp or crayfish tails as garnish.