Recipe Manuscript

To Dress A Codds Head

Name: To Dress A Codds Head
Prep time: PTPT40M
Cook time: PTPT45M
Yield: 8
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: 1 large cod head (1.5–2 kg); 1.5 liters water; 1 tablespoon salt; 2 tablespoons vinegar; 1/2 teaspoon ground mace; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 1/2 teaspoon salt (for dredging); 1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram; 1 tablespoon chopped lemon thyme; 60 g white breadcrumbs, dried/toasted; 200 ml strong fish or beef stock; 50 g mushrooms, finely chopped; 100 ml oyster liquor or fish brine; 50 g cooked cockles or clams; 2 anchovies, chopped; 1 tablespoon capers; 50 g pickled gherkin (substitute for historical 'mango'); 50 ml red wine (clarett); 2 egg yolks; 30 g butter (for sauce); Small whole fish (smelt, whitebait) for frying (about 200–300 g); 300 g lobster and/or crab meat; 100 ml white wine; 1 tablespoon lemon zest, shredded; 1/4 teaspoon ground mace (for lobster mix); 30 g butter (for lobster mix); Assorted pickles for garnish

1707

From the treasured pages of Mrs. Rachel Kirk Book 1707

Written by Rachel Kirk

Culinary Enlightenment (1700 - 1800)European Advanced Dinner Lunch

Original Recipe • 1707

Original Manuscript(circa Culinary Enlightenment, 1700 - 1800)

As inscribed by the original author's hand, transcribed with care by Lost Kitchen Scrolls

To Dress A Codds Head

"Take a large codds head and set it on to boyle and a little water and salt and vinegar then boyle it till it bee enough then take it up out of the fire to broyle and dridge it over with a little mace pepper and salt sweet Marjoram lemon time bread crums dryed by the fire then prepare your sauce strong gravy and shred Mushroms oyster liquor cockles and mango two anchovies and a few capers mix a litle clarett two eggs yolks thicken it but not to let it boyle chicken some butterr and shake all these together have all sorts of fish you can gett for frying have lobsters and crabbs take all the meat of them and stew them in white wine and oyster liquor a litle shred lemon and mace till they be tender and a litle butterr make it not too thick then have a mould like a scolop made like a shell and bake them as you doe sulcapes when they are dryed by the fire fill your shells with lobsters set it about your dish garnish your dish with pickles then dish up your codds head and stick your small fish about so pour on your sauce and serve it upp hott:"

Note on the Original Text

The recipe is written in a free-flowing prose style, typical of the early 18th century, lacking precise measurements or step-by-step instructions. The spelling reflects contemporary usage: 'boyle' for boil, 'dridge' for dredge, and 'mango' as pickled melon or gherkin. This looseness leaves interpretation to the cook’s experience, and assumes familiarity with processes like making 'gravy' (broth), handling shellfish, and broiling. Ingredients are mentioned as found or available, demonstrating a flexible, resourceful approach.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

Mrs. Rachel Kirk Book 1707 - Click to view recipe in book

Title

Mrs. Rachel Kirk Book 1707 (1707)

You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome

Writer

Rachel Kirk

Era

1707

Publisher

Unknown

Background

A remarkable collection of early 18th-century recipes, Rachel Kirk's work invites readers into the kitchens of the past where classic culinary traditions and timeless flavors come alive. Expect a charming medley of savory feasts and sweet treats reflective of the era's sophisticated palate.

Kindly made available by

Folger Shakespeare Library

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This recipe, originally penned by Rachel Kirk in 1707, reflects the grand, festive cookery of early 18th-century England. The cod's head was considered a showpiece for the table, popular at banquets, and often surrounded by luxurious shellfish and elaborate garnishes. Its elaborate sauces—blending pickles, wine, eggs, and a melange of seafood—epitomize the era’s enthusiasm for complex, savory, and sweet-sour flavors. What was once mango in British recipes referenced pickled fruit, often melon or gherkin, rather than the tropical fruit we think of today.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

Cooks of the period would have used large iron or copper cauldrons for boiling fish, gridirons for broiling, and long-handled ladles or wooden spoons for stirring sauces. Breadcrumbs were dried at the hearth and ground with a mortar and pestle. Baking shellfish mixes called for earthenware or tin shell-shaped molds. Dishes were assembled on large, decorative platters, often with elaborate garnishes.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

40 mins

Cook Time

45 mins

Servings

Ingredients

1 large cod head (3–4 lbs)
6 1/4 cups water
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ground mace
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt (for dredging)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram
1 tablespoon chopped lemon thyme
2 oz white breadcrumbs, dried/toasted
7 fl oz strong fish or beef stock
1 3/4 oz mushrooms, finely chopped
3 1/2 fl oz oyster liquor or fish brine
1 3/4 oz cooked cockles or clams
2 anchovies, chopped
1 tablespoon capers
1 3/4 oz pickled gherkin (substitute for historical 'mango')
1 3/4 fl oz red wine (clarett)
2 egg yolks
1 oz butter (for sauce)
Small whole fish (smelt, whitebait) for frying (about 7–10 1/2 oz)
10 1/2 oz lobster and/or crab meat
3 1/2 fl oz white wine
1 tablespoon lemon zest, shredded
1/4 teaspoon ground mace (for lobster mix)
1 oz butter (for lobster mix)
Assorted pickles for garnish

Instructions

Begin by procuring a large cod's head—about 3–4 lbs.
Place it in a wide pot with enough water to cover halfway (~6 1/4 cups), adding 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 tablespoons of vinegar.
Simmer gently for 15–20 minutes, or until the flesh is just cooked through.
Remove and let cool slightly.
Mix together 1/2 teaspoon ground mace, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh marjoram, 1 tablespoon chopped lemon thyme, and 2 oz dried white breadcrumbs, gently toasted.
Drizzle the surface of the fish with a little oil, then sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over and place under a hot grill (broiler) for about 4–5 minutes, until golden.
For the sauce, heat 7 fl oz strong fish or beef stock, add 1 3/4 oz chopped mushrooms, 3 1/2 fl oz reserved oyster liquor or fish brine, 1 3/4 oz drained cockles, 2 chopped anchovies, 1 tablespoon chopped capers, and 1 3/4 oz diced pickled gherkin (substitute for historical 'mango', i.e., pickled mango or melon rind).
Stir in 1 3/4 fl oz red wine (clarett).
Beat in 2 egg yolks and 1 oz butter over low heat until thickened, but do not let it boil.
For garnish: fry small fish (such as smelts or whitebait) until golden.
Optionally cook 10 1/2 oz lobster and/or crab meat briefly in 3 1/2 fl oz white wine, 3 1/2 fl oz oyster liquor, 1 tablespoon shredded lemon zest, 1/4 teaspoon mace, and 1 oz butter till tender and saucy but not thick.
Use scallop or shell molds (or ramekins) to bake the lobster mixture at 350°F until set and golden.
Arrange these around the cod's head on a platter, with fried small fish and pickles as garnish.
Pour over the thick sauce and serve hot.

Estimated Calories

520 per serving

Cooking Estimates

Cooking the cod head, sauce, and garnishes takes about 45 minutes. Prepare all fish, shellfish, and other ingredients before you start cooking; this usually takes about 30–40 minutes. Each serving contains roughly 520 calories. This recipe serves 8 people.