Recipe Manuscript

Trucha Estofada

Name: Trucha Estofada
Prep time: PTPT20M
Cook time: PTPT35M
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 whole trout (about 800g), scaled and cleaned; 1 teaspoon salt; 250ml dry white wine; 2 dried red peppers or 1 fresh red bell pepper, finely chopped; 1 teaspoon ground ginger; 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg; 8-10 pearl onions, peeled; 1 sprig fresh thyme; 1 sprig fresh marjoram or oregano; 40g unsalted butter; 250ml onion water (cooking liquid from boiling 2 onions); 2 tablespoons neutral oil mixed with 1 teaspoon annatto paste or 1 teaspoon sweet paprika; 4 thick slices rustic bread (approx. 80g each); 30g blanched hazelnuts, lightly toasted; 8-12 large caperberries (alcaparrones)

"Stewed Trout"

1900

From the treasured pages of Mexican Cooking Manuscripts: A Family Collection

Unknown Author

Age of Gastronomy (1800 - 1900)American Intermediate Dinner Lunch

Original Recipe • 1900

Original Manuscript(circa Age of Gastronomy, 1800 - 1900)

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

Trucha Estofada

"Quitada la escama y limpia, se pondra en una casuela en trozos, y alli se le echa sal, vino, pimientos, gengibre y nuez moscada, todo molido, Cebollitas enteras, una rama de tomillo, otra de mejorana, manteca, la agua de las Cebollas, con que sea la precisa se pondra al fuego, se untara de color, y hasta que sea y de servira sobre rebanadas de pan fritas, y se adornara con avellanas, y alcaparrones."

English Translation

"Once the scales are removed and the fish is cleaned, it is cut into pieces and placed in a pan. Salt, wine, peppers, ginger, and nutmeg, all ground, are added, along with whole small onions, a sprig of thyme, another of marjoram, butter, and the water from the onions, using just enough. It is then placed over the heat, colored, and when ready, served over slices of fried bread and garnished with hazelnuts and capers."

Note on the Original Text

The historical recipe is concise, listing actions and ingredients in a stream-of-consciousness style, reflective of manuscript traditions where cooks were presumed to possess basic kitchen knowledge. Quantities are often unspecified, and instructions favor brevity—'se untara de color' refers to annatto (achiote) or paprika brushing, a technique presumed familiar to the intended reader. Spelling and phrasing mirror early 20th-century Mexican Spanish, where some ingredient names (e.g., 'gengibre' for ginger) vary slightly from today’s versions. The recipe style is more suggestive than prescriptive, demanding interpretation and experience from the cook—a conversational, almost secretive tone typical of family cooking manuscripts.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

Mexican Cooking Manuscripts: A Family Collection - Click to view recipe in book

Title

Mexican Cooking Manuscripts: A Family Collection (1900)

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

Writer

Unknown

Era

1900

Publisher

Unknown

Background

Gracefully penned in elegant calligraphy, this volume brings together four cherished family manuscripts from Toluca, Mexico, offering a sumptuous selection of traditional recipes. Delight in the culinary heritage of Mole Poblano, Tapado de nopales, and more, all served with a generous dash of ancestral flavor and timeless technique.

Kindly made available by

University of Texas at San Antonio

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This recipe for 'Trucha Estofada' comes from a family manuscript cookbook penned in Toluca, Mexico, in 1905, reflecting the culinary traditions passed through generations in a single household. The manuscript is one of several volumes, all meticulously handwritten in graceful calligraphy and collected by a Mexican family steeped in tradition. This era in Mexican cooking shows a blend of indigenous and European (mainly Spanish) influences. Common in these manuscripts are recipes that echo Old World methods layered with native ingredients and adaptations, like the inclusion of nutmeg and ginger with local fish. The decorative garnishes hint at festive or special-occasion dining, revealing the sociable, celebratory nature of turn-of-the-20th-century Mexican home kitchens.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

Originally, this dish would have been made using a clay or heavy earthenware pot (cazuela), set directly on a wood or charcoal-fired stove or hearth. Grinding spices would have involved a stone metate or a wooden mortar and pestle, imparting a rustic coarseness and depth to the spice mixture. Cooking would have involved gentle simmering with hands-on attention, frequently basting and coloring the fish as it cooked. Slices of bread were fried on a heavy cast iron or copper griddle, while onions and aromatics simmered in water in a small saucepan. Serving was done on earthenware platters, likely with hand-toasted nuts and preserved caperberries for a touch of elegance.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

35 mins

Servings

We've done our best to adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, but some details may still need refinement. We warmly welcome feedback from fellow cooks and culinary historians — your insights support the entire community!

Ingredients

1 whole trout (about 1¾ lbs), scaled and cleaned
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup dry white wine
2 dried red peppers or 1 fresh red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
8-10 pearl onions, peeled
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 sprig fresh marjoram or oregano
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup onion water (cooking liquid from boiling 2 onions)
2 tablespoons neutral oil mixed with 1 teaspoon annatto paste or 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
4 thick slices rustic bread (approx. 3 oz each)
1 oz blanched hazelnuts, lightly toasted
8-12 large caperberries (alcaparrones)

Instructions

Begin by cleaning and scaling a fresh trout, then cut it into medium-sized pieces.
Place these pieces in a large casserole or shallow pan.
Generously season the fish with salt.
Pour over enough dry white wine to almost cover the fish.
Grind together dried red peppers (or fresh, if preferred), ginger, and nutmeg to make a fragrant spice blend, and add it to the pan.
Drop in several small whole pearl onions, add a sprig of thyme and a sprig of marjoram for herbal depth.
Melt a generous knob of unsalted butter and stir it into the pot.
Prepare some onion water by boiling additional onions and reserving their cooking liquid; pour just enough of this onion water into the pan to cover the fish and ingredients.
Set the pan over medium heat and cook gently, occasionally basting the fish with some oil mixed with annatto paste (or paprika) for color.
When the fish is tender and the sauce has thickened, fry thick slices of rustic bread until golden.
Lay the fish and its aromatic sauce over the bread slices on a serving platter.
To finish, scatter with toasted hazelnuts and plump caperberries for a festive flourish.

Estimated Calories

460 per serving

Cooking Estimates

You will need about 20 minutes to prepare the ingredients, including cleaning and cutting the trout, boiling onions for onion water, and prepping the vegetables and bread. Cooking time is around 35 minutes to gently simmer the fish and toast the bread. Each serving has about 460 calories, and the recipe makes 4 servings.

As noted above, we have made our best effort to translate and adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, taking into account ingredients nowadays, cooking techniques, measurements, and so on. However, historical recipes often contain assumptions that require interpretation.

We'd love for anyone to help improve these adaptations. Community contributions are highly welcome. If you have suggestions, corrections, or cooking tips based on your experience with this recipe, please share them below.