Pescado En Salsa Holandesa

This recipe comes from a handwritten Mexican manuscript cookbook, 'Recetas de Cocina por Mi Profesor Sr. H. Winder,' created in 1904 by Paulina Morante. It reflects the turn-of-the-century Mexican kitchen influenced by European (especially French) traditions, as seen in the mention of 'salsa Holandesa' (a nod to Hollandaise sauce, though the sauce here is unspecified). Such fusion recipes were common among the urban middle and upper classes during the Porfiriato, a period known for its francophile culinary aspirations. The cookbook itself is a precious artifact, blending handwritten domestic wisdom with clippings from newspapers, capturing a fascinating culinary transition era.

In the early 1900s, the fish would have been cleaned with a simple kitchen knife and rinsed in a basin or under a well tap. Cooking would have been done on a wood or coal stove, in a large pottery or enamel pot with a heavy lid to maintain even heat. Serving platters were often made of glazed ceramic or metal, while potatoes would be boiled in a separate pot. Parsley was snipped with kitchen scissors or a knife. All steps required careful attention and a practiced hand, without modern timers or kitchen gadgets.