Recipe Manuscript

To Roast A Pike

Name: To Roast A Pike
Prep time: PTPT40M
Cook time: PTPT45M
Yield: 6
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: 1 whole pike (1.5–2 kg), cleaned and deslimed with salt; 50 g salt (for cleaning, not all used in dish); 100 g pickled herring fillet, cut into thin strips; 200 g fresh large oysters (or mussels, as substitute); 100 ml dry red wine (claret); 1 tsp ground black pepper; 1/2 tsp sea salt; 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg; 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped; 1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped; 1 tbsp fresh winter savory, chopped (or substitute with extra thyme and marjoram); 100 g unsalted butter, melted; 2–3 anchovy fillets, finely chopped; Extra kitchen twine for tying; 2 wooden sticks, approx. 2 cm wide and length of fish

1700

From the treasured pages of Receipts in cookery and medicine 1700

Unknown Author

Renaissance (1400 - 1700)European Advanced Dinner Lunch

Original Recipe • 1700

Original Manuscript(circa Renaissance, 1400 - 1700)

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

To Roast A Pike

"Take a pike, scoure of the slime with salt, takeing out ye intrals (but break not the gaul) lard with the backe of pickled herringe, haue a sharp bodkin to make ye holes for a lardinge pin will serue, then take some great oysters washt with clarrett wine, seasoned with peper, salt & nuttmegg, half fry the oysters in a fryinge pan stuff the belly of the pike with these oysters and mix mixe with them rosemary, thime, winter savory. sow these up in the belly of the pike & gitt two sticks of the lenght of ye pike, & of the breadth of laths and tye them with packthred all alonge and if the spitt burst broad as the pike, tye the sticks to the spitt & the pike to them with packthred all alonge and if the spitt the sticks doe not dessend the pike you must tye the rosemary or bays to preserue the pike, cast the pike with butterr & clarett wine, when it is roasted, serve up the belly of the pike with some anchoues dissolved in it, when the herbes which were whole must be taken out &c."

Note on the Original Text

The recipe is written in vernacular early modern English, with idiosyncratic spelling, little punctuation, and flowing sentences. Words like 'scoure,' 'gaul,' and 'lardinge' reflect phonetic spelling and 17th-century usage. Instructions are delivered in a continuous manner, with actions and seasoning mingled. Quantities are rarely given—cooks were expected to use their judgment and experience. The method relies on both written and oral tradition, presuming the reader is familiar with basic kitchen techniques like larding, stuffing, roasting on a spit, and basting, as these were common knowledge among period cooks. The recipe ends with cues for serving and embellishments, typical of cuisine meant for grand occasions.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

Receipts in cookery and medicine 1700 - Click to view recipe in book

Title

Receipts in cookery and medicine 1700 (1700)

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

Writer

Unknown

Era

1700

Publisher

Unknown

Background

Step into the kitchen of the early 18th century, where this charming culinary manuscript tempts tastebuds with recipes and secrets from a bygone era. A delicious journey for both the curious cook and the history lover.

Kindly made available by

Folger Shakespeare Library

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This recipe hails from a handwritten English culinary manuscript around 1700, when roasting large freshwater fish like pike was considered a grand, even festive, centerpiece for the table. Pike was a highly valued fish at the time, often featured at banquets and holiday meals, especially among the gentry who could source such impressive specimens. The elaborate larding and stuffing with richly spiced oysters reflect a taste for luxurious and complex flavors, with claret and anchovies showing the growing European trade in spices, wine, and preserved fish. The instructions also reveal a transitional period in English cooking, where medieval tricks (like larding and extensive seasoning) blend with early modern refinements such as careful basting and the use of wine-based sauces.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

In the early 18th century, the cook would have used a large open-hearth fireplace equipped with a spit for roasting. Wooden lath-like sticks were employed to stabilize soft or large fish during roasting, tied securely with strong thread or string (called packthread). A bodkin or a larding pin—both sharp, pointed instruments—was used to make holes for slipping in strips of pickled herring as lardons. Frying pans and simple knives were used to prepare the oyster stuffing. Basting would be done with a feather or a dedicated basting brush, and sewing needles threaded with kitchen twine kept the stuffing snug in the fish’s belly.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

40 mins

Cook Time

45 mins

Servings

Ingredients

1 whole pike (3.3–4.4 lb), cleaned and deslimed with salt
1.8 oz salt (for cleaning, not all used in dish)
3.5 oz pickled herring fillet, cut into thin strips
7 oz fresh large oysters (or mussels, as substitute)
3.5 fl oz dry red wine (claret)
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 tbsp fresh winter savory, chopped (or substitute with extra thyme and marjoram)
3.5 oz unsalted butter, melted
2–3 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
Extra kitchen twine for tying
2 wooden sticks, approx. 3/4 inch wide and length of fish

Instructions

To make Roasted Pike in the spirit of this 1700 recipe, first clean a whole pike (about 3.3 to 4.4 pounds) by scrubbing off the slime with coarse salt.
Remove the innards carefully, taking special care not to break the gall bladder, which could impart bitterness.
Lard the fish by making small incisions along its back and inserting thin strips of pickled herring.
Prepare about 7 ounces of large oysters, wash them in 3.5 fl oz of dry red wine (claret), then season generously with black pepper, salt, and a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg.
Half-fry these oysters in a pan and stuff them, along with a mix of chopped fresh rosemary, thyme, and winter savory, into the belly of the pike.
Sew the fish’s belly closed with kitchen twine.
Support the pike by sandwiching it between two wooden sticks about as long as the fish and about 3/4 inch wide, tying the whole assembly securely.
If roasting on a spit, tie the pike to the spit with additional twine, ensuring it’s stable.
Baste the fish occasionally with melted butter and a splash of claret wine as it roasts.
When done and beautifully golden, transfer to a serving platter.
Remove the herbs, then serve the pike with a sauce made from the pan juices, enriched with a couple of anchovies dissolved in.
Serve hot for a celebratory feast.

Estimated Calories

425 per serving

Cooking Estimates

Cleaning and preparing the pike, stuffing with herring and oysters, and tying it up takes some time, but roasting is straightforward. The finished dish serves about 6 people and each serving has around 425 calories, mostly from the fish, oysters, butter, and wine.