Original Recipe
[To cook fish]
Hierophile, 13th century
…one should choose fish which has a delicate flesh… They should be cooked with oxymel, vinegar and garum. [Master Demetrios, Byzantine Cuisine]

Ingredients:

• 4 lbs. salmon fillets
• 4 Tbsp. White wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. Honey
• 2 tsp. Fish sauce
• Olive oil

Method:

• Spread a small amount of olive oil in the bottom of the baking dish to prevent sticking.
• Place the fish in the baking dish, skin side down.
• Pour the vinegar, honey, and fish sauce combined into a sauce over the fish.
• Bake at 350° for about 30 minutes, or until the flesh from the thickest part of the filet can be flaked with a fork.

Number of Servings
Serves 8-12.

Notes

• The salmon was perhaps a bit stronger flavor that Hierophile had in mind, but it was at a reasonable price, whereas other, milder fish were not.
• I choose the salmon. Again there is no indication of how the fish was cooked, but as it appears that fish should be cooked with the sauce, I decided to bake it.
• I have used Thai fish sauce to approximate garum. I find that I cannot tolerate the smell of fish sauce, but the flavor is not at all objectionable. This was excellent served chilled with Mustard Sauce.