Recipe for
Embracum Baianum
(Baian Stew)
by Apicius IX, XII, 431
Original: Embracum baianum: Ostreas minutas, sfondylos, urticas in caccabum mittes, nucleos tostos concisos, rutam, apium, piper, coriandrum, cuminum, passum, liquamen, caerotam, oleum.
Translation: Baian sauce: Into a pot put small oysters, mussels, jellyfish, chopped roasted pine nuts, rue, celery, pepper, coriander, cumin, passum, garum, dates, and oil.
A main seafood course to impress
Ingredients
Preparation
- Soak the oysters, clams and mussels (not the squid) in cold salted water for a few hours to force them to open and purge any sand inside. Change the water after the first hour.
- Place the olive oil in a large sauce pan and add all the ingredients, except the wine, rue and passum and cook gently without burning.
- After a few minutes of cooking raise the heat to full and add the drained and rinsed molluscs and squid and stir. Then add the white wine and allow to evaporate for a minute before adding the passum and rue.
- Cover and cook on medium heat until the molluscs open and are cooked. (about 5 minutes should be enough) Season with pepper and serve.
- You may wish to cut down on the amount of rue in this recipe and replace it with chopped coriander leaves or flat leaf parsley.
