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Isicia ex Sphondylis (Mussel Forcemeat)
Isicia ex Sphondylis (Mussel Forcemeat) is a traditional Ancient Roman recipe for a classic spiced forcemeat of mussel meat bound with egg that's flavoured with nuts, wrapped in caul fats and fried. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Ancient Roman version of: Mussel Forcemeat (Isicia ex Sphondylis).
prep time
20 minutes
cook time
25 minutes
Total Time:
45 minutes
Serves:
4
Rating: 
Tags : Bread RecipesAncient Roman Recipes
Original Recipe
Isicia ex sphondylis: elixatos sphondylos conteres et nervos eorum eximes, deinde cum eis alicam elixatam; ova conteres, piper, liquamen. isicia ex his facies cum nucleis et pipere. in omento assabis, oenogaro perfundes, et pro isiciis inferes.
Translation
Mussel Forcemeat: Take mussels, boil them and remove the membranes. [Chop very finely] then pound with boiled spelt, eggs, pepper and
liquamen. Make forcemeats from this with nuts and pepper. Fry in caul fats, moisten with wine sauce and serve like forcemeats.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
225g cooked
mussels meat, minced
60g fine breadcrumbs, soaked in milk and squeezed dry
1/2 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
4 tbsp grated nuts or pine nuts
1 egg, lightly beaten
caul fat or sausage casings
2 tbsp olive oil, for frying
2 tsp
wine sauce
Method:
Combine the mussel meat, black pepper and nuts in a mortar and work together. Stir in the breadcrumbs then add just enough egg to bind the mixture.
Either roll into sausage shapes and cover in caul fat, or stuff into casings and shape into small sausages. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, add the mussel sausages and fry until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a serving plate, sprinkle a little of the wine sauce over the top to flavour and serve.
Find more recipes from Apicius' De Re Coquinaria along with information on Apicius and his cookbook, all part of this site's Ancient Roman recipes collection.
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