Salmon à la Génévese is a traditional British recipe, based on Mrs Beeton's recipe of 1861, for a classic dish of salmon cooked in white stock flavoured with vegetables, anchovy sauce, herbs and madeira. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Salmon à la Génévese.
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This is a traditional British recipe redacted from the redoubtable Mrs Beeton's 1861 volume Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management, the classic Victorian cookbook.
Original Recipe
307. INGREDIENTS — 2 slices of salmon, 2 chopped shalots, a little parsley, a small bunch of herbs, 2 bay—leaves, 2 carrots, pounded mace, pepper and salt to taste, 4 tablespoonfuls of Madeira, 1/2 pint of white stock (No. 107), thickening of butter and flour, 1 teaspoonful of essence of anchovies, the juice of 1 lemon, cayenne and salt to taste.
Mode.–Rub the bottom of a stewpan over with butter, and put in the shalots, herbs, bay—leaves, carrots, mace, and seasoning; stir them for 10 minutes over a clear fire, and add the Madeira or sherry; simmer gently for 1/2 hour, and strain through a sieve over the fish, which stew in this gravy. As soon as the fish is sufficiently cooked, take away all the liquor, except a little to keep the salmon moist, and put it into another stewpan; add the stock, thicken with butter and flour, and put in the anchovies, lemon—juice, cayenne, and salt; lay the salmon on a hot dish, pour over it part of the sauce, and serve the remainder in a tureen.
Time.–1–1/4 hour. Average cost for this quantity, 3s. 6d.
Sufficient for 4 or 5 persons.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
2 salmon steaks
290ml white stock
2 shallots, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
juice of 1 lemon
1 small bunch of mixed herbs (eg parsley, dill, oregano, basil) very finely chopped
2 bayleaves
4 tbsp Madeira
1 tsp anchovy sauce
butter and flour, to thicken
a little parsley
ground mace, to taste
salt, freshly-ground black pepper and cayenne pepper, to taste
Method:
Rub the base of a saucepan with butter then add the shallots, herbs, bayleaves, carrots and season with mace, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Cook over a low heat, stirring constantly, for 10 minutes then add the Madeira. Bring to a simmer and cook gently, covered, for 30 minutes.
Arrange the fish in a pan then strain the stock over the top. Bring to a simmer and cook gently for about 20 minutes, or until done. As soon as the fish is sufficiently done remove from the liquor (but retain a little to keep the salmon moist). Transfer the excess liquor to another saucepan and add the white stock. Thicken with a little butter and flour mixed together until smooth then add the anchovy sauce, lemon juice, cayenne pepper and salt.
To serve, arrange the salmon on a hot dish and pour over the sauce (serve any remainder in a sauce boat or tureen).
