Page 62 - Spring2009

frequently refers to salmon rather than the her- The Cook and Housewife’s Manual of 1826, allegedly written by Mis-
ring. . . . The traditional cereal-based diet being tress Meg Dods, the dauntless landlady of the inn in Sir Walter Scott’s novel
short in vitamins A and D meant that herrings, St. Ronan’s Well, was actually penned by Mrs. Isobel Christian Johnson,
richly endowed with these, could provide an wife of an Edinburgh publisher and herself the editor of Tait’s Magazine.
excellent supplement.” McNeill shares many of Meg Dods’s recipes in order to exemplify the
McNeill provides at least a dozen recipes Anglo-Gallic style of cooking that Mrs. Dods/Mrs. Johnson considered
for fish liver dishes, attesting to their popular- the greatest the world had ever known. McNeill feels that the work, filled
ity, and remarking that “The livers, which must with practical culinary advice as well as sound gastronomic philosophy,
be perfectly fresh, make a rich and nourishing is “not unworthy to be placed alongside its French contemporary, Brillat
stuffing. (Cod liver is richest in oil.) In Shetland, Savarin’s Physiologie du Goût.”
where they are much used, a special utensil called The Manual’s simple but refined method of vegetable preparation
a pannabrad (panna, kettle and brad, melting) is would be appreciated today: tender vegetables are steamed—never boiled
used for melting fish livers, and the oil obtained to death in water—and served with complementary fresh herbs and butter;
is stored for winter use.” potatoes are to be fried in goose fat; sorrel is cooked in butter. Luscious

COMMON FISH DISHES FROM THE SCOTS KITCHEN

TO FRY HERRING IN THE SCOTS FASHION

Wha’ll buy my caller [fresh] herrin’?
They’re bonnie fish and dainty fairin’
Wha’ll buy my caller herrin’
New drawn frae the Forth?
—Lady Nairne: Caller Herrin’

Fresh herring, oatmeal, pepper, salt, dripping
“Cleanse, dry and trim the herring. Score across slantwise in two or three places on each side. Sprinkle with pepper
and salt and toss in coarse oatmeal on a sheet of kitchen paper until they are thoroughly coated. An ounce of oatmeal and
the same quantity of dripping should be allowed for every two herring. Make the dripping smoking hot in a frying-pan and
brown the herring nicely on both sides, allowing them from ten to fifteen minutes. Drain on paper and serve very hot. They
may be garnished with parsley and cut lemon. In Buchan, vinegar and oatcakes are considered the perfect accompaniment
to this dish.”

CRAPPIT [STUFFED] HEIDS
Formerly a favorite supper dish all over Scotland.

Heads of haddock, forcemeat
“The original Scots farce was simply oatmeal, minced suet or butter, pepper, salt, and onions made into a coarse
forcemeat for stuffing the heads of haddock and whiting. Modern crappit heads are farced with the fleshy parts of a boiled
lobster or crab, minced, a boned anchovy, the chopped yolk of an egg, grated bread or pounded biscuit, white pepper,
salt, cayenne, a large piece of butter broken down into bits, with beat eggs to bind, and a little oyster liquor. A plainer and
perhaps as suitable stuffing may be made of the roe of haddock or cod parboiled, skinned and minced, mixed with double
its bulk of pounded rusks or bread-crumbs, a good piece of butter, shred parsley, and seasonings, with an egg to cement
the forcemeat. Place the crappit heads on end in the bottom of a buttered stew-pan, pour the fish-soup gently over them,
cover and boil a half-hour.”

CRAPPIT HEIDS FROM THE ISLE OF LEWIS

The heads and livers of fresh haddock, oatmeal, pepper, salt, milk
“Chop the livers, which must be perfectly fresh, mix them with an equal quantity of raw oatmeal, add pepper and salt,
and bind with the milk. Stuff the heads with this mixture, and boil them with the fish. The liquor makes good stock for fish
soup.
A similar stuffing is made with cods’ livers, but the body, not the head, is stuffed, through the gullet.”
60 Wise Traditions SPRING 2009