Gooseberry Sauce for Boiled Mackerel is a traditional British recipe, based on Mrs Beeton's recipe of 1861, for a classic sauce of green gooseberries that are pureed and finished with butter, bechamel sauce, nutmeg and honey. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Gooseberry Sauce for Boiled Mackerel.
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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
GOOSEBERRY SAUCE FOR BOILED MACKEREL.
429. INGREDIENTS.—1 pint of green gooseberries, 3 tablespoonfuls of Béchamel, No. 367 (veal gravy may be substituted for this), 2 oz. of fresh butter; seasoning to taste of salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg.
Mode.—Boil the gooseberries in water until quite tender; strain them, and rub them through a sieve. Put into a saucepan the Béchamel or gravy, with the butter and seasoning; add the pulp from the gooseberries, mix all well together, and heat gradually through. A little pounded sugar added to this sauce is by many persons considered an improvement, as the saccharine matter takes off the extreme acidity of the unripe fruit.
Time.—Boil the gooseberries from 20 minutes to 1/2 hour.
Sufficient, this quantity, for a large dish of mackerel.
Seasonable from May to July.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
400g green gooseberries (ie unripe)
3 tbsp Béchamel sauce
60g butter
freshly-grated nutmeg, to taste
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
sugar or honey, to taste
Method:
Add the gooseberries to a pan with 300ml water. Bring to a boil and cook, covered, for about 20 minutes, or until the gooseberries are very tender. Drain the fruit then purée in a blender before pressing through a fine-meshed sieve and placing in a pan along with the Béchamel sauce, butter and seasonings.
Heat through, add sugar or honey, to taste then serve as a sauce with boiled, fried or barbecued mackerel.
