Cavice is a traditional British recipe for a classic Victorian store sauce of anchovies, and shallots with spices and lemon zest in a white wine and white wine vinegar base. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Cavice.
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What precisely caivce is seems to have been lost in time. The problem is that cavice was such a common condiment that everyone knew what it was, so no recipe was written down. Etymologically, the name is related to both catsup/ketchup and escaveche (French for 'food in sauce') and Portuguese escaveach (pickled fish). A variant, caveach refers to an English dish of mackerel preserved and pickled in white wine. Yet, one of the first recipes for ketchup we have, from Eliza Smith's Compleat Housewife, 1727 gives a recipe for ketchup as a spiced condiment of anchovies in vinegar and white wine. I am wondering if cavice was a pickled anchovy vinegar part-way between Eliza Smith's ketchup and classic caveach. I've used this approach in this re-construction.
Ingredients:
300ml white wine vinegar
5 shallots, peeled and bruised
150ml white wine
14 anchovy fillets, pounded to a paste
2 blades of mace
1 tbsp ginger, grated
6 cloves
1 tsp whole black peppercorns, bruised in a mortar
2 tsp freshly-grated nutmeg
6 strips of lemon zest
1 tbsp horseradish, grated
3 tbsp olive oil
Method:
Combine the white wine vinegar and shallots in a large bottle. Hat the olive oil in a pan, add the anchovy paste and the spices and fry for a few minutes, until aromatic. Pour over the white wine, bring to a boil and stir to deglaze the pan. Cook for 3 minutes then stir in the lemon zest and horseradish. Continue boiling for 2 minutes then pour the mixture into the vinegar.
Stopper securely then set aside for 1 week, shaking every day to mix. Store in a cool, dry, place for at least 3 months to marinade then keep in the refrigerator once opened.
