WHAT IS GARUM?
In ancient times, garum, the fermented fish sauce, was made from the entrails of fresh fish placed in vats and layered with salt – and sometimes herbs – then pressed with a stone to extract the essence. It was used as a seasoning to add salinity and umami to dishes, and was so concentrated that only a few drops were needed. Commonly, garum was diluted in olive oil, wine and vinegar to make sauces, or diluted with water for drinking.
Garum Recipe.
2 pounds small fish (smelt, sprat, anchovy, sardine. Can be frozen, but must be whole)
500 gr sea salt or kosher salt
2½ Tbsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp dried mint
1½ liter (2¾ pints) water
Preparation in advance
Rinse the fish under running water, leave them intact (do not remove gills, innards or whatever). Put fish, salt and herbs in a cooking pan, add enough water to cover the fish with one or two inches of liquid on top, in my pan that was 1.5 liter.
Preparation
Bring to the boil, let boil for fifteen minutes. The fish are cooked to a pulp. Crush the fish even more with a wooden spoon; continue boiling until the liquid starts to thicken, about twenty minutes.
Now start straining. First use a coarse strainer or colander to remove all the larger bits and pieces. Then strain the liquid several times through a kitchen cloth or paper towel until the liquid is clear. Make sure that during the last straining turn the garum has cooled to room temperature. Depending on the fish you use, and how long everything has boiled, you’ll end up with a pale yellow to deep amber coloured liquid.
Keep the garum in sterilized glass jars or bottles in the refrigerator. It may be that salt crystals are collecting at the bottom of the jar (see below for the explanation). When the garum returns to room temperature, the crystals will dissolve again.
Because of the high content of salt, this sauce will keep for years. You’ll need but a tea- or tablespoon full at the time. Take care to use a completely clean spoon for taking garum out of the jar, and when pouring it out of a bottle, wipe the neck with a clean cloth before putting the cap back on.
The quick and easy garum is surprisingly barely fishy at all, and tastes quite good. The main difference from this garum with modern Asian fish sauces and authentic Roman garum is that it is not made with fermented fish but boiled fish. Asian fish sauce often is made without herbs, resulting in a slightly more simple taste.
Garum should be a fairly clear liquid. Throw it away if it turns opaque. Always take care that the spoon which is used to take garum out of the pot is absolutely clean, and when it is poured out of a bottle, wipe the neck with a clean cloth.
Sterile pot or jar
Start with rinsing the bottle or jar with detergent. If it is a used bottle or jar, check that there no lingering smells. Then either cook the bottle or jat with sodium carbonate, or rinse with water to which a little sulfite is added (½ tsp sodium for 1 liter/2 cups water) and a pinch of citric acid. Then rinse well twice with boiling water, set the bottle or jar with the opening up on a clean towel to dry. The moisture will evaporate.
Saturation of water with salt
There is only so much salt you can dissolve in water. At room temperature that is about 30% (300 gram salt in 1 liter water), in boiling water 40%. When the solution cools down, the excess of salt will form crystals. In my recipe I start with 30% salt, but because of the reduction the concentration of salt will become higher. If the concentration is higher than 40%, there will be salt crystals in the liquid even at boiling point. It is no use adding these to the strained garum, that liquid is saturated.