Late Roman Empire · Rome
Apicius's Minutal Marinum
From De Re Coquinaria · Apicius · 400
Verified from original source
A Roman fish stew with leeks, wine and aromatic herbs.
History
Minutal Marinum is a Roman seafood stew from the ancient cookbook De Re Coquinaria, attributed to Apicius (likely compiled 4th–5th century CE, though referencing earlier Imperial Roman cuisine). The dish combined fish or shellfish with a complex sauce of wine, vinegar, garum (fermented fish sauce), herbs, and spices. It exemplified elite Roman dining's sophisticated flavour layering and reliance on fermented condiments. Similar minutal recipes appear throughout Apicius's collection, representing the ragout-style preparations favoured by wealthy Romans. Modern chefs occasionally recreate it in historical cooking demonstrations.
Sources
- Apicius, De Re Coquinaria (Apicius: Cookery and Dining in Imperial Rome, trans. Joseph Dommers Vehling, 1936)
- Sally Grainger, Cooking Apicius: Roman Recipes for Today (2006)
- Andrew Dalby and Sally Grainger, The Classical Cookbook (1996)
- Barbara K. Wheaton and Patrick Faas, Around the Roman Table: Food and Feasting in Ancient Rome (2003)
Serves
4
Prep
15m
Cook
20m
Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients
- · 600 g firm white fish, cubed
- · 2 leeks, sliced
- · 120 ml white wine
- · 60 ml olive oil
- · 1 tablespoon chopped fresh savory or thyme
- · 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- · 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- · 1 tablespoon honey
- · Salt and pepper
Method
- 1
Heat olive oil in a large pan and sauté leeks until soft.
- 2
Add wine, savory, cumin and coriander and bring to a simmer.
- 3
Add fish pieces and cook gently for 8-10 minutes.
- 4
Stir in honey and season with salt and pepper.
- 5
Serve immediately in bowls with bread.
