Sunday 19 June 2022

'A Prayer of Fresh Fish' by Maria Thomas


She smooths her hands down the vertical stripes of her alb and begins the invocation.

“The perfect batter billows like a pillowcase in the breeze.

Effervescent, bubbles swell and burst crater-like on the surface. Mercurial hops complement the aluminium bite of the ocean-deep.

Beer and flour are chilled numb, sculpting unbearable lightness - the marble veils of Bernini are neither so gossamer, nor so ethereal.

Cod should be thick-fleshed and chalk-white - the length of a hand, the depth of a Hemingway.

Beef dripping injects an umami twist, unctuous, luxuriant, transforming good to glorious.

Frying temperature, no-more-or-less than 1. 8. 5. A fork should fracture the amber crust with a ricochet; saltwater steam should rise, ambrosial, heavenly.

The sacraments: triple cooked chips, sulphuric peas, malt vinegar, clouds of salt. DEMAND SCRAPS.”

No comments:

Post a Comment