Authors: Alan Kistler
Tags: #recipes, #cookbook, #Game of Thrones
A Word of Wisdom
To ensure your baked goods cook as evenly as possible, rotate them halfway through cooking to promote even browning. You can also place a pizza stone or unglazed tiles on the bottom rack to help even out the heat.
Dornish Whiskerfish
At a macabre, fairy-like feast, a prince and a white knight dine in the highest fashion. Along with long green peppers and capons, Dornish Whiskerfish graces the table. Even cooked, the creature is so large that four men struggle to bring it to the table. But smaller whiskerfish from the Greenblood river would make just as keen an impression at a smaller celebration. (
A Dance with Dragons
, Chapter 38 — The Watcher)
Serves 4
4 (7-ounce) catfish fillets
1
⁄
2
cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1
⁄
2
cup cured olives, chopped
1
⁄
4
cup fresh basil, chopped
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 lemon, quartered
A Word of Wisdom
It goes without saying that the best-tasting catfish is going to come from clean streams and lakes. Because they are bottom feeders, the meat may taste muddy. It’s best to fish for catfish before the water temperature gets too warm. When cleaning the fish, remove any of the meat that has blood in it, keeping only the firm white flesh.
Lannister Herb-Crusted Pike
To please a queen is a rare and powerful feat to accomplish within a lifetime. As she considers her victory and looks forward to other plans coming to fruition, Cersei celebrates her pleasure with several dishes, including herb-crusted pike. Likely caught where the Blackwater Rush collides with the salty Blackwater Bay, this carnivorous fish suits the ruthless Queen well. (
A Feast for Crows
, Chapter 24 — Cersei)
Serves 4
1
⁄
2
cup flour
1 cup saltine cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1
⁄
2
teaspoon sage leaves, dried and crumbled
1
⁄
2
teaspoon oregano, dried
3
⁄
4
cup fresh parsley, finely chopped, divided
4 (7-ounce) pike steaks
1
⁄
2
cup vegetable oil or more, divided
4 tablespoons (
1
⁄
2
stick) butter
3 lemons, halved
A Word of Wisdom
Pike can be bony, but larger fish are easiest to fillet. Just caution your guests to be careful when they dig in!
Eastern Fire Crab
East of the Reach and King’s Landing, just north of Kingswood and the Wendwater, tide ebbs and flows out of Blackwater Bay, pulling with it whatever life (or death) finds its way there. Here, crabs of excellent flavor can be found. When the tide recedes, Davos claims several Blackwater crabs as a meal. This exotic recipe might be well known to spice smugglers, like Ser Davos, running both coasts of the narrow sea and testing their goods along the way. (
A Storm of Swords
, Chapter 5 — Davos)
Serves 4
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1
⁄
2
teaspoon black mustard seeds
2 green cardamom pods, bruised
2 cloves
8 fresh curry leaves
1 large red onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon grated fresh gingerroot
1 pound crab on the shell
Table salt to taste
1 teaspoon red chili powder
1
⁄
4
teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 (14-ounce) can light coconut milk
A Word of Wisdom
Crabmeat is tastiest when freshly cooked, but can be stored for a couple of days in the refrigerator before the taste starts to truly be affected. Frozen, it can remain good for about four months.
Pentoshi Crisp Fingerfish
Across the narrow sea, east of King’s Landing, Dragonstone, and Claw Isle, lies the port city of Pentos. Known for its fishing, Pentos is one of the Free Cities where the scent of spices and fish dishes can be smelled all around. Partake of Pentoshi Crisp Fingerfish and the rest of the world may melt away — including the kingdoms across the narrow sea locked in battle for the sake of an iron chair. (
A Dance with Dragons
, Chapter 1 — Tyrion)
Serves 4
About 5 cups oil, for deep-frying
1
1
⁄
2
pounds fresh fingerfish, haddock, or cod fillets
4 large egg yolks
3 cups bread crumbs
2 fresh lemons
A Word of Wisdom
Fish are commonly classified based on their fat content. Lean fish such as red snapper and halibut have a fat content under 3 percent. At the other end, oily fish like swordfish, salmon, and tuna have a fat content of over 10 percent. Lean fish are often sautéed or baked, while broiling is a good cooking method for fish with a higher fat content.
Khaleesi’s Heart
Though she is barely a child in Pentos, Daenerys finds herself thrown into adulthood and making choices she never would have dreamed she would make. In possibly the most vivid and alien moment of her life to date, she proves her strength and loyalty to Khal Drogo’s khalasar by eating a great stallion’s still-beating heart — a practice many other cultures frown on as barbarism. This recipe emulates the Dothraki tradition with fiery grilled beef heart. Unnerving to some and thrilling to others, this dish could prove almost anyone’s mettle. (
A Game of Thrones
, Chapter 46 — Daenerys)
Serves 10