General Rosser's Shad Bake

[Enoch L. Cade]

Morning all. I'm working on something about the infamous shad bake at Five Forks. Alas, most of my library is packed in boxes or waiting to be unpacked so I hope one of y'all might help me.

- I understand Rosser caught them in the Nottoway. Is there any description anywhere of how he accomplished this? I can't imagine he was fly-fishing.
- Why was Rosser near the creek anyway? Was he going to or from somewhere?
- How many did he catch? The shad is not a large fish (maybe 1-2 pounds). How did he transport them to the party location? I have a vague memory that he threw them into a wagon (I have Rosser's memoirs, but alas they are in one of aforesaid boxes).
- How did he cook them? I think in New England the practice is to "plank" them -- clean the fishies then nail them to a plank, and they're smoked. Not a fry, in other words. Is that how they were prepared in Virginia? (And I understand the American shad, as opposed to the hickory shad, is so tasty that it doesn't need seasoning).

Thanks all - just looking for little details to provide more color to a story. Appreciate any help.

 

[13 IL Cav & 64 GA Inf]

Morning all. I'm working on something about the infamous shad bake at Five Forks. Alas, most of my library is packed in boxes or waiting to be unpacked so I hope one of y'all might help me.

- I understand Rosser caught them in the Nottoway. Is there any description anywhere of how he accomplished this? I can't imagine he was fly-fishing.
- Why was Rosser near the creek anyway? Was he going to or from somewhere?
- How many did he catch? The shad is not a large fish (maybe 1-2 pounds). How did he transport them to the party location? I have a vague memory that he threw them into a wagon (I have Rosser's memoirs, but alas they are in one of aforesaid boxes).
- How did he cook them? I think in New England the practice is to "plank" them -- clean the fishies then nail them to a plank, and they're smoked. Not a fry, in other words. Is that how they were prepared in Virginia? (And I understand the American shad, as opposed to the hickory shad, is so tasty that it doesn't need seasoning).

Thanks all - just looking for little details to provide more color to a story. Appreciate any help.

I don't have a clue how they prepared them.

 

[Jamieva]

Morning all. I'm working on something about the infamous shad bake at Five Forks. Alas, most of my library is packed in boxes or waiting to be unpacked so I hope one of y'all might help me.

- I understand Rosser caught them in the Nottoway. Is there any description anywhere of how he accomplished this? I can't imagine he was fly-fishing.
- Why was Rosser near the creek anyway? Was he going to or from somewhere?
- How many did he catch? The shad is not a large fish (maybe 1-2 pounds). How did he transport them to the party location? I have a vague memory that he threw them into a wagon (I have Rosser's memoirs, but alas they are in one of aforesaid boxes).
- How did he cook them? I think in New England the practice is to "plank" them -- clean the fishies then nail them to a plank, and they're smoked. Not a fry, in other words. Is that how they were prepared in Virginia? (And I understand the American shad, as opposed to the hickory shad, is so tasty that it doesn't need seasoning).

Thanks all - just looking for little details to provide more color to a story. Appreciate any help.

 

[gjpratt]

When I was in school in Charlottesville in the 1970s, I attended a "shad planking" in that area. At the time, it was an important state political gathering. This method tenderized the bones. Shad are very bony.

 

[G Low]

When I was in school in Charlottesville in the 1970s, I attended a "shad planking" in that area. At the time, it was an important state political gathering. This method tenderized the bones. Shad are very bony.

Did you eat the bones like sardines?

 

[lupaglupa]

You do NOT eat the bones. I had shad at a festival on the Hudson River some years back. It was more a curiosity that a treat, to be honest. Most people in New York, where shad were quite plentiful, considered the roe a delicacy and didn't prize the flesh.

 

[13 IL Cav & 64 GA Inf]

When I was in school in Charlottesville in the 1970s, I attended a "shad planking" in that area. At the time, it was an important state political gathering. This method tenderized the bones. Shad are very bony.

I can't stand overly bony fish.

 

[G Low]

I can't stand overly bony fish.

You sound like a catfish nugget man

 

[13 IL Cav & 64 GA Inf]

You sound like a catfish nugget man

I used to clean, cook, and eat fish, even small panfish and bass. Now, I go for the filets - with everything done by others!

 

[G Low]

Whole fried catfish, crappie, and bream are excellent if fried correctly!!!!

 

[G Low]

Looks really good.

Looks like six nails in each fish with bones left in .
Looks like galvanized nails, not good.

 

[RedRover]

From 1845, how to bake a shad...

The forcemeat, or stuffing for baked shad described:

From 1876, baking versus roasting a shad...

From 1908, again a reference that baked shad are stuffed...

From 1879, referring to "pickled" shad so that even the bones were eaten...

 

[G Low]

From 1845, how to bake a shad...

View attachment 577691


The forcemeat, or stuffing for baked shad described:

View attachment 577692


From 1876, baking versus roasting a shad...

View attachment 577688


From 1908, again a reference that baked shad are stuffed...

View attachment 577689

From 1879, referring to "pickled" shad so that even the bones were eaten...

View attachment 577690

I've had flounder with crab meat stuffing that was really good. What I want to know is what kind of "tape" was used to seal the stuffing in?

 

[RedRover]

I've had flounder with crab meat stuffing that was really good. What I want to know is what kind of "tape" was used to seal the stuffing in?

I would presume probably just a reference to "cotton tape"...

 

[G Low]

I would presume probably just a reference to "cotton tape"...

View attachment 577694

I've been around textiles my whole life and never heard of cotton tape… I even worked in a cotton mill for a couple of years as a weaver/loom fixer and never heard of it .

 

[lupaglupa]

You can still buy cotton tape. It's basically wider, faltter string or ribbon made from cotton.

 

[JerryD]

Morning all. I'm working on something about the infamous shad bake at Five Forks. Alas, most of my library is packed in boxes or waiting to be unpacked so I hope one of y'all might help me.

- I understand Rosser caught them in the Nottoway. Is there any description anywhere of how he accomplished this? I can't imagine he was fly-fishing.
- Why was Rosser near the creek anyway? Was he going to or from somewhere?
- How many did he catch? The shad is not a large fish (maybe 1-2 pounds). How did he transport them to the party location? I have a vague memory that he threw them into a wagon (I have Rosser's memoirs, but alas they are in one of aforesaid boxes).
- How did he cook them? I think in New England the practice is to "plank" them -- clean the fishies then nail them to a plank, and they're smoked. Not a fry, in other words. Is that how they were prepared in Virginia? (And I understand the American shad, as opposed to the hickory shad, is so tasty that it doesn't need seasoning).

Thanks all - just looking for little details to provide more color to a story. Appreciate any help.

Not that I have any info on this in any way, but I seriously doubt Rosser caught the fish. I imagine as a general he had a servant who scrounged for this table, or maybe a low ranking aide. But I chuckled at the thought of a CSA general with flyfishing rod in hand casting in a creek during a major troop movement.

 

[lupaglupa]

Not that I have any info on this in any way, but I seriously doubt Rosser caught the fish. I imagine as a general he had a servant who scrounged for this table, or maybe a low ranking aide. But I chuckled at the thought of a CSA general with flyfishing rod in had casting in a creek during a major troop movement.

Maybe he found it relaxing!

 

[G Low]

You can still buy cotton tape. It's basically wider, faltter string or ribbon made from cotton.

Ok I saw the cotton tape on the web, It is basically a ribbon, I just can't see "tapping" a fish up I don't think duct tape would work either.

 

[gjpratt]

Did you eat the bones like sardines?

No. I had to pick around them.