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Fish Soup

Slice two middle-sized onions, fry them a light brown in butter, and fry also three pounds of eels--they should not be skinned. When just browned (five minutes will do them), add three quarts of boiling water, and while boiling skim carefully. Throw in allspice and black pepper, one-eighth of an ounce, half an ounce of the leaves of lemon, thyme, and winter savoury mixed, and a good bunch of parsley (all green). When the soup has boiled slowly about two hours, during which time it should have been well skimmed, strain and thicken. Melt three ounces of butter, and stir into it as much flour as will absorb the butter. When quite dry, pour some of the soup to it and stir until smooth; then add the remainder by degrees, and simmer altogether for a few minutes, when the soup should be strained into a clean saucepan over neatly-cut pieces of fish, such as soles, eels, plaice, flounder, skate etc., all fried, and forcemeat balls. Keep hot, and serve in about ten minutes after the soup has been poured over the fish. Good fish soup may be made with a skate, a flounder, and a couple of small eels cut into pieces, and fried in butter with an onion sliced, then boiled with half a gallon of water till done, and flavoured with salt and pepper. This stock will keep several days in cold weather.