Eel Soup
251. Take three pounds of small cels; put to them two quarts of water, a crust of bread, three blades of mace, some whole pepper, an onion, and a bunch of sweet herbs; cover them close, and stew till the fish is quite broken, then strain it off. Toast some bread, cut it into dice, and pour the soup on it boiling. A piece of carrot may be put in it at first. This soup will be as rich as if made of meat. A quarter of a pint of rich cream, with a tea-spoonful of flour rubbed smooth in it, is a great improvement.
A plain fish broth of the older English kind, thickened only by what the eels themselves give up. The whole method turns on cooking the fish to collapse and then straining hard.
- Sourcing the eelsThe European eel is now critically endangered and its trade is restricted; wild-caught eel is not a casual purchase. Farmed eel, or a firm-fleshed alternative such as conger, is the practical substitute.
- Three pounds means whole eelsThree pounds probably means whole eels -- the recipe does not say, but the weight most likely covers small eels as bought, heads on. Either way the skin, bones and head are what supply the gelatin that makes the soup "as rich as if made of meat." Have the fishmonger gut them but keep the trimmings in the pot.
- Quantities in modern termsTwo quarts is 8 cups in US measure, nearer 10 if the book means imperial quarts; a quarter of a pint of cream is half a cup in US measure, about two-thirds of a cup if imperial. A blade of mace is one piece of the lacy aril that covers the nutmeg seed; a blade is usually reckoned at roughly a quarter to half a teaspoon of ground mace.
- Sweet herbs"A bunch of sweet herbs" meant an assortment of aromatic herbs, most often thyme, parsley, marjoram or savory, sometimes with a bay leaf; parsley stalks, thyme and bay tied together is a fair modern reading, and the practice is close to the later bouquet garni. Tie it so it can be lifted out before straining.
- Stewing time"Till the fish is quite broken" is about 1 to 1 1/4 hours at a bare simmer, covered. Do not let it boil hard: eel fat emulsifies and the strained broth turns cloudy and greasy.
- Straining and skimmingStrain through a fine sieve, pressing the solids only lightly, then let the soup settle a few minutes and lift the fat off the surface. Eels are oily and the film is considerable.
- The cream finishRub the teaspoon of flour smooth into the cold cream, stir it into the hot soup, and cook two or three minutes to lose the raw flour taste. It should not return to a rolling boil after the cream goes in.
- SeasoningNo salt is specified, as is often the case in recipes of this period. Season at the end, after straining, when the broth has concentrated.
- ServingPour the boiling soup over the toasted bread dice in the tureen or in the plates, so they soften but do not dissolve. Two quarts of water yields four to six servings.