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Bisque of Smelts, Trouville

Cut off heads and tails from eighteen medium-sized fresh smelts, split in two through backs and remove spinal bones. Keep filets on a plate and place trimmings in a saucepan with an extra pound very fresh whitefish bones. Add also a sliced onion, two sliced leeks, two branches parsley, a sprig thyme, bay leaf and two cloves. Moisten with two quarts water and a half gill white wine, season with a heavy teaspoon salt, let slowly boil for forty-five minutes, strain broth through cheese cloth into a vessel and keep hot. Open fifteen very fresh mussels, place them in saucepan with two gills water and boil for five minutes, then add broth (only) to fish broth. Place six mussels on a plate and the balance in a mortar. Cut six half smelts in half-inch pieces, add to plate with the six mussels, then add balance of smelts to mortar with other mussels and two egg yolks, thoroughly pound to a pulp, remove and keep on a plate. Place in a saucepan one ounce butter and two ounces flour, stir on fire while heating for one minute, pour in fish stock, then briskly mix until it comes to a boil and let cook for fifteen minutes. Mix in little by little the fish puree, sharply mix while adding, season with two saltspoons cayenne pepper, a saltspoon grated nutmeg, pour in a gill cream, mix well, let boil for eight minutes, remove and pass bisque through a cheesecloth into soup tureen. Poach the pieces of mussel and smelt in a saucepan with half gill white wine for six minutes, add to soup tureen, lightly mix and serve.