Essence of Fish

Ingredients

• a pound each of whiting
• a pound each of gurnard
• a pound each of soles
• two onions stuck with two cloves
• a carrot
• a bouquet garni
• four shalots
• a pint of French white wine
• three pints of fish broth

Method

1. 1

   Clean and cut the fish into pieces.

2. 2

   Put in a stewpan with onions, carrot, bouquet garni, shalots, wine, salt, and pepper.

3. 3

   Boil for five minutes, then add fish broth and boil until reduced by half.

4. 4

   Strain into a basin.

As published

This recipe was extracted from Practical household cookery (1891) by E. Duret, page 41. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

ESSENCE OF FISH. Clean and cut in pieces a pound each of whiting, gurnard, and soles, or any other small fish ; put them in a stewpan with two onions stuck with two cloves, a carrot, a "bouquet garni,'' four shalots, a pint of French white wine ; salt and pepper to taste ; boil for five minutes, then add three pints of fish broth, boil again over a brisk fire till reduced to half its original quantity,, and strain it through a cloth into a basin and put it by for use. 176. MELTED BUTTER SAUCE. Put a stewpan on the fire with two ounces of butter, mix with it the same quantity of semolina flour, half a pint of cold water, the juice of a lemon, and salt to taste ; boil on a moderate fire and stir well with a wooden spoon the while, to make it soft and without clots; as soon as it boils rub it through a fine sieve or tammy cloth, return it to the stewpan on the fire, add a little grated nutmeg, six ounces of butter, and a few drops of lemon- juice ; stir, and serve as soon as the butter is properly melted. This sauce can be improved by adding the yolks of two or three eggs well beaten, diluted with a little hot water passed through a sieve and mixed with the sauce before serving. 177. BUTTER AND KETCHUP SAUCE. Mix well in a stewpan two or three tablespoonfuls of ketchup sauce with a teacupful of Velout^i sauce ; set it on PRACTICAL HOUSEHOLD COOKERY. 91 the £1^ and boil for a few minutes ; stir occasionally with a wooden spoon, add an ounce of butter, stir again, and serve. Note, — This sauce can be made in the same way with any other essence. 178. BLANQUETTE SAUCE. Melt three ounces of butter in a stewpan ; mix with it the same quantity of flour and work it into a paste with- out browning ; moisten with a pint of veal broth ; stir with a wooden spoou till it boils ; then draw by the side of the fire, add a bay-leaf and two small slices of ham, simmer it for an hour; skim and pass it through a sieve into a basin, to be used as wanted. 170. POULETTE SAUCE. Stir an ounce of flour with the same quantity of butter in a stewpan on the fire for three minutes; then add a pint of white broth, and continue the stirring for fifteen minutes; after which, draw the stewpan away from the fire, thicken the sauce with the yolks of two eggs, season with salt and pepper, add a dozen champignons, sliced in twos or threes, with a gill of the liquor they have been boiled in, stir the sauce over the fire till near the boil, add a small piece of butter, stir again to melt it, and serve. 180. GOOSEBERRY SAUCE. Clean and blanch for a few minutes in a stewpan one pint of green gooseberries; strain off the water through a colander, rub them in the usual way through a sieve into the stewpan again, add two ounces of butter, boil, stir well, and serve. 92 PRACTICAL HOUSEHOLD COOKERY. 181. APPLE SAUCE. Peel and cut in slices five or six apples; put them in a stewpan with half a pint of water; when cooked and the water entirely consumed, ruh them through a sieve; return the pur6e to the stewpan on the fire, add about a gill of hot water, an ounce of sugar, and half an ounce of butter to it, stir well, and when the whole is properly melted, and mixed together, serve. 182. EGG SAUCE. Mix in a stewpan on the fire a t^acupful of Yeloute sauce with three hard-boiled eggs cut in small dice ; add a little white pepper and salt to taste, also a little grated nutmeg, together with the juice of half a lemon and a dessert-spoonful of anchovy butter; mix the lot well to- gether by stirring over the fire before serving. 183. BREAD SAUCE. Pour one pint of fresh cream into a stewpan on a moderate fire, and as soon as it begins to foam and swell draw the stewpan away ; then add three ounces of bread- cinimbs, a little salt, pepper, grated nutmeg, and an onion ; boil for five minutes, take the onion out, add an ounce of butter, stir well, and serve. Note, — ^The above is the proper manner to make a bread sauce, but a similar one can be made (although not so good) by substituting milk for cream. 184. HOLLANDAISE SAUCE (DUTCH). Mix in a stewpan on a moderate fire the yolks of four eggs with three tablespoonfuls of Velout^ sauce, a little PRACTICAL HOUSEHOLD COOKERY. 93 grated nutmeg, and six ounces of fresh butter; stir this continually, and as the sauce thickens draw it gradually away from the fire to prevent boiling, without ceasing the stirring. When it has assumed a nice soft compact form, and swelling in the stewpan, pour in it two tablespoonfuls of vinegar, a little white pepper, and salt to taste ; stir well and pass it through a tammy sieve, and serve quickly, or into a bain-marie to keep hot till wanted. 185. INDIAN SAUCE. Mix two tablespoonfuls of Allemande sauce in a stewpan with a very small pinch of saffron, three ounces of curr}^ butter, or simply one tablespoonful of curry powder and two ounces of fresh butter, set it on the fire, stir, and when properly mixed, and made hot, serve. 186. OYSTER SAUCE. Blanch for five minutes two dozen oysters in a gill of white wine, strain the liquor into a small saucepan, mix with it one pint of Yeloutc sauce and a gill of fish broth if handy, or the same quantity of white stock ; boil, stir, and simmer for ten minutes, then add the yolks of two eggs well beaten, stir the contents well, pass it through a tammy sieve into the saucepan again on the fire, season with salt and pepper, squeeze the juice of half a lemon, stir gently, pour the oysters in, stir again, and serve. 187. FINANClilRE SAUCE. Cut in small dice a slice of gammon of about two ounces, shred an onion, mince a few mushrooms and one truiHe, put the lot into a stewpan with two ounces of 94 PRACTICAL HOUSEHOLD COOKERY. butter, add a small " bouquet garni

Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.