Mrs Beetons Fish Recipes Revisited
Matelot of Tench
A number of Tench, according to size.
285ml (½ pint) Medium Stock
285ml (½ pint) Port Wine
12 Button Onions
12 Oysters
2 Anchovies
1 Small Bunch Herbs
1 Shallot
½ Lemon, juice only
2 Blades of Mace
25g (1oz) Butter
1 tsp Parsley, minced
Thyme
Flour
Scale and clean the tench, cut them into pieces and lay them in a saucepan.
Add the stock, wine, onions, mushrooms, herbs and mace and simmer gently for 30 minutes.
Transfer to another saucepan with all the remaining ingredients except the oysters and lemon juice.
Simmer gently for 10 minutes, then add the strained liquor from the tench and keep stirring until somewhat reduced.
Rub it through a sieve, pour it over the tench with the oysters, which must be previously scalded in their own liquor, squeeze in the lemon juice and serve.
Garnish with croutons.
Time. 45 minutes.
Seasonable from October to June.
MATELOT OF TENCH
334. INGREDIENTS - 1/2 pint of stock No. 105, 1/2 pint of port wine, 1 dozen button onions, a few mushrooms, a faggot of herbs, 2 blades of mace, 1 oz. of butter, 1 teaspoonful of minced parsley, thyme, 1 shalot, 2 anchovies, 1 teacupful of stock No. 105, flour, 1 dozen oysters, the juice of 1/2 lemon; the number of tench, according to size.
Mode - Scale and clean the tench, cut them into pieces, and lay them in a stewpan; add the stock, wine, onions, mushrooms, herbs, and mace, and simmer gently for 1/2 hour. Put into another stewpan all the remaining ingredients but the oysters and lemon-juice, and boil slowly for 10 minutes, when add the strained liquor from the tench, and keep stirring it over the fire until somewhat reduced. Rub it through a sieve, pour it over the tench with the oysters, which must be previously scalded in their own liquor, squeeze in the lemon-juice, and serve. Garnish with croutons.
Time - 3/4 hour.
Seasonable from October to June.
Email: The Foody UK and Ireland
© Copyright The Delineator 2000-2007. All rights reserved