FISH BROTH

2-3 flounders, eels or other fish
Parsley
Flour
Butter
White wine
Lemon juice
Essence of anchovy
Catchup (type not specified; mushroom or walnut probably better than tomato)

Take water used in making "Water Souchy" [or other boiled fish dish] and reserve. Thicken the liquor the fish has been stewing in with flour and butter, and flavor it with white wine, lemon-juice, essence of anchovy, and catchup; boil down two or three flounders to make a fish broth to boil the other fish in. That broth cannot be good without the fish being boiled too much.

The Cook's Oracle by William Kitchiner, MD, New York, 1829

Comment: This recipe has been modified just a bit to stand on its own as it was originally combined with the delicious-sounding although peculiarly named "Water Souchy." Flounder, eel and certainly grudgeons are sea creatures better known to the English palate than the American one, but then again Dr. Kitchiner was working from a book originally published in England so this is to be expected.

The basic principles should be applicable to whatever fish one has to work with so long as they originated in salt water. We do not think this would work well with catfish or bullheads for instance.

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