Soyer's standard cookery

The motive of mixing fish, is that it is supposed the flavor of all together is finer than one alone. Conger eel is also done in this way. Melted Butter. Put into a stewpan two ounces of butter, not too hard, also a good tablespoonful of flour, mix both well with a wooden spoon, without putting it on the fire; when forming a smooth paste, add to it a little more than half a pint of water; season with a teaspoonful of salt, not too full, the sixth part that of pepper; set it on the fire, stir round continually until on the point of boiling; take it off, add a teaspoonful of brown vinegar, then add one ounce more of fresh butter, which stir in your sauce till melted, then use where required; a little nutmeg grated may be introduced; it ought, when done, to adhere lightly to the back of the spoon, but transparent, not pasty; it may also, if required, be passed through a sieve. If wanted plainer, the last butter may be omitted. Anchovy Sauce. Make the same quantity of melted butter as in the last, but omit the salt, and add three good tablespoonfuls of essence of anchovies. Fennel Sauce. This is a sauce principally used for boiled mackerel. Make the same quantity of melted butter as in the last, to which add a good tablespoonful of chopped fennel; it is usually served in a boat. Egg Sauce. is generally served with salt fish or haddock. Boil six eggs ten minutes, let them get cold, then cut them in pieces about the size of dice, put them into a stewpan, with three parts of a pint of melted butter, add an ounce more fresh butter, with a little pepper and salt; keep the stewpan moving round over the fire until the whole is very hot, and serve in a boat. Shrimp Sauce. Make the same quantity of melted butter as before, to which add three tablespoonfuls of essence of shrimps but omitting the salt; add half a pint of picked shrimps, and serve in a boat. If no essence of shrimps, some anchovy sauce may be served with shrimps in it as a substitute. SHRIMP SAUCE is also very good as follows: — Pound half a pint of shrimps, skins and all, in a mortar, and boil them ten minutes in half a pint of water; pass the liquor through a hair sieve into a stewpan, and add a piece of butter, the size of two walnuts, with which you have mixed a good teaspoonful of flour, stir it round over the fire until upon the point of boiling; if too thick, add a little more water; season with a little cayenne and a teaspoonful of essence of anchovies; serve very hot; a few picked shrimps might also be served in it. Lobster Sauce. Put twelve tablespoonfuls of melted butter in a stewpan, cut up a small-sized lobster into dice, make a quarter of a pound of lobster butter with the spawn, as directed; when the melted butter is upon the point of boiling, add the lobster butter, stir the sauce round over the fire until the butter is melted, season with a little essence of anchovies, the juice of half a lemon, and a quarter of a saltspoonful of cayenne pepper; pass it through a sieve into another stewpan, and add the flesh of the lobster; when hot, it is ready to serve where required. This sauce must be quite red; if no red spawn in the lobster, use live spawn. New and Economical Lobster Sauce.