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📝 Description
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🥘 Ingredients
2 tench, 2 eels, 2 onions, a faggot of herbs, 4 blades of mace, 3 anchovies, 1 pint of water, pepper and salt to taste, 1 teaspoonful of chopped parsley, the yolks of 6 hard-boiled eggs, puff paste.
👨🍳 Method
Clean and bone the tench, skin and bone the eels, and cut them into pieces 2 inches long, and leave the sides of the tench whole. Put the bones into a stewpan with the onions, herbs, mace, anchovies, water, and seasoning, and let them simmer gently for 1 hour. Strain it off, put it to cool, and skim off all the fat. Lay the tench and eels in a pie-dish, and between each layer put seasoning, chopped parsley, and hard-boiled eggs; pour in part of the strained liquor, cover in with puff paste, and bake for 1/2 hour or rather more. The oven should be rather quick, and when done, heat the remainder of the liquor, which pour into the pie.
📜 From Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management (1861). Public domain.
⭐ Reader Reviews
Honest opinions from readers who have explored this book.
I tried this fish pie, and I must admit, the combination of tench and eels was more intriguing than I expected. I found the eels to be surprisingly tender and mild, a delightful contrast to the firmer tench. The most delightful surprise was the way the mace and anchovies infused the strained liquor with a depth of flavor that was both savory and slightly sweet, a far cry from the bland fish pies I've had in the past. This pie would be a hit with a comfort-seeker looking for a hearty, old-school dish to warm the soul. The puff paste on top adds a lovely crispness that balances the rich, fishy filling. I baked mine for about 40 minutes, and it turned out beautifully golden. The final touch of pouring the heated liquor over the pie before serving added a lovely, comforting warmth. Next time, I might experiment with a modern fish pie base, but this classic method is a keeper.
