Boiled Eels (German Receipt)

Ingredients

• 1 fine lemon
• 1 blade of mace
• 0.5 teaspoon white peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 bunch of parsley
• 3 pints cold water
• 3 pounds eels

Instructions

1. Pare a fine lemon and strip away the white inner rind entirely.
2. Slice the lemon and carefully remove all pips.
3. Put the lemon slices into three pints of cold water along with a blade of mace, a small half-teaspoonful of white peppercorns, nearly twice as much salt, and a moderate-sized bunch of parsley.
4. Bring gently to a boil and simmer for twenty minutes.
5. Allow the broth to become quite cold.
6. Skin and clean the eels with great care, then cut them into lengths of three or four inches.
7. Add the prepared eel pieces to the cold broth and simmer them very softly for ten to fifteen minutes.
8. Lift the eels carefully with a slice into a very hot dish.
9. Serve with a good Dutch sauce, or with parsley and butter acidulated with lemon-juice, or with chili vinegar.