Matelot of Tench

Ingredients

• 1/2 pint stock No. 105
• 1/2 pint port wine
• 1 dozen button onions
• a few mushrooms
• a faggot of herbs
• 2 blade mace
• 1 oz butter
• 1 teaspoonful minced parsley
• thyme
• 1 shalot
• 2 anchovies
• 1 teacupful stock No. 105
• flour
• 1 dozen oysters
• the juice of 1/2 lemon
• the number of tench, according to size

Instructions

1. Scale and clean the tench, cut them into pieces, and lay them in a stewpan;
2. add the stock, wine, onions, mushrooms, herbs, and mace, and simmer gently for 1/2 hour.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Garnish with croutons.