Forcemeat Balls for Fish Soups is a traditional British recipe, based on Mrs Beeton's recipe of 1861, for a classic forcemeat balls made from a mix of lobster meat, anchovies, celery, hard-boiled egg yolk and breadcrumbs bound with eggs that are fried prior to use in fish soups. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Forcemeat Balls for Fish Soups.
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This is a traditional British recipe redacted from the redoubtable Mrs Beeton's 1861 volume Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management, the classic Victorian cookbook.
Original Recipe
FORCEMEAT BALLS FOR FISH SOUPS.
414. INGREDIENTS.—1 middling-sized lobster, 1/2 an anchovy, 1 head of boiled celery, the yolk of a hard-boiled egg; salt, cayenne, and mace to taste; 4 tablespoonfuls of bread crumbs, 2 oz. of butter, 2 eggs.
Mode.—Pick the meat from the shell of the lobster, and pound it, with the soft parts, in a mortar; add the celery, the yolk of the hard-boiled egg, seasoning, and bread crumbs. Continue pounding till the whole is nicely amalgamated. Warm the butter till it is in a liquid state; well whisk the eggs, and work these up with the pounded lobster-meat. Make into balls of about an inch in diameter, and fry of a nice pale brown.
Sufficient, from 18 to 20 balls for 1 tureen of soup.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
1 medium-sized lobster, cooked
1 anchovy fillet
1 head of celery, washed and boiled until tender
1 hard-boiled egg yolk
salt, cayenne pepper and ground mace, to taste
4 tbsp breadcrumbs
60g butter
2 eggs
Method:
Pick all the meat from the lobster then pound, along with any coral or roe, and the anchovy fillet in a mortar. Add the celery and hard-boiled egg yolk and pound until soft then stir in the seasonings and breadcrumbs. Continue pounding until all the ingredients are fine and well combined.
Melt the butter, take off the heat and whisk in the eggs. Work this mixture into the pounded lobster mix then form into 3cm diameter balls. Fry these in butter until golden brown and use as garnishes for, or as additions to, fish soups.
