Catfish that have been caught near the middle of the river are
much nicer than those that are taken near the shore where they
have access to impure food. The small white ones are the best.
Having cut off their heads, skin the fish, and clean them, and cut
them in three. To twelve small catfish allow a pound and a half of
ham. Cut the ham into small pieces, or slice it very thin, and
scald it two or three times in boiling water, lest it be too salt.
Chop together a bunch of parsley and some sweet marjoram stripped
from the stalks. Put these ingredients into a soup kettle and
season them with pepper: the ham will make it salt enough. Add a
head of celery cut small, or a large table-spoonful of celery seed
tied up in a bit of clear muslin to prevent its dispersing. Pat in
two quarts of water, cover the kettle, and let it boil slowly till
every thing is sufficiently done, and the fish and ham quite
tender. Skim it frequently. Boil in another vessel a quart of rich
milk, in which you have melted a quarter of a pound of butter
divided into small bits and rolled in flour. Pour it hot to the
soup, and stir in at the last the beaten yolks of four eggs. Give
it another boil, just to take off the rawness of the eggs, and
then put it into a tureen, taking out the bag of celery seed
before you send the soup to table, and adding some toasted bread
cut into small squares. In making toast for soap, cut the bread
thick, and pare off all the crust.
This soup will be found very fine.
Eel soup may be made in the same manner: chicken soup also.