Bisque of Crabs

Preparing a bisque of crabs can be a lot of work, but also a great culinary reward.

Place a dozen live crabs in some cold water with a little salt, and let them soak there for one hour, then hash up a couple of ounces of carrot with an equal quantity of onion, and fry them together with a little butter in a saucepan large enough to hold the crabs, add a little parsley in sprigs, thyme and bay leaf, seasoning with salt, a quarter of a bottle of white wine and a little white stock, then cover with the lid and cook for fifteen minutes, after which remove the crabs, strain the broth, and place it one side for twenty minutes, when the top should be poured off. Next, remove the shells from the crabs, taking out the lungs from both sides, and wash each one at a time in some slightly warmed water, removing the small legs, then drain them and pound to a paste, with about half their quantity of cooked rice, add a little of the juice in which they have been cooked, drain first through a sieve and then through a tammy-cloth, and mix in half a pint of bechamel sauce. Add a little salt and red pepper, and place over the fire just previous to serving, but do not allow it to come to a boil, adding an eighth of a pound of fine butter, and mix with a spoon until entirely melted, and serve with bread crusts fried in butter.