No. 63 — Crayfish Soup, Another Method
English translation of the original Russian recipe No. 63 in Molokhovets’ 1901 cookbook, with historical quantities and source references.
For variety, serve boiled rice or pearl barley in the soup. Stuff the crayfish shells with the following mixture: finely chop all the cleaned legs and half the tail meat, mix with three spoonfuls of fine dried breadcrumbs, dill and parsley, and add one or two raw eggs, ½ spoonful of butter, salt and nutmeg. Dilute with about a glass of whole milk or cream, keeping the stuffing fairly thick. Fill the empty crayfish backs, place them in the stock and bring to the boil.
The same kind of filling can be made from buckwheat groats or millet: wash the grain, scald first with boiling water, rinse in cold water and cook in a little water with butter. Once cool, mix with egg and butter, and stuff the crayfish shells.
Use one glass of grain altogether, ½ glass for the stuffing and ½ glass to serve in the soup. Sometimes ¼–½ glass of ordinary white table wine is added to crayfish soup.