Water Scouchy is a traditional British recipe, based on Mrs Beeton's recipe of 1861, for a classic dish of fish stewed with root vegetables in a salty stock that is served with root vegetables and the stock. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Water Scouchy.
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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
352. Perch, tench, soles, eels, and flounders are considered the best fish for this dish. For the scouchy, put some water into a stewpan with a bunch of chopped parsley, some roots, and sufficient salt to make it brackish. Let these simmer for 1 hour, and then stew the fish in this water. When they are done, take them out to drain, have ready some finely-chopped parsley, and a few roots cut into slices of about one inch thick and an inch in length. Put the fish in a tureen or deep dish, strain the liquor over them, and add the minced parsley and roots. Serve with brown bread and butter.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
600g fish (perch, tench, soles, eels or flounders are typically used)
1 bunch of parsley, chopped
200g roots, chopped (carrots, parsnips, parsley, celeriac, turnips etc), chopped
salt
4 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
100g root vegetables, peeled and cut into pieces about 2cm thick and 2cm long
Method:
Place the parsley and roots in a large pan, cover with plenty of water then add enough salt to make the mixture very slightly salty. Bring to a simmer and continue cooking for 60 minutes then add the fish and stew for about 25 minutes, or until cooked through.
When the fish are tender, remove from the pan and drain. Place in a deep dish or tureen then strain the pan liquid over the top before adding the parsley and vegetables. Serve accompanied by brown bread and butter.
