What is the sauce in "Crayfish in shells" made of?

A white base sauce: 35 g butter is melted, 20 g wheat flour is stirred in, thinned with 2 dl milk, and 1 tsp anchovy butter is added before boiling. It is then seasoned with finely grated crayfish roe, 1/4 dl lemon juice, 1/4 dl sherry and a pinch of cayenne.

How many crayfish and what else is needed for 6 servings?

25 crayfish, 10 mushrooms and 250 g fish forcemeat, which is formed into small cooked fish balls. The mushrooms are cut into 2–4 pieces.

How is the dish served?

The mixture is placed in shells and set in the oven for a few minutes. Just before serving, finely chopped parsley or finely shredded lettuce leaf is sprinkled over.

Where does the recipe come from?

From Henriette Schønberg Erken's Stor kokebok (Great Cookbook) (1914), page 152. Total time is about 90 minutes.

Crayfish in shells

Name: Crayfish in shells
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Norwegian
Ingredients: 25 pcs crayfish (cooked); 10 pcs mushrooms (cooked, quartered or halved); 250 g fish forcemeat (for small fish balls); 35 g butter; 20 g wheat flour; 2 dl milk; 1 tsp anchovy butter; 0.25 dl lemon juice; 0.25 dl sherry; 1 pinch cayenne pepper; crayfish roe (finely grated); parsley or lettuce leaf (finely chopped/finely shredded, for garnish)

Erken's "Crayfish in shells" from 1914: cooked crayfish, mushrooms and small fish balls folded into a white sauce with anchovy butter, crayfish roe, lemon, sherry and cayenne, filled into shells and briefly gratinated in the oven, garnished with parsley.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 152 (falt i det fri)

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About the dish

From the chapter on fish and shellfish in Stor kokebok (Great Cookbook) (1914). Crayfish was a festive ingredient in Norwegian and Danish gentry kitchens, and dishes like this one — served in scraped-out crayfish shells or scallop shells — belonged to the finer entertaining cuisine.

How to make it

1
Preparations
Cook the crayfish and clean the tails. Save the roe and the finest shells (or use scallop shells) for serving. Cook small fish balls from the forcemeat and cook the mushrooms; cut them into 2–4 pieces.
2
Make the sauce
Melt the butter, stir in the flour and thin with the milk into a smooth sauce. Add the anchovy butter and bring it to a boil.
3
Mix in
Stir in the finely grated roe, the crayfish meat, the fish balls, the mushrooms, the lemon juice, the sherry and the cayenne pepper. Let it just get hot.
4
Fill and gratinate
Place the mixture in shells and set them in a hot oven (about 200 °C (390 °F)) for a few minutes until heated through.
5
Serve
Sprinkle finely chopped parsley or finely shredded lettuce over just before serving.

Changes from the original

Measures modernized: the archaic "del." → deciliters, "teske" → teaspoon. The fish forcemeat is assumed to be ready-made or homemade. No other changes to the composition; the oven temperature is given for a modern stove.

In stores now

Clean, minimally processed groceries matched to the ingredients — approximate prices.

Smør
- Lurpak Dansk Smør 200 gLurpakca. kr 30,80 · Oda
- Hodne Søren Så Godt Smør 250gHODNE SØRENca. kr 67,90 · Coop

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Tidsmaskin – hva endret seg?

Velg to utgaver og se hva Henriette Schønberg Erken la til, fjernet eller endret mellom dem.

Fra1914 1949 Modernisert

Til1914 1949 Modernisert

1914 (korrekturlest, s. 152) → 1949 (korrekturlest, s. 179)~52% av teksten endretfjernetlagt til

25 ~~krebs~~ kreps 10 champignons 250 gr. ~~fiskefarce~~ fiskefarse 35 gr. smør 20 gr. hvetemel 2 del. melk 1 ~~teske~~ teskje ansjossmør ~~1/4 del. citronsaft 1/4~~ ½—¾ sitronsaft ½ del. ~~sherry~~ hvitvin 1 ~~knivsod cayenne. Smørret~~ knivsodd kajenne. Smøret smeltes, irøres melet, ~~spædes~~ speses med melken, ~~tilsættes ansjossmørret, gives~~ tilsettes ansjossmøret, gis et opkok, ~~tilsættes~~ tilsettes den fint ~~utgnedne~~ utgnidde rogn, de kokte ~~krebs, smaa,~~ kreps, små, kokte fiskeboller, laget av ~~farcen,~~ farsen, de i ~~2—4 dele kløvede~~ 2—4deler kløvde champignons, ~~citronsaften,~~ sitronsaften, vinen og ~~cayennen. Lægges~~ kajennen. Legges i ~~skjæl, staar~~ skjell, star i stekeovnen ~~nogen~~ noen minutter; idet de skal serveres, strøes finhakket persille eller ~~finskaarne~~ finskårne salatblade over.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the sauce in "Crayfish in shells" made of?: A white base sauce: 35 g butter is melted, 20 g wheat flour is stirred in, thinned with 2 dl milk, and 1 tsp anchovy butter is added before boiling. It is then seasoned with finely grated crayfish roe, 1/4 dl lemon juice, 1/4 dl sherry and a pinch of cayenne.
How many crayfish and what else is needed for 6 servings?: 25 crayfish, 10 mushrooms and 250 g fish forcemeat, which is formed into small cooked fish balls. The mushrooms are cut into 2–4 pieces.
How is the dish served?: The mixture is placed in shells and set in the oven for a few minutes. Just before serving, finely chopped parsley or finely shredded lettuce leaf is sprinkled over.
Where does the recipe come from?: From Henriette Schønberg Erken's Stor kokebok (Great Cookbook) (1914), page 152. Total time is about 90 minutes.

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