LOBSTER.
Never buy a dead lobster.
Large lobsters are not as good as small ones. From about one to two pounds and a half in weight are the best. The heavier the better.
Lobsters are better at some seasons of the year than at others. They are inferior when full of eggs.
It is from mere prejudice that the liver (also called tomalley) is eschewed. This prejudice may come from its turning green on boiling the lobster.
Use every thing but the stomach and the black of bluish vein running along its back and tail.
Boil your lobsters yourself; because, if you buy them already boiled, you do not know if they were alive when put in the kettle.
A lobster boiled after being dead is watery, soft, and not full; besides being very unhealthy, if not dangerous.
A lobster suffers less by being put in cold than in boiling water, and the flesh is firmer when done. In putting it in boiling water it is killed by the heat; in cold water it is dead as soon as the water gets warm.
To boil..—Lay it in a fish-kettle; just cover it with cold water, cover the kettle, and set it on a sharp fire.
It takes from fifteen to twenty-five minutes' boiling, according to the size of the lobster.
When boiled, take it from the kettle, break it in two, that is, separate the body from the tail, and place it in a colander to let the water drain.
In the shell.—When the lobster is boiled, divide it in two, taking care not to break the body and large claws. The tail is then split in two, lengthwise, the flesh taken off, cut in small dice, and mixed with the inside of the lobster.
The vein found immediately under the shell, all along the flesh of the lobster, is removed as soon as it is split. The stomach, found near the head, is removed also and thrown away; all the rest is good, including the liver.
When the flesh and inside are properly mixed, season with salt, pepper, vinegar, oil, mustard, and chopped parsley.
Place the body of the lobster on the middle of a dish, the head up, the two large claws stretched out, and the two feelers stretched out also and fastened between the claws. A sprig of parsley is put in each claw, at the end of it, in the small claws as well as in the two large ones. Then the two empty halves of the tail-piece are put around the body of the lobster, the prepared flesh placed around them; hard-boiled eggs cut in eight pieces each are placed around the dish, tastefully arranged; some slices of red, pickled beets and cut with paste-cutters, are placed between each piece of egg, and serve.
It makes a simple, good, and very sightly dish.
Half a dozen boiled craw-fish may be placed around the dish also; it will add to the decoration.
Two middling-sized lobsters prepared thus will fill a very large dish. They should be placed back to back, with only a few craw-fish between, and the rest arranged as the above.
In Salad.—Boil the lobster as directed; break and drain it as directed also. Slice the flesh of the tail, place it tastefully on a dish; also the flesh from the two large claws, which may be sliced or served whole. Lettuce, or hard-boiled eggs, or both, may be arranged on the dish also, and served with the following sauce:
Put in a boat or saucer all the inside save the stomach, with salt, pepper, vinegar, oil, mustard, and chopped parsley, to taste; beat and mix the whole well together, and serve. In case there are eggs, these are also to be mixed with the rest.
Another.—Boil and drain as directed; cut all the flesh in dice, and put it in a bowl with the inside, some lettuce cut rather fine, salt, pepper, vinegar, mustard, and very little oil; mix well, and then put the mixture on a dish, placing it like a mound on the middle of the dish; spread a Mayonnaise sauce over it; decorate with the centre leaves of the lettuce, some hard-boiled eggs cut in slices or in fancy shapes, capers, boiled or pickled red beets, cut also in fancy shapes, slices of lemon, and serve.
Anchovies, olives, pickled cucumbers, or any other pickled fruit or vegetable may also be added.
A rose, or two or three pinks, may be placed right on the top, as a decoration. Just before commencing to serve, the rose may be put on a dessert plate and offered to a lady.
In Coquilles, or Scalloped.—It is boiled and then finished like oysters scalloped.
It may be served thus on scallop-shells, on silver shells, or on its own shell; that is, on the shell of the tail, split in two lengthwise, and trimmed according to fancy.
Croquettes.—Lobster croquettes are made exactly like fish-balls, and then fried according to directions for frying.
They are served warm. It is an excellent dish for breakfast.
Fried.—To be fried, the lobster must be bled; separate the body from the tail, then cut the tail in pieces, making as many pieces as there are joints. Put these pieces in a frying-pan with two or three ounces of butter, and one onion, chopped fine; set on a sharp fire, stir now and then tin the whole is fried, then add a bunch of seasoning composed of three sprigs of parsley, one of thyme, a bay-leaf, and a clove; salt, pepper, and three gills of Madeira wine; boil gently till reduced about half; dish the pieces of lobster according to fancy; add two or three tablespoonfuls of gravy to the sauce, stir it, give one boil, and turn it over the lobster through a strainer; serve warm.
Another way.—Proceed as above in every particular, except that you use Sauterne or Catawba wine instead of Madeira, and, besides the seasonings, add half a dozen mushrooms, or two truffles, or both.
Dish the mushrooms and truffles with the lobster, then finish and serve as the above.
Craw-fish.—These are found in most of the lakes, brooks, and rivers.
In some places they are called river-crabs, or freshwater crabs.
They resemble the lobster, and are often taken for young lobsters.
Besides being a beautiful ornament and much used to decorate dishes, they are excellent to eat and very light.
They are dressed and served like lobsters and crabs.
Fishermen are sure to find a ready market for them, though they are, as yet, very little known.
Crabs.—Crabs are boiled like lobsters, and may be served like lobster, in salad. They are often eaten, only boiled, without any seasonings.
Like lobsters also, to be good, crabs must be put in the water alive.
When well washed and clean, they may be prepared in the following way: Put them in a saucepan with slices of onions, same of carrots, parsley, chives if handy, thyme, bay-leaves, cloves, salt, and pepper-corns; half cover them with white wine, add butter, set on a good fire, and boil till done. Serve with parsley only.
The sauce may be used a second time by adding a little wine.
The soft-shell crab is blanched five minutes, and fried like fish.
It may also be sauté with a little butter, and served with a maître d'hôtel.
Broil it also, and serve it with a maître d'hôtel.
Muscles.—These are unwholesome between April and September. They must be heavy, fresh, and of a middling size. The very large ones are really inferior.
Soak them in water and wash well several times, then drain.
In Poulette.—Put them in a saucepan with a little parsley chopped fine, and set them on a pretty good fire; as soon as they are opened, remove the shell to which they are not attached, and keep them in a warm place.
For two quarts of muscles, put two ounces of butter in the saucepan in which they have been cooked and in which you have left their liquor; set on the fire, stir, and as soon as the butter is melted, add and stir into it a tablespoonful of flour; when turning a little yellow, add also half a dozen pepper-corns, then the muscles; boil gently about ten minutes, stirring occasionally; take from the fire, mix one or two yolks of eggs with it, a little lemon-juice, parsley chopped fine, and serve warm.
Another way.—When clean, put them in a saucepan with a few slices of carrot, same of onion, two or three stalks of parsley, one of thyme, a bay-leaf, two cloves, six pepper-corns, and salt. Set on the fire, and take the muscles from the pan as soon as they open, then remove one shell; put them back in the pan, with as much white wine as there is liquor from the muscles; boil gently about ten minutes, add the yolk of an egg, a little lemon-juice, and dish the muscles; drain the sauce over them, add a little chopped parsley, and serve warm.
Fried.—Fry, and serve the muscles like fried oysters. They may also be served like scalloped oysters.
Prawns and Shrimps.—Wash, boil in water and salt, and serve. They may be used, like craw-fish, to decorate fish after being boiled.
Another way.—Wash well, and put two quarts of them in a saucepan with four onions in slices, two sprigs of parsley, one of thyme, a bay-leaf, two cloves, salt, pepper, half a pint of white wine, and two ounces of butter, just cover with water and set on a good fire; when properly cooked, drain, and serve warm with green parsley all around. The liquor may be used a second time.