619. Miroton Salad of Lobster.—Prepare and ornament a border of eggs, like for that of game, put a thick layer of fresh salad in the centre, and dress over it in a crown, the lobster interspersed with slices of eggs and gherkins. The lobster must be divided in two across the back, extract the meat carefully out of it, and cut it in a round or slanting direction to the thickness of a crown piece, break the claws and cut the same way, and place on salad as above, so as to form a thick crown near the border of eggs, then take the interior of the lobster, pound it and pass it through a fine sieve, add to your sauce.
Any other kind of fish, as cod fish, &c., when cold, cut or break them in slices, lay them in a basin, season over with salt, pepper, nutmeg, slices of onion, parsley, a little oil and vinegar; put it in two hours before serving, and proceed as for lobster.
If there is any fish left from the previous day, I always make a salad of it, particularly in summer; there are many who object to so much oil, in which case it may be diminished.
620. Salad Tartar.—Make as usual the border of eggs and sauce, lay the salad in the middle and the lobster over, which has been previously cut in slices; pour over some of the same sauce as above, having added a tablespoonful of French mustard to it. Gherkins cut in slices, and a few stoned olives.
621. Plain Salad.—Take a lobster and any kind of salad, wash it well, dry in a cloth, cut the lobster up in a salad-bowl, sprinkle over it a teaspoonful of salt, half that of pepper, one of chopped tarragon or chervil, or parsley, if nothing better, four tablespoonfuls of oil, and two of common vinegar, but only one and a half if French, add the salad, stir lightly round with a wooden knife and fork, and it is ready.
622. Lobster served plain.—Break the tail from the body, cut the tail in two lengthwise, put the body in the middle of the dish, lay the half tail top and bottom, and the claws on the side; the shell previously broken, but not disfigured, and serve double parsley round.