Hand-Book of Practical Cookery for Ladies and Professional Cooks Part 26

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 sh.e.l.l._--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 sh.e.l.l, 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 cuc.u.mbers, 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-sh.e.l.ls, on silver sh.e.l.ls, or on its own sh.e.l.l; that is, on the sh.e.l.l of the tail, split in two lengthwise, and trimmed according to fancy.

_Croquettes._--Lobster croquettes are made exactly like _fish-b.a.l.l.s_, 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 b.u.t.ter, 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 b.u.t.ter, 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-sh.e.l.l crab_ is blanched five minutes, and _fried_ like fish.

It may also be _saute_ with a little b.u.t.ter, and served with a _maitre d'hotel_.

_Broil_ it also, and serve it with a _maitre d'hotel_.

_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 sh.e.l.l to which they are not attached, and keep them in a warm place.

For two quarts of muscles, put two ounces of b.u.t.ter 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 b.u.t.ter 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 sh.e.l.l; 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 b.u.t.ter, 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.

OYSTERS.

The American oyster is unquestionably the best that can be found. It varies in taste according to how it is treated, either after being dredged or while embedded; and also according to the nature of the soil and water in which they have lived. It is very wrong to wash oysters. We mean by washing oysters, the abominable habit of throwing oysters in cold water, as soon as opened, and then sold by the measure. It is more than a pity to thus spoil such an excellent and delicate article of food.

Oysters, like lobsters, are not good when dead. To ascertain if they are alive, as soon as opened and when one of the sh.e.l.ls is removed, touch gently the edge of the oyster, and, if alive, it will contract.

_Raw._--When well washed, open them, detaching the upper sh.e.l.l, then detach them from the under sh.e.l.l, but leave them on it; place on a dish, and leave the upper sh.e.l.l on every oyster, and serve thus.

To eat them, you remove the upper sh.e.l.l, sprinkle salt, pepper, and lemon-juice on, and eat.

When raw oysters are served on a table, at which there are gentlemen only, some shallots, chopped fine and gently bruised in a coa.r.s.e towel, are served with them, on a separate dish. The taste of the shallot agrees very well with that of the oyster.

A Tartar sauce may be served instead of shallots.