Lobster Salad

Ingredients

• Choose a medium-sized Lobster
• 4 table-spoonfuls of vinegar
• 2 table-spoonfuls of oil
• a little salt
• a little pepper
• two medium-sized heads of lettuce
• 4 table-spoonfuls of butter
• 1 mustard-spoonful of made mustard
• 1 saltspoonful of salt
• j saltspoonful of pepper
• a dust of cayenne
• boil two eggs hard

Method

1. 1

   Plunge the Lobster head first into boiling water and boil for about twenty minutes.

2. 2

   Cool, remove from shell, and cut into pieces.

3. 3

   Boil eggs, cut into quarters.

4. 4

   Wash and dry lettuce, cut into quarters.

5. 5

   In a saucepan, combine butter, vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper, and cayenne.

6. 6

   Stir in Lobster until hot.

7. 7

   Arrange lettuce in a salad bowl, pour Lobster mixture over, garnish with eggs, and serve immediately.

As published

This recipe was extracted from The encyclopaedia of practical cookery (1892) by Theodore Francis Garrett, William A. Rawson, page 377. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

4 table-spoonfuls of vinegar, 2 table-spoonfuls of oil, and a little salt and pepper. W ell wash a lettuce, and shake in a wire basket to free it of water. Put two or three leaves together in the form of a shell, and arrange these shells together on a flat dish. Mix one half of the mayonnaise dressing with the Lobster, put a little of this in each cluster of leaves, and pour over a little more of the dressing. Garnish the border of the dish with whole leaves. (5) This is prepared in the same way as for Salad of Fillets of Sole, or the Lobster may he dressed with- out any sauce. The shell should be broken, the body put in the centre, the tail cut in two on each side, and the claws at the ends. (6) This salad should be served directly it is made. Choose a medium-sized Lobster, heavy for its size, and quite alive; plunge it head first into a large pot half-full of boiling water, and boil for about twenty minutes, or until the shell is quite red. Cool the Lobster until it can be handled, then take it from the shell, using a can-opener to separate it ; save all the coral, green fat, and the flesh of the Lobster. Throw away the intestine, which runs through the flesh of the tail, the “lady” or mem- branous sac, which lies at the back of the eyes, the “dead men,”' or soft fins, which lie under the small legs close to the body, and the shell, cutting the flesh of the Lobster into pieces about lin. square. While the Lobster is being prepared, boil two eggs hard, remove the shells, and cut the eggs into quarters ; carefully wash and diy two medium- sized heads of lettuce, cut them into quarters, and keep in a cold place. Put into a saucepan 4 tabic-spoonfuls each of butter and vinegar, 1 mustard-spoonful of made mustard, 1 saltspoonful of salt, j saltspoonful of pepper, a dust of Lobster — continued. cayenne, and the Lobster, and place the saucepan over the fire ; arrange the lettuce round the sides of a salad-bowl, stir the Lobster until it is hot, pour it into the salad-bowl, garnish with the hard-boiled eggs, and serve at once. The success of this salad depends upon the rapidity with which it is made and served. (7) Prepare the Lobster as above, arrange it on a dish with the lettuce, pour over a mayonnaise, and garnish with hard-boiled eggs, the coral, and small claws. Capers, cold -boiled beets, olives, and the small lettuce-leaves may also be used to garnish the salad. (8) Rub a salad-bowl with garlic, and squeeze over a little lemon- juice ; over this put a layer of rings of tomatoes, then slices of cooked potatoes and celeriac, and over this Lobster, seasoned with salt and pepper. Now arrange on this a few slices of truffles and capers, ornament with a little cress, slices of cucumber, lemon, and any other ingredient desired ; pour over a mayonnaise dressing, and serve. (9) Beat two raw eggs together with 1 level teaspoonful of salt till they are quite smooth. Add nearly 1 dessert- spoonful of thick made mustard, and mix in carefully, and by degrees, 5 or 6 table-spoonfuls of the best salad-oil ; when thoroughly and smoothly mixed, stir the mixture over the fire till it thickens, but do not let it boil ; it ought to be perfectly smooth and so thick that a teaspoon will stand in it. Stir in sufficient vinegar to make it of the consistency of thick cream. Let it get quite cold, and then mix with it the coral of a boiled Lobster. Cut up into shreds some well-washed lettuce and other salad herbs, put a layer of them in a salad-bowl, on them lay some of the Lobster- meat cut small, more salad herbs, and over them the rest of the Lobster-meat cut small. Pour over all the salad-dressing, put on top some of the best of the salad-leaves, cut very fine, and make a border round the edge of slices of cucumber, radishes, small bunches of cress, &c. (10) Cut some lettuces into fine shreds, then mix into it with a fork the flesh of one or two Lobsters cut int® pieces of a convenient size. Some of the best pieces should, however, be reserved to garnish the salad with when finished. When the lettuce and Lobster are well mixed, pour over it a dressing composed of one part tarragon vinegar and three parts olive oil, the soft parts of the Lobster, a little mustard and pepper, and salt to taste. Garnish the salad with the pieces of Lobster reserved for the purpose, the coral, slices of hard-boiled eggs, and sprigs of chervil or tarragon (11) Put the tails of three boiled Lobsters cut into collops into a bain, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and pour some vinegar over them. Fill a border mould with melted aspic jelly, drop in some ornamental patterns cut out of montpellier and Lobster butter, and leave the jelly to set. Then turn it out of the mculd on to a dish, put a ring of Lobster butter inside the border, arrange a circle of the Lobster collops on the butter, put a smaller ring of Lobster butter on the collops, and then a reversed circle of collops on that, continuing with alternate and decreas- ing rows of collops and butter ; mix the worst-shaped pieces with a little mayonnaise sauce, and fill the centre with it ; the salad should finish in a point. Half melt a little aspic jelly, and mix with it some vinegar and chojiped ravigote ; pour it over the salad, place a small round pat of Lobster butter on the top, stick the heart of a cabbage lettuce in it, put a circle of capers round, and serve. Lobster Salad

Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.