Jane Grigson's Fish Book - Jane Grigson [104]
So you must make your choice.
HOW TO CUT UP LIVE LOBSTER
This is essential if you are using live lobster for a fine dish of Homard à l’américaine, or Lobster Newburg, as it saves you the prolonged business of boiling and cooling. It will also taste better.
The thing is to kill the lobster instantly. To do this, place a cleaver across the join between carapace and tail and hammer it down with one hard blow. Cut off the claws, and crack them. Cut the tail across into slices, following the joints. Split the head lengthwise and discard the sac of grit and the black intestinal canal and gills. Put coral and lobster liquor and the creamy part, which is the liver or tomalley, into a separate bowl for the final stages of the sauce.
LOBSTER OR CRAWFISH BUTTER
Either pound the coral and creamy parts of the lobster with an equal amount of butter. Or dry some lobster shells in the oven, then pound them as finely as possible. Put into a pan with an equal weight of butter. Bring to the boil then strain through a muslin-lined sieve.
LOBSTER MAYONNAISE
This is the traditional method. Extract the soft parts, etc. from the carapace, taking care not to damage the feelers; rub the shell over with a little oil or a butter paper to give it a gloss, and stand it upright at the back of the serving dish, with some small crisp lettuce leaves. Split the tail lengthwise, not across in rings, and arrange the pieces in front of the head. Crack the claws carefully so as not to spoil their appearance and put them at either side. The rest of the garnish can be as opulent (oysters, other shellfish) or as simple (hard-boiled egg, tomatoes, olives, anchovies, capers) as you like. The mayonnaise is served separately.
You can, if you like, dice up the lobster meat and fold it into the mayonnaise along with some of the extra ingredients mentioned above. I think this is a pity, unless you are lucky enough to eat lobster very often. Being a luxury for most people, it should surely be served with a little formality. This can be achieved without the realism of the carapace: just split the tail lengthwise, extract the claw meat in one piece and arrange them, with neat rows of cucumber and egg, or what you like, in a formal manner.
The mayonnaise* can be varied with herbs, or with cognac and orange juice, or with a little pastis. Alexandre Dumas gives a most delicious dressing, which many people like better than mayonnaise, in his Grand Dictionnaire de Cuisine. (It can go with other shellfish, too, such as crab or prawns.) Mix together:
Serves 6
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 handful of parsley, tarragon, and chives, chopped
1 heaped tablespoon finely chopped shallot or onion
12 drops soy sauce
freshly ground white pepper
1 small glass of anisette, or pastis or Pernod
Fold the diced lobster into the dressing.
BISQUE DE HOMARD
I can think of no better soup than Bisque de homard, when it is made at home with the correct ingredients. It is not difficult to make, a little prolonged perhaps, and certainly expensive, but not difficult. For the best result, buy a live lobster. But a ready-boiled one is better than no Bisque de homard at all.
Serves 6
1 small lobster
2 carrots, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
125 g (4 oz) butter
60 ml (2 fl oz) brandy
250 ml (8 fl oz) dry white wine
1¼ litres (2 pt) fish stock
bouquet garni
3 tablespoons rice
125 ml (4 fl oz) double cream
salt, pepper, cayenne
1 bunch of parsley
Cut the lobster in pieces (see Lobster Introduction). Remove the coral from the meat and set aside. Cook the vegetables gently in 2 tablespoons of butter until they soften. Add the lobster. When the pieces redden, pour on the brandy and set it alight. Turn the lobster over in the flames. Pour in the white wine, and boil hard until