To Boil a Lobster
Ingredients
Directions
Boil the lobster
Put a handful of salt into a large kettle or pot of boiling water.
When the water boils very hard, put in the lobster, having first brushed it, and tie the claws together with a bit of twine.
Keep it boiling from half an hour to an hour in proportion to its size.
When it is done, take it out, lay it on its claws to drain, and then wipe it dry.
Make the dressing
Put a tablespoon of cold water on a clean plate, and with the back of a wooden spoon mash into it the coral or scarlet meat of the lobster, adding a tablespoon of salt, and about the same quantity of cayenne.
On another part of the plate mix well together with the back of the spoon two tablespoons of sweet oil, and a teaspoon of made mustard.
Then mix the whole until well incorporated and smooth, adding at the last one tablespoon of vinegar, and two more tablespoons of oil.
When the dressing is smoothly and thoroughly amalgamated, mix the meat with it, and let it be handed round to the company.
Prepare and serve
The meat of the body and claws of the lobster must be carefully extracted from the shell and minced very small.
You may dress the lobster immediately before you send it to the table.
When the dressing and meat are mixed together, pile it in a deep dish, and smooth it with the back of a spoon.
Stick a bunch of the small claws in the top, and garnish with curled parsley.
Send it to the table cold, with the body and tail split open, and the claws taken off.
Lay the large claws next to the body, and the small ones outside.
Garnish with double parsley.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Cayenne | 1 tsp (1.8g) | 6 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Lobster (in the method)
- Main protein; boiling sets its flesh firm so it can be picked and minced cleanly.
- Sweet oil
- Carries the flavour and gives the dressing a smooth, rich body.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that brightens the dressing and balances the oil.
The step that matters
Boiling time. Boiling for too long toughens lobster meat, while too short leaves it undercooked. Timing by size keeps the flesh tender and safe to eat.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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