LOBSTERS & CRAWFISH.

Homarus gammarus & Palinurus elephas [image]

A fourteenth-century German painter, Master Bertram, who lived at Hamburg and who should therefore have known better, included a ready-boiled lobster in his painting of G.o.d creating the animals. The sturgeon and other creatures look perfectly alive and clear-eyed but there is the lobster at the bottom of the painting flat on the ground and ready for the table.

I suppose that most of us do think of lobsters as red. (Red-coated soldiers used to be known as lobsters, although the term really started as a name for cuira.s.siers with shiny breastplates like the lobster's carapace.) In fact they are a dark blueish colour, which is more suitable for the rocky parts of the sea they choose to live in. It is in this state that you should buy lobster, if you want to taste it at its best. The trouble is that it usually means ordering in advance from the fishmonger. It is less trouble all round to buy one ready-boiled, and if the fishmonger has a good turnover and if you are a regular customer, you will probably not regret it. I have the feeling, though, that as lobster is one of the best things to eat in the world, and as it is one of the most expensive, too, it should only be eaten at its best and in the peak of condition. Otherwise disappointment and financial loss are too disillusioning. This means that one should, ideally, find a seaside town where lobsters are caught, and make an expedition, an occasion if you like, which will become part of one's family ritual. Luxuries should be enjoyed with a little ceremony: deep-frozen lobster is a kind of denial, a bringing-down of excellence.

The season for fresh lobsters is from April or May to October, although many fishermen store them in tanks and caves until the prices rise in the winter. I began to understand why they are so rare and expensive after reading Lobsters, Crabs and Crawfish Lobsters, Crabs and Crawfish by R. C. O'Farrell. Although they are known as the Common Lobster, they are not nearly as common as one might wish. He describes from his own experience the contest between the fishermen's skill in baiting and placing lobster pots, and the animal's lack of interest in food except when it has shed its sh.e.l.l and is therefore soft and unmarketable. by R. C. O'Farrell. Although they are known as the Common Lobster, they are not nearly as common as one might wish. He describes from his own experience the contest between the fishermen's skill in baiting and placing lobster pots, and the animal's lack of interest in food except when it has shed its sh.e.l.l and is therefore soft and unmarketable.

Thus (un) Common European lobster, and the North American lobster, are northern creatures. They like cool water and are not to be found south of the Bay of Biscay or of the coast of Maine. The crawfish or spiny or rock lobster, the lobster without the huge front claws, can live anywhere as far as temperature is concerned. This is the langouste langouste and and aragosta aragosta of Mediterranean restaurants. And it is as well to be aware of the difference, if you use Italian, Greek or Provencal cookery books, because you may be left wondering what to do with the claws of a common lobster and the fairly large supply of delicious meat in them. The answer is to remove the meat and use it to make up the tail meat, which is less copious in the lobster. I'm talking, of course, about recipes of the Thermidor type, where meat and sauce are served up in the sh.e.l.l. of Mediterranean restaurants. And it is as well to be aware of the difference, if you use Italian, Greek or Provencal cookery books, because you may be left wondering what to do with the claws of a common lobster and the fairly large supply of delicious meat in them. The answer is to remove the meat and use it to make up the tail meat, which is less copious in the lobster. I'm talking, of course, about recipes of the Thermidor type, where meat and sauce are served up in the sh.e.l.l.

Crawfish and lobster recipes are interchangeable, and frozen crawfish tails are now readily available. The flavour cannot be compared in quality with the lobster's, partly because it is not so good to start with, but also because of the freezing. I have eaten 'Caribbean crawfish with mayonnaise' a standard item on one cross-Channel ferry which was tasteless to the point of nullity; an iced chewy fibre I would not have recognized had I eaten it blindfolded. Crawfish are caught around Great Britain, too, and I imagine one would be luckier with these.

Like most expensive foods, the lobster and crawfish are simple to cook. If they are bought cooked, you need only remove the sh.e.l.l and serve them with mayonnaise or split them in half, crack the claws of the lobster, and serve them as they are. The meat can also be removed and reheated in one of the delicious lobster sauces Newburg, Americaine, Mornay and so on. The creamy part in the head of the lobster, and the coral, if there is any, should be beaten into hot or cold sauces; the tail meat is usually cut across into slices; the claw meat diced.

HOW TO BOIL A LOBSTER.

The best lobsters weigh 1 kg (12 lb). Larger than this they become cheaper, but are not so good. I once bought a 12 kg 34 lb) lobster, and it was very poor. It is best to buy two or three smaller lobsters, for four or six people. Mrs O'Farrell's advice is to grip the creature across the carapace, which should 'be firm and unyielding, and if there is any inward movement of the fingers it should be discarded, as this indicates a recent sh.e.l.l-change and resulting loss of meat. A hen lobster has a wider body and smaller claws than the c.o.c.k, but there is no difference at all from the culinary point of view.'

The ideal cooking liquid is its natural element, seawater, plus enough salt to make an egg float in it. Be guided by this when using tapwater 175 g (6 oz) salt to 1 litres (3 pt) water is about right. Put the lobster into the cold water, and bring it up to simmering point: weight the lid to stop the lobster jumping out. This method is recommended by the RSPCA as being painless the lobster gets dopier as the temperature rises, and expires quietly at 26 C (80 F). When simmering point is reached, allow 15 minutes for the first 500 g (1 lb) and 10 minutes for each 500 g (1 lb) after that. Remove the lobster, put it on a dish and allow it to cool in the larder.

Restaurants usually stick to the old method of plunging the lobster into boiling salted water. And many people insist that the flavour of lobster cooked this way is better. Michael Field has this to say in All Manner of Food All Manner of Food: 'Lobsters are at their best only if they breathe their last either in the dish in which they are cooked or moments before they are added to it. Scientists long ago demonstrated that crustaceans have nervous systems of such simplicity that they scarcely feel pain as we do.'

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 a l'americaine, 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 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 ca.n.a.l 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 b.u.t.tER.

Either pound the coral and creamy parts of the lobster with an equal amount of b.u.t.ter. Or dry some lobster sh.e.l.ls in the oven, then pound them as finely as possible. Put into a pan with an equal weight of b.u.t.ter. 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 sh.e.l.l over with a little oil or a b.u.t.ter 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 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 sh.e.l.lfish) or as simple (hard-boiled egg, tomatoes, olives, anchovies, capers) as you like. The mayonnaise is served separately. 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 sh.e.l.lfish) 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 cuc.u.mber 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 Grand Dictionnaire de Cuisine. (It can go with other sh.e.l.lfish, too, such as crab or prawns.) Mix together: Serves 65 tablespoons olive oil1 tablespoon Dijon mustard1 handful of parsley, tarragon, and chives, chopped1 heaped tablespoon finely chopped shallot or onion12 drops soy saucefreshly ground white pepper1 small gla.s.s of anisette, or pastis pastis or or Pernod 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 61 small lobster2 carrots, diced1 medium onion, diced1 stalk celery, diced125 g (4 oz) b.u.t.ter60 ml (2 fl oz) brandy250 ml (8 fl oz) dry white wine1 litres (2 pt) fish stockbouquet garni3 tablespoons rice125 ml (4 fl oz) double creamsalt, pepper, cayenne1 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 b.u.t.ter 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 reduced by half. Put in enough fish stock to cover the lobster and simmer for another 5 minutes until the lobster is cooked. Remove the pieces. Add the rest of the stock and the bouquet, with the rice. Meanwhile remove lobster meat from the sh.e.l.ls, restoring a few large bits of sh.e.l.l to the pan of soup. Dice the meat and set aside. When the rice is cooked, take the sh.e.l.l out of the pan and liquidize the rest, or sieve it, with the cream and most of the lobster meat. Season. Mix the coral with the remaining b.u.t.ter and add to the reheated but not boiling soup, together with the last few bits of lobster meat that were not liquidized. Sprinkle with plenty of chopped parsley and serve. Lobster Introduction). Remove the coral from the meat and set aside. Cook the vegetables gently in 2 tablespoons of b.u.t.ter 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 reduced by half. Put in enough fish stock to cover the lobster and simmer for another 5 minutes until the lobster is cooked. Remove the pieces. Add the rest of the stock and the bouquet, with the rice. Meanwhile remove lobster meat from the sh.e.l.ls, restoring a few large bits of sh.e.l.l to the pan of soup. Dice the meat and set aside. When the rice is cooked, take the sh.e.l.l out of the pan and liquidize the rest, or sieve it, with the cream and most of the lobster meat. Season. Mix the coral with the remaining b.u.t.ter and add to the reheated but not boiling soup, together with the last few bits of lobster meat that were not liquidized. Sprinkle with plenty of chopped parsley and serve.

If you have a ready-boiled lobster, sh.e.l.l the meat and add the sh.e.l.l to the vegetables which have been softened in the b.u.t.ter. Flame with brandy, add wine and continue with the recipe above. This method is a good way of using up the sh.e.l.ls from a lobster it is surprising how much flavour they contain, and if you have the forethought to put aside a piece or two of lobster meat from the meal before, the bisque will be quite good. Sometimes a spoonful of tomato concentrate or chopped tomato improves this kind of economical recipe.

HOT LOBSTER DISHES.

Most hot lobster dishes can be reduced to two basic methods. Once they are firmly in one's mind, a number of variations can be introduced.

The first method is to serve the lobster in a rich sauce, with rice. The second is to mix it with a small amount of sauce and some piquant flavourings, and then to grill it in the half-sh.e.l.l. This is a particularly appetizing way of cooking lobster; the only snag is that half a lobster is essential for each person, whereas two lobsters can be quite enough for six people when prepared by the first method.

LOBSTER WITH VARIOUS SAUCES.

Serves 62 lobsters, live or ready boiled125 g (4 oz) b.u.t.ter1 large onion, chopped1 clove garlic, chopped1 gla.s.s brandy, gin or or whisky whisky150 ml (5 fl oz) wine or or fortified wine fortified wine300 ml (10 fl oz) cream, preferably double23 egg yolkssalt, pepper, cayenne, herbs Cut up live lobsters as indicated in the Lobster Introduction. Melt the b.u.t.ter, cook the onion and garlic until soft. Add the lobster pieces, raise the heat and turn until they are red. Flame with the brandy, gin or whisky. Remove the lobster to a dish and keep it warm. Pour the wine into the pan, and reduce to a syrupy essence. Stir in the cream; reduce slightly. Mix the egg yolks with the lobster coral, the creamy part and any liquor. Stir in a spoonful of sauce, then add to the pan and thicken without boiling in the usual way. Add seasoning to taste.

With a ready-boiled lobster, remove the meat and dice it. Add to the softened onion and garlic, reheat, and push to the side of the pan while the sauce is completed. If there is any risk of it overcooking, transfer to a covered dish, and keep warm in the oven, or over a pan of boiling water.

LOBSTER NEWBURG No onion or garlic. Use brandy and Madeira or brown sherry as the alcohol. For the final seasoning, add salt, pepper and 60 g (2 oz) of b.u.t.ter cut into bits and whisked into the sauce without further cooking. Otherwise, as above. No onion or garlic. Use brandy and Madeira or brown sherry as the alcohol. For the final seasoning, add salt, pepper and 60 g (2 oz) of b.u.t.ter cut into bits and whisked into the sauce without further cooking. Otherwise, as above.

This was a recipe invented by the French chef at Delmonico's in New York, at the end of the last century.

LOBSTER a L'ANISE As in the basic recipe above, but add 250 g (8 oz) sliced mushrooms when cooking onion and garlic. For the alcohol, use 2 tablespoons pastis or Pernod. The herbs should include some chopped tarragon. Good, and unusual. As in the basic recipe above, but add 250 g (8 oz) sliced mushrooms when cooking onion and garlic. For the alcohol, use 2 tablespoons pastis or Pernod. The herbs should include some chopped tarragon. Good, and unusual.

LOBSTER a L'AURORE As the basic recipe above, but with white wine as the only alcohol, plus a spoonful of wine vinegar. To the cream, add 150 ml (5 fl oz) concentrated tomato puree, well seasoned. To make the puree, use fresh tomatoes, As the basic recipe above, but with white wine as the only alcohol, plus a spoonful of wine vinegar. To the cream, add 150 ml (5 fl oz) concentrated tomato puree, well seasoned. To make the puree, use fresh tomatoes, see see Lobster a l'americaine below. Lobster a l'americaine below.

LOBSTER a LA CReME Omit onions, garlic and brandy; use white wine as the alcohol. The rest unchanged. Omit onions, garlic and brandy; use white wine as the alcohol. The rest unchanged.

LOBSTER a L'AMeRICAINE Two things are certain about the excellent dish known both as Lobster a l'americaine and Lobster a l'armoricaine it was invented neither in America nor in Brittany, the ancient Armorica. No one disputes the first certainty. And no one who knows anything about Brittany in the last century is likely to dispute the second. Outside the main centres, it was poor and backward. Fine cooking needs a long prosperous way of living. Glossy, tourist Brittany, with its fat strawberries and artichokes, its up-to-date farms, is a creation of the last fifty years. Homard a l'americaine could not be ordered in Paris restaurants before 1873.

It was first popular at the Restaurant Bonnefoy, where Homard bonnefoy, developed from a Mediterranean way of cooking crawfish, probably from Langouste Nicoise, was a speciality of the chef Constance Guillot. The name americaine was an inspiration of Pierre Fraisse, at the Restaurant Noel Peters. He came from Sete, southern France, but had worked in America, and soon acquired a clientele of Americans abroad when he opened up in Paris. The delicious flavour, the mild flattery of the name, ensured an international reputation for the dish. In French Provincial Cooking French Provincial Cooking Elizabeth David observes that some Frenchmen, feeling patriotic after the First World War, corrected what they chose to regard as a 'typographical error' into the soothing 'armoricaine'. Elizabeth David observes that some Frenchmen, feeling patriotic after the First World War, corrected what they chose to regard as a 'typographical error' into the soothing 'armoricaine'.

For northern cooks, the hard point of the recipe, the point at which it can easily fail, is the tomatoes. If you have ever eaten a tomato in southern Europe, straight from the garden in the heat of summer, you will understand what I mean. Our tomatoes, particularly commercial varieties, which are so poor in flavour and in solidity of texture, need much attention. They cannot be added to the pan with the fish, in the French style, as they are too watery.

The original, ideal fish no baulking at this one is lobster, lobster alive, not ready-boiled. The next choice, a common one in France where lobster is even pricier than here, is monkfish, for its texture and sweetness. Turbot works well; so do squid and scallops.

One surprising thing is the use of meat flavours; they give a rich undertone to the sauce without being identifiable. Another is how the recipe can be completely changed by altering a couple of secondary ingredients. Cream instead of stock, b.u.t.ter instead of olive oil, turn the southern americaine style to the northern armoricaine.

Serves 66 tablespoons olive oil1 large clove garlic, crushed500 g (1 lb) tomatoes, peeled, choppedsalt, black pepperred wine vinegar (see (see recipe recipe)dark brown sugar (see (see recipe recipe)2 x 750 g (1 lb) lobsters or or 1 kg (3 lb) firm fish steaks, seasoned, floured 1 kg (3 lb) firm fish steaks, seasoned, floured or or 6 squid sacs, cut in rings, floured 6 squid sacs, cut in rings, floured1 tablespoon plain flour1 tablespoon b.u.t.ter1 small onion, chopped2 shallots, chopped3 tablespoons brandy, 150 ml (5 fl oz) dry white wine or or 90 ml (3 fl oz) Madeira 90 ml (3 fl oz) Madeira34 tablespoons meat jelly150 ml (5 fl oz) beef stockcayenne pepperchopped parsley, tarragon, chervil Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a 20-cm (8-inch) frying pan. Add garlic and tomatoes. Cook down to a steady boil, until you have about 250 ml (810 fl oz) of tomato puree it will be fairly lumpy (sieve if you like sauces smooth). As the tomatoes cook, add salt and black pepper, with a dash of vinegar and a little sugar if they are under-privileged in flavour.

Meanwhile, if the fishmonger has not cut up the lobsters, you must deal with them, see see Lobster Introduction. Put any coral and the creamy dark liver (the tomalley) into a basin, and mash up with the flour and b.u.t.ter. Set it aside. If you are not using lobster, prepare the other fish; mash the flour and b.u.t.ter together. Lobster Introduction. Put any coral and the creamy dark liver (the tomalley) into a basin, and mash up with the flour and b.u.t.ter. Set it aside. If you are not using lobster, prepare the other fish; mash the flour and b.u.t.ter together.

In a 2530-cm (1012-inch) heavy frying or saute pan, cook onion and shallots gently in 3 tablespoons of the oil until they turn golden. Put in the lobster or other fish and cook until it turns red or becomes lightly browned.

Pour in the tomatoes, alcohols, jelly and stock, with a pinch of cayenne. Cover and simmer until the fish is just cooked 1012 minutes. Remove it to a dish (discard the lobster sh.e.l.l if you like), and keep warm.

Raise the heat under the sauce and boil it down hard to a good flavour. Correct seasoning. Stir in the coral/flour b.u.t.ter, or flour/ b.u.t.ter mixture, in little bits: cook just under boiling point for 5 minutes until the sauce thickens. Add herbs; pour it over the fish. Serve with boiled and b.u.t.ter rice.

L'ARMORICAINE Use b.u.t.ter instead of olive oil, and cream instead of stock either double cream, or double and soured cream, half and half. Beat a final 30 g (1 oz) of b.u.t.ter into the sauce when it is ready. Add lemon juice. Use b.u.t.ter instead of olive oil, and cream instead of stock either double cream, or double and soured cream, half and half. Beat a final 30 g (1 oz) of b.u.t.ter into the sauce when it is ready. Add lemon juice.

LOBSTER ALLA MARINARA.

This is a simpler, Italian version of Lobster a l'americaine. The seasoning of the marinara sauce can be varied it can be made hot with cayenne, or sharpened by the addition of a tablespoon of vinegar and a teaspoon or two of French mustard. Three hundred ml (10 fl oz) of the sauce can be softened by the addition of 150 ml (5 fl oz) of boiling cream with Marsala as a final flavouring. Warning: be sure to get the sauce right, i.e. right to your taste, before adding the lobster, and remember that mustard loses its virtue if it is cooked always add it as a last seasoning.

Serves 41 large or or 2 small lobsters, live 2 small lobsters, liveolive oil250300 ml (810 fl oz) mussel or or clam liquor clam liquor1 medium onion, quarteredsalt, peppermarinara sauce*walnut-sized lump of b.u.t.ter Unless you have some already prepared, prepare the ingredients for the marinara sauce, and set it to cook. Cut the lobster in pieces as for Lobster a l'americaine. Heat up a large heavy frying pan, covered with a thin layer of olive oil. Turn the lobster pieces in the hot oil until they turn red (about 10 minutes). Add the mussel or clam juice from a previous day's cooking, or from bottle or can and the onion. Season with salt and pepper if necessary. After another 1015 minutes, remove the onion, and turn the lobster and juices into the pan of hot, sieved marinara sauce. Stir in the b.u.t.ter and serve immediately.

NOTE If boiled lobster has to be used, simmer the mussel or clam liquor with the onion for 15 minutes. Add to the hot marinara sauce with the sliced lobster, and heat through. Add b.u.t.ter last of all. If boiled lobster has to be used, simmer the mussel or clam liquor with the onion for 15 minutes. Add to the hot marinara sauce with the sliced lobster, and heat through. Add b.u.t.ter last of all.

GRILLED LOBSTER.

3 lobsters, ready boiled or or 3 crawfish 3 crawfish1 onion, chopped60 g (2 oz) b.u.t.ter1 gla.s.s dry white wine or or dry sherry dry sherrybechamel* or Mornay Mornay* or Normande Normande* sauce, etc. sauce, etc.mustard or or chopped anchovies chopped anchovies or or grated cheese (mixed Gruyere/Parmesan) grated cheese (mixed Gruyere/Parmesan)salt, pepper, cayennebreadcrumbsgrated Gruyeremelted b.u.t.ter Remove and crack the lobster claws; take out the meat and dice it. Split the lobsters or crawfish in half lengthwise, remove the tail meat and coral and soft parts, chop them and add to the claw meat. Discard the rest, sc.r.a.ping the sh.e.l.ls as cleanly as possible.

Cook the onion in b.u.t.ter until soft. Add the alcohol, and reduce to 1 tablespoons. Stir in the chosen sauce and add mustard, anchovies or cheese to taste. Season. Put some of this sauce in the base of each sh.e.l.l, then the meat, then some more sauce. Mix the breadcrumbs and cheese and sprinkle them on top; pour a little melted b.u.t.ter over them. Arrange on a baking sheet, and set under the grill until hot and bubbling, and lightly browned.

To steady the half-lobsters or crawfish, put two bands of crushed kitchen foil for the ends to rest on.

CURRIED LOBSTER Add two teaspoonfuls of curry powder, with the bechamel sauce. Do not add any other flavouring, apart from the Gruyere and breadcrumbs for the topping. Add two teaspoonfuls of curry powder, with the bechamel sauce. Do not add any other flavouring, apart from the Gruyere and breadcrumbs for the topping.

LOBSTER WITH OYSTERS ( (OR CLAMS OR MUSSELS) As grilled lobster above. Use a bechamel sauce, and add anchovies only as the piquancy. Arrange a line of sh.e.l.led oysters (or clams or mussels) along each half-sh.e.l.l before sprinkling on the breadcrumbs and cheese. Serve with lemon quarters.

LOBSTER THERMIDOR As grilled lobster above, using a bechamel or Mornay sauce; and cheese and French mustard as the piquancy. As grilled lobster above, using a bechamel or Mornay sauce; and cheese and French mustard as the piquancy.

LOBSTER IN GIN.

Under French influence, one tends to think that brandy is the only spirit worth using in cookery (or, occasionally, Calvados if the recipe is in the Normandy style). In fact whisky or gin does very well instead, gin in particular adding a delicious and subtle flavour to sh.e.l.lfish.

Buy and cut up 2 small live or 1 large lobster. Turn to p. 340 p. 340 and follow the recipe for scallops in gin, omitting the seasoned flour. The lobster meat can be removed from the sh.e.l.ls while the sauce is reducing. and follow the recipe for scallops in gin, omitting the seasoned flour. The lobster meat can be removed from the sh.e.l.ls while the sauce is reducing.

OMELETTE DU BARON DE BARANTE.

This recipe comes from a small booklet produced by Francois Minot, chef-patron at the famous Hotel du Cote d'Or at Saulieu. One of his grandfathers he is fifth in a line of chefs spent some time in Russia, as did the famous chef Edouard de Nignon, who invented this recipe. The Baron de Barante was one of the greatest gourmets of his time.

Serves 68500 g (1 lb) mushrooms, slicedsalt, pepperb.u.t.ter1 sherry gla.s.s of good portabout 600 ml (1 pt) double cream12 thick slices cooked lobster tail18 eggs300 ml (10 fl oz) Mornay sauce*grated Parmesan cheese Season mushrooms and cook in some b.u.t.ter. Add port and reduce liquid by half. Pour the cream in, stir it well, and add the lobster. Cover and cook very gently, so as not to make the lobster tough and tasteless.

Make one or more omelettes with the eggs, seasoned in the usual way. Put the lobster filling inside, and roll the omelette (s) over. Pour over some Mornay sauce, sprinkle with grated cheese, and put under a hot grill until the cheese turns a fine golden glaze.

DUBLIN BAY PRAWNS OR NORWAY LOBSTERS OR LANGOUSTINES.

Nephrops norvegicus The first time I ate an unknown sh.e.l.lfish unknown, that is, to me and to most English people then called 'scampi', I thought I had discovered the secret of an earthly paradise. It was in Venice, at the very beginning of the fifties. Twenty years later, a hundred, two hundred pub lunches later, I am not so sure. How can this plateful of desiccated catering cliches, surrounded by chips, and mocked by a sprig of parsley, have anything to do with those Adriatic scampi? Or with those miniature lobsters, the langoustines of French restaurants?

And yet the Multilingual Dictionary of Fish and Fish Products Multilingual Dictionary of Fish and Fish Products, compiled by a galaxy of marine experts, backed by the Fisheries Division of the OECD, insists that they are all the same; whatever you call them, whatever you do to them, they are Nephrops norvegicus Nephrops norvegicus of the same family as the lobster. One cannot argue with authority of this kind. of the same family as the lobster. One cannot argue with authority of this kind.

When the first edition of this book was published, you would have been lucky to find scampi still in their sh.e.l.ls, and if you did, they would have already been boiled to a coral pink more beautiful than the lobster's l.u.s.tier tone. Thank goodness, things have improved and more enlightened fishmongers sell fresh langoustines.

If you are successful in finding some, serve them on their own or as part of a mixed array of sh.e.l.lfish (oysters, mussels, clams, crab) all on a bed of ice with a little seaweed to show off their beauty. This allows people the pleasure of sh.e.l.ling them (only the tails are eaten). A big bowl of lemon-flavoured mayonnaise should be on the table as well never use malt vinegar for fish, least of all for sh.e.l.lfish. You can tartarize it or not as you please.

Alternatively the sh.e.l.led tails can be reheated in a Newburg sauce, like the boiled lobster on p. 213 p. 213, or in a creamy curry sauce*; or in a whisky and cream sauce many of them do, after all, come from Scotland, or rather from Scottish waters by way of Scottish fishing boats, see see p.220 p.220.

GRATIN DE LANGOUSTINES.

From the excellent Hotel de France at Montmorillon, in Vienne, comes this simple dish of langoustine tails, mushrooms and cream.

Serves 8300 g (10 oz) mushrooms, sliced6090 g (23 oz) b.u.t.ter1 kg (2 lb) sh.e.l.led langoustine tails750 ml (25 fl oz) double creamsalt, freshly ground black peppergrated nutmegpinch of cayenne60 g (2 oz) grated Gruyere Cook the mushrooms in the b.u.t.ter. When they are nearly done, add the tails. b.u.t.ter a gratin dish and put the mushrooms and cooked langoustines into it. Heat the cream and season with salt, pepper and spices to taste. Pour over the fish. Sprinkle with the Gruyere and a little more nutmeg. Place under the grill to brown slightly, for 5 to 6 minutes.

LANGOUSTINES a L'eCOSSAISE If you buy the langoustines in their sh.e.l.ls, you will need about 1 kg (3 lb). If they are actually alive, you should plunge them into boiling, salted water, and cook them for 1015 minutes once the water has come back to the boil. Sh.e.l.l them when cool, and set the tails aside.

If the langoustines are already sh.e.l.led, 750 g (1 lb) should be enough. You will also need: Serves 660 g (2 oz) b.u.t.ter4 tablespoons whiskySAUCE3 large onions, chopped1 large clove garlic, chopped2 tablespoons oil1 tablespoon b.u.t.ter1 tablespoon plain flour150 ml (5 fl oz) dry white wine150 ml (5 fl oz) fish fumet or or light meat stock light meat stock150 ml (5 fl oz) double creamsalt, pepper First make the sauce by cooking the onion and garlic gently in the oil and b.u.t.ter, until soft but not brown. Stir in the flour, then moisten with wine, fumet or stock, and cream. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, longer if you like. Season.

Reheat the langoustine tails in the 60 g (2 oz) b.u.t.ter. Warm the whisky, set it alight and pour it over them, turning them about in the flames until they die down. Pour on the sauce. Bring to the boil. Pour into the centre of a ring of boiled rice and serve immediately.

NOTE The flour may be omitted, but flame the onions with 3 or 4 tablespoons of whisky instead, before adding the various liquid ingredients. Reduce by boiling until the sauce is of good consistency and taste. The flour may be omitted, but flame the onions with 3 or 4 tablespoons of whisky instead, before adding the various liquid ingredients. Reduce by boiling until the sauce is of good consistency and taste.

MACKEREL, SPANISH MACKEREL, CERO & KING MACKEREL s...o...b..r s...o...b..us & & s...o...b..romorus s...o...b..romorus spp. spp.

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In the last sixteen years in Britain, we have seen the fall of the herring and the rise of the mackerel, which appear now in it seems unending shoals from Cornwall to Ullapool. One of the strangest, most eerie sights I ever saw was coming over the brow of the pa.s.s down to Loch Broom, all peaceful in the pale autumn light, and seeing far below us ships stretching to the horizon. The farther you looked, the larger they became against all the rules of perspective. It looked like a scene from some wartime newsreel of the fleet gathering before an attack. The reason for this activity, and for the many languages you hear across the Fair-Isle jerseys in Ullapool shops, is mackerel. The huge ships to sea were Russian klond.y.k.ers, curing and canning non-stop we were told, and sometimes they came from j.a.pan! If ever I revise this book again round about the year 2000 AD AD, I wonder if Ullapool will have sunk back into its one-storey quiet again as the herring ports of East Scotland did in the late 1970s.

Mackerel has made its way with difficulty. Older people refuse to eat it unless they can see it pretty well taken off the boat. Without freshness, it is nothing. However if the catch is properly iced from the moment it is landed or within an hour or two, according to A.J. McClane whose authority is the Fisheries Research Board of Canada, 'the eating quality of mackerel has been maintained for nineteen days'. It must be this improvement that accounts for the increasing success of mackerel at the fishmongers'.

The other thing mackerel needs is a sharp or positive flavour to balance the richness of the slightly pink flesh. This has been such a cliche of the kitchen over centuries that, in France, a gooseberry is distinguished from other currants by the name of groseille a maquereau groseille a maquereau (though a French cook these days is more likely to use sorrel or mustard; only in Normandy have I found a modern recipe that partners the two). Alan Davidson suggests a cranberry or rhubarb sauce, which have a similar effect of acid contrast. So, too, would red and white currants. I have also included a recipe for grilled mackerel with pears cooked in port with fresh ginger. (though a French cook these days is more likely to use sorrel or mustard; only in Normandy have I found a modern recipe that partners the two). Alan Davidson suggests a cranberry or rhubarb sauce, which have a similar effect of acid contrast. So, too, would red and white currants. I have also included a recipe for grilled mackerel with pears cooked in port with fresh ginger.

These svelte and beautiful fish, that winter in the cold depths of the North Sea, take no food during their long rest. I was told in Norway that people who live up on the Arctic coast refuse to eat them. For a start, they are written over in a language they cannot read look at a mackerel next time you buy one and the browny-reddish part is because they feed on the bodies of drowned sailors and fishermen. In fact, this 'red muscle sustains their continuous swimming, which in these pelagic fishes never ceases, and the white muscle is flexed when a burst of speed is needed'. I suppose the prejudice and the stories began because the mackerel wintering in those parts are in poor condition, and so not worth eating anyway.

I have been speaking of our northern mackerel, the Atlantic mackerel, s...o...b..r s...o...b..us s...o...b..r s...o...b..us, caught on both sides of the water. It has various relations in the warmer seas of the world. The finest to eat, finer than our mackerel, are the wahoo, cero and Spanish mackerel of the Mexican Gulf, where the king mackerel is also caught in abundance. Then there is the sierra of the Pacific Coast, and the Monterey Spanish mackerel, and species off the coasts of China, j.a.pan and India. In Britain, or on holiday in southern Europe, you may well see the Spanish mackerel which has the usual pattern of dark squiggled 'writing', but on a smaller, less bold scale. All recipes for mackerel, and many recipes for bluefish, herring and sardine, are suitable for these species as well.

One aspect of mackerel that I dislike intensely is the deep-brown coloured, hot-smoked fillets and whole fish that are now so widely on sale and on the menus of many cafes and restaurants. The texture is unpleasingly soft, the taste too smoky-brown as if some essence or powder has been used.

Cold-smoked mackerel is another matter, however. Cold-smoked mackerel is a treat for the G.o.ds. Why it is so difficult to find, I do not know. A neighbour once turned up with a tray of these pale golden delicacies that he had wrested from Macfisheries in Swindon, not long before they expired. We had a share-out and I found that they kept well in the freezer. They came out for special visitors, who were often puzzled to know what fish precisely they were eating.

Another success with mackerel, large ones for preference, is the gravadlax cure of salt, sugar and dill, see see p. 310 p. 310. Really fresh mackerel, especially if you have caught them yourself, are ideal for sashimi (p. 364) or for a simple marinade of olive oil and lime juice. Lime juice is also a good treatment for mackerel fillets destined for the grill.

HOW TO PREPARE MACKEREL.

Mackerel need no scaling. When you clean the cavities, guard the roes, which are a delicacy. For persistent blood marks, rub in a little salt and then rinse under the cold tap. Mackerel are best grilled, or dry-fried in an iron pan. Slash them diagonally either side of the backbone, in the plumpest part.

As with herrings, wash your hands and the utensils with plenty of cold water after dealing with mackerel. This gets rid of the smell which can be a problem with oily fish. They can then be washed in hot soapy water in the usual way.

ESCABeCHE OLD AND NEW.

The word escabeche escabeche has a fine sound, almost a flourish to its tail. By origin Spanish, it comes from the West Indies, where they have long used it to describe a particular method of pickling fish. In England it turns up, briskly abbreviated to caveach, in the middle of the eighteenth century. Mrs Raffald gives two recipes in has a fine sound, almost a flourish to its tail. By origin Spanish, it comes from the West Indies, where they have long used it to describe a particular method of pickling fish. In England it turns up, briskly abbreviated to caveach, in the middle of the eighteenth century. Mrs Raffald gives two recipes in The Experienced English Housekeeper The Experienced English Housekeeper (1769), one for sole, the other for fish in general, the only difference being in the spicing. (1769), one for sole, the other for fish in general, the only difference being in the spicing.

Hannah Gla.s.se in The Art of Cookery The Art of Cookery (1747) gives the following method: (1747) gives the following method: To pickle Mackrel, call'd, Caveach'Cut your Mackrel into round Pieces, and divide one into five or six Pieces: To six large Mackrel you may take one Ounce [30 g] of beaten Pepper, three large Nutmegs, a little Mace, and Handful of Salt. Mix your Salt and beaten Spice together, then make two or three Holes in each Piece, and thrust the Seasoning into the Holes with your Finger, rub the Piece all over with the Seasoning, fry them brown in Oil, and let them stand till they are cold; then put them into Vinegar, and cover them with Oil. They will keep well covered a great While, and are delicious.'

I can imagine that this rich southern confection must have made a pleasant interruption in our ancient Friday diets of salt-and-vinegar-soused herring. The interesting thing is that the eighteenth-century English recipes are unchanged in modern books of Central and Latin American cooking: the fish is first fried, then submerged in oil, vinegar and aromatics such as onion, peppers, oranges, spices whatever the region provides.

Modern recipes, too, vary only in the flavourings. Take this one from Diana Kennedy's extraordinary and exciting Cuisines of Mexico Cuisines of Mexico, for Sierra en escabeche as prepared in Yucatan. Other kinds of mackerel can be used, p. 222 p. 222, or striped ba.s.s. In Britain, you may have to subst.i.tute other chillis for the gueros gueros, which are pale yellow and quite hot to hot with their own special flavour. Toast them by dry-frying in a heavy iron pan, until the skin is burnt and blistered, the flesh soft. Or grill them. Or bake them in a very hot oven. Mrs Kennedy knows 'of a Yucatan cook who adds a few leaves of the guava, orange and allspice trees to the escabeche, and it is wonderfully fragrant. The best I could do was to add a few k.u.mquat leaves that I had found in a greengrocer's.'

Serves 66 2 -cm (1-inch) slices of sierra, kingfish 2 -cm (1-inch) slices of sierra, kingfish or or striped ba.s.s striped ba.s.s4 tablespoons lime juice3 teaspoons salt teaspoon peppercorns teaspoon coriander seeds teaspoon c.u.min seeds2 whole cloves1-cm ( -inch) piece cinnamon stick2 whole allspice2 cloves garlic, skinned, crushed300 ml (10 fl oz) wine vinegar teaspoon oregano2 small bay leaves10 small cloves garlic, toasted in their skins and peeled teaspoon caster sugar125 ml (4 fl oz) olive oil125 ml (4 fl oz) groundnut or or safflower oil safflower oil6 gueros gueros chillis, toasted chillis, toasted2 large purple onions, thinly sliced Put the fish in a shallow pot. Mix the lime juice and 1 teaspoon of salt with 250 ml (8 fl oz) water and pour it over. Leave for an hour, turning the fish once.