Preparing Lobster Tails

by: Lee Dobbins

Lobster, once the food of poor farmers, is now considered a special treat for many. Although some people prefer the meaty claws, I think that lobster tails are the best tasting part of this delicious creature. A great meal of lobster tails might seem like a gourmet feast to your guests, but they are actually quite easy to prepare. Add a little sprig of garnish and a fancy side dish and you’re sure to impress even your mother in law.

Your lobster tails might start off a fresh or frozen, being in New England, fresh lobster is easy to come by but frozen might be all you can get in some parts of the country and in the off season. If your lobster tails are frozen, you need to thaw them out (you can cook them frozen but they will not be as tender). Put them in the fridge for 10 hours or so or thaw them in the microwave on defrost – be very careful if you choose this method as you don’t want them to start cooking in the microwave.

After they are thawed, remove the meat from the shell by cutting open the back of the shell – split it down the middle and open it up to reveal the meat. Lift the meat out – you can leave the fan part of the tail on for show or not. Remove the vein.

Boiling Lobster Tails

Boil a pot of water large enough for all the tails to float in, add 1 tsp salt for each quart of water. Drop the tails in the boiling water and cook for about 1 minute per oz thawed (so 10 0z of tails needs to cook for 10 minutes). If you are cooking a lot of tails, add a minute or two on to the total time.

Cooking Lobster Tails in the Oven
Lobster tails can be baked or broiled in the oven. To cook thawed lobster in the oven,set the oven to 400 degrees F. Brush the tails with butter and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. If broiling, place the tails 4 or 5 inches from the heat and broil for 2 – 5 minutes. When broiling keep a very close eye on them so that they don’t burn on the tops.



Cooking Lobster Tails On The Grill
Oil the grill to keep the lobsters from sticking. Put the grill on medium heat. Brush the lobster tails with butter and place on the grill. Make sure that the tails do not burn – if there are any flames on the grill move the lobster away from it. Grill on each side for 4-5 minutes.

Take care not to overcook your lobster or it will be rubbery and tasteless. Lobster is cooked when it is no longer transparent.

About the author:

Lee Dobbins is owner and editor of Online Gourmet Foods where you can find out about your favorite foods, including gourmet seafood and lobster

HERRING TIDBITS

2 c. (1 pt.) sour cream

1 (12 oz.) jar herring tidbits in

wine, undrained, chopped

2 apples, peeled, quartered, cored
nd chopped

1 med. Bermuda onion, quartered and
chopped


1/2 c. seedless grapes, halved

2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
Rye rounds

Combine first 4 ingredients in large bowl and mix
thoroughly.
Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
Add grapes and eggs and toss lightly.
Turn into dish.
Serve with rye rounds.
Makes about 4 cups.

CRAB BROCCOLI CASSEROLE

 
2 T butter

1/4 c chpd onion

8 oz crab

1/4 t curry

1/4 c cream & 1/4 c water

2 c cooked broccoli

1 c cheddar

xanthan gum (thickener)

1/2 t salt

1 T lemon juice
 
Preheat oven 350. Grease 1 qt casserole and put cooked broccoli in bottom.

Sprinkle with cheese.

Melt butter and saute onion.

Add flour, curry powder and salt.

Gradually stir in cream and water mixture.

Cook til thickened (may have to add thickener).

Add lemon juice and crab.

Pour over broccoli.

Bake 30 min.

 
Serves 2 @ 8 carb, 3 fiber (5 NET carbs), 561 Calories, 43 fat, 38 protein.

BOILED SALT COD

Put your fish to soak over night;

change the water in the morning, and let
it stay till you put it on, which should be
two hours before dinner;

keep it at scalding heat all the time, but do
not let it boil, or it will get hard; eat it with egg
sauce or drawn butter.

If you have any cod fish left from dinner, mix it with
mashed potatoes, and enough flour to stick them together;

season with pepper;

make it into little cakes, and fry them in ham drippings.

BOILED SALMON -3

When smoked salmon can be secured, it makes a
splendid fish for boiling.

If it is cooked until tender and then served
with a well-seasoned sauce,

it will find favor with most persons.

Freshen smoked salmon in warm water as much as
seems necessary, remembering that the cooking
to which it will be subjected will remove a
arge amount of the superfluous salt.

Cover the salmon with hot water, and simmer
slowly until it becomes tender.

Remove from the water, pour a little melted
butter over it, and serve with any desired sauce.

BOILED SALMON #2

When smoked salmon can be secured, it makes a
splendid fish for boiling.

If it is cooked until tender and then served
with a well-seasoned sauce,

it will find favor with most persons.

Freshen smoked salmon in warm water as much as
seems necessary, remembering that the cooking
to which it will be subjected will remove a
arge amount of the superfluous salt.

Cover the salmon with hot water, and simmer
slowly until it becomes tender.

Remove from the water, pour a little melted
butter over it, and serve with any desired sauce.

BOILED SALMON #1

The middle slice of salmon is the best.

Sew up neatly in a mosquito-net bag,
and boil a quarter of an hour to the
pound in hot salted water. When done,
unwrap with care, and lay upon a hot
dish, taking care not to break it.

Have ready a large cupful of drawn butter,
very rich, in which has been stirred a
tablespoonful of minced parsley and the
juice of a lemon. Pour half upon the salmon
and serve the rest in a boat.

Garnish with parsley and sliced eggs.

Hot lobster

1 lobster,

2 oz. of butter,

grated nutmeg;
salt, pepper, and pounded mace, to taste;

bread crumbs, 2 eggs.

Pound the meat of the lobster to a smooth paste
with the butter and seasoning, and add a few bread
crumbs.

Beat the eggs, and make the whole mixture into the form
of a lobster;

pound the spawn, and sprinkle over it.

Bake 1/4 hour, and just before serving,

lay over it the tail and body shell, with the small claws
underneath, to resemble a lobster.

SALMON SALAD

Persons who are fond of salmon will find salmon salad a
very agreeable dish. In addition to affording a means of
varying the diet, this salad makes a comparatively cheap
high-protein dish that is suitable for either supper or
luncheon.

2 c. salmon
1 c. diced celery
1/4 c. diced Spanish onion
3 or 4 sweet pickles, chopped fine
French dressing
Salad dressing
Lettuce

Look the salmon over carefully, removing any skin and bones.

Break into medium-sized pieces and mix carefully
with the celery, onion, and chopped pickles.

Marinate this with the French dressing, taking care not to
break up the salmon.

Drain and serve with any desired salad dressing on salad plates
garnished with lettuce.

SALMON AND SPINACH SOUP

2 c. cooked salmon
2 cloves, pressed garlic
1 med. onion, minced
1 tsp. oregano, crumbled
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped
spinach, thawed undrained
1 bottle (8 oz.) clam juice
2 cans (14 1/2 oz.) chicken broth

In a Dutch oven saute' garlic, onion, oregano, nutmeg,
pepper with butter and oil until onion is soft.

Add undrained spinach, cook 5 minutes.

Pour clam juice into a blender.

Spoon in 1/2 sauteed spinach mixture and 1/4 salmon.

Whip until pureed.

Pour back into Dutch oven.

Add chicken broth and the rest of the salmon,
chunked.

Simmer 5 minutes.

STEWED CARP 1 & 2

STEWED CARP #1

Clean and scale a carp, pouring boiling vinegar over the fish to
facilitate the process. Wrap in a cloth and cook it gently in court
bouillon. Serve with a sauce made of court bouillon, strained and
thickened, with a few capers and a little anchovy sauce added.

STEWED CARP #2

Mix together one tablespoonful of salt, half a teaspoonful of pepper,
and a pinch of powdered mace. Rub a cleaned fish with it, both
inside and out. Leave it in a cold place for two hours. Then put
into a kettle, cover with boiling water, add a small onion sliced,
a sprig of parsley, a bay-leaf, and a teaspoonful of marjoram.
Simmer until done, drain, and serve with Cream Sauce.

BAKED CARP- #2

Let the fish stand in vinegar for fifteen minutes. Stuff with seasoned
crumbs and sew up. Brush with beaten egg, cover with crumbs, and
dot with butter. Put into a baking-pan with two chopped onions,
a bunch of parsley, a cupful

of water, and a teaspoonful of Worcestershire sauce. Bake in a
moderate oven, basting as required. Add enough water to make a
cupful of the liquid remaining after taking up the fish. Thicken
with a tablespoonful of flour blended with an equal quantity of
butter, strain, add the juice of a lemon, and pepper and salt to
season.

BAKED CARP-- #1

lean a carp and cover it with salted cold water and vinegar.

Soak for an hour, then drain and dry.

Stuff with seasoned crumbs, sew up, and put into a deep
baking-pan.

Brush with beaten egg,

sprinkle with bread-crumbs and dot with butter.

Add two sliced onions and a pinch of sweet herbs,

a cupful each of sweet wine and stock,

and a teaspoonful of anchovy paste.

Bake for an hour, basting as needed.

Take out the fish, strain the liquor,

thicken with a tablespoonful of butter rolled in
flour, and season with salt, pepper, lemon-juice,
and a pinch of sugar.

BAKED SALMON TROUT

This deliciously flavored game-fish is baked precisely
as shad or white fish, but should be accompanied with cream
gravy to make it perfect.

It should be baked slowly, basting often with butter and water.

When done have ready in a saucepan a cup of cream, diluted
with a few spoonfuls of hot water, for fear it might clot
in heating,

in which have been stirred cautiously two tablespoonfuls of
melted butter,

a scant tablespoonful of flour,

and a little chopped parsley.

Heat this in a vessel set within another of boiling water,

add the gravy from the dripping-pan,

boil up once to thicken,

and when the trout is laid on a suitable hot dish,

pour this sauce around it.

Garnish with sprigs of parsley.

HERRING TIDBITS

2 c. (1 pt.) sour cream
1 (12 oz.) jar herring tidbits in
wine, undrained, chopped
2 apples, peeled, quartered, cored
and chopped
1 med. Bermuda onion, quartered and
chopped
1/2 c. seedless grapes, halved
2 hard-cooked eggs,
chopped Rye rounds

Combine first 4 ingredients in large bowl and
mix thoroughly.

Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Add grapes and eggs and toss lightly.

Turn into dish. Serve with rye rounds.

Makes about 4 cups.

WAYS TO COOK BUTTERFISH

FRIED BUTTERFISH--I

Trim, draw, and clean the fish. Wipe dry,

dip in milk,

roll in flour

fry in a frying-pan in plenty of clear hot fat.

Drain on a cloth, sprinkle with salt

garnish with lemon and parsley.


FRIED BUTTERFISH--II

Clean, wash and dry the fish,

rub with flour,

season with salt and pepper,

dip in beaten egg,

then in cracker dust or sifted bread-crumbs.

Fry in deep fat.



FRIED BUTTERFISH--III

Clean and gash the fish,

roll in corn-meal

saute in hot salt pork fat.

Serve with Tartar Sauce.



BOILED BUTTERFISH

Cover well-cleaned

lightly-gashed butterfish with boiling water,

season with one chopped onion, parsley and thyme,
salt and pepper.

Boil gently for about ten minutes if small.

Take from the water,

serve with scalded milk seasoned with butter, epper, salt,
and minced parsle

BAKED HALIBUT

Because of its size, halibut is cut into slices and sold in the form of steaks. Halibut slices are often sauted, but they
make a delicious dish when baked with tomatoes and flavored with onion, lemon, and bay leaf.
2 c. tomatoes
Few slices onion
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 thin slices bacon
1 Tb. flour
2 lb. halibut steak

Heat the tomatoes, onion, and bay leaf in water.

Add the salt and pepper and cook for a few minutes.

Cut the bacon into small squares, try it out in a pan,
and into this fat stir the flour.

Pour this into the hot mixture, remove the bay leaf,

and cook until the mixture thickens.

Put the steaks into a baking dish,

pour the sauce over them,

and bake in a slow oven for about 45 minutes.

Remove with the sauce to a hot platter and serve.

BAKED CLAMS

2 doz. clams

4 tbsp. olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 med. onion, chopped

1 tbsp. bread crumbs

1 tsp. parsley or chives

1/4 tsp. oregano Salt & pepper

Grated Parmesan cheese

Lemon juice

Scrub clams with stiff brush under cold water until
all grit is removed.

Saute onion and garlic until golden.

Remove clams from shell (steam open).

Chop up clams very fine,

mix with bread crumbs, parsley, salt, pepper and oregano.

Fill shells.

Sprinkle with cheese and lemon juice.

Dot with butter and place under hot broiler about

5 minutes.

TEN WAYS TO SERVE ANCHOVIES

I

Clean, bone, and trim the fish. Arrange on a dish, alternating
with quarters of hard-boiled eggs. Moisten with olive-oil, sprinkle
with parsley, and serve with toasted crackers.

II

Split the anchovies, wash in white wine, and bone them. Make a
paste with the yolks of eggs, equal parts of minced cooked fish,
and bread-crumbs. Stuff the anchovies, dip into batter, and fry
in deep fat.

III

Pound the fish in a mortar, seasoning with minced parsley, grated
onion, and cayenne. Serve on small circles of fried bread, as a
first course at dinner.

IV

Drain a bottle of anchovies and mash fine with enough butter to
make a smooth paste. Season with lemon-juice and cayenne. Spread
on fingers of toast and lay a whole anchovy on each piece.

V

Wash eight salted anchovies, remove the skin and bones, and soak
in clear water for an hour. Drain and wipe dry. Arrange on lettuce
leaves with sliced hard-boiled eggs and pour over a French dressing.

VI

Toast circles of bread, spread with butter, cover with chopped
hard-boiled eggs, make a hollow in the egg, lay an anchovy upon
it, and set into a hot oven for five minutes.

VII

Toast thin circles of graham bread, butter, and cover each piece
with anchovies. Sprinkle with lemon-juice and paprika and put into
hot oven for five minutes.

VIII

Clean and rinse the fish and dry on a cloth. Butter a small baking-dish,
put in a layer of cracker crumbs, then a layer of anchovies, then
sugar and crumbs. Repeat until the dish is full, having crumbs
and butter on top. Beat the yolks of two eggs with half a cupful
of cream and a little sugar. Pour over the fish and bake in the
oven.

IX

Use salted Norwegian anchovies soaked for two hours in cold water.
Split down the back, bone and skin, cut into strips, and arrange
on a platter. Mince separately parsley, capers, boiled carrots,
beets, and the whites and yolks of hard-boiled eggs. Arrange small
piles of contrasting colors among the fish and pour over a French
dressing.

X

Fry thin circles of bread, put a pimola in the centre, and curl an
anchovy around it. Fill the remaining space with chopped hard-boiled
eggs and serve as a first course at dinner or luncheon.

TWENTY-SIX WAYS TO COOK BLUEFISH Pt. #4

BLUEFISH A LA VENETIENNE

Prepare according to directions for Baked Bluefish a la Italienne,
adding to it a chopped tomato and six whole mushrooms. Sprinkle
with crumbs, dot with butter, brown in the oven, and sprinkle with
minced parsley.

FRIED FILLETS OF BLUEFISH

Cut the fish into fillets and soak for half an hour in olive-oil
and lemon-juice. Dip in crumbs, then in beaten egg, then in seasoned

cracker crumbs, and set into a cold place for an hour. Fry in deep
fat and serve with Tartar Sauce.

FRIED BLUEFISH

Clean the fish, season with salt and pepper, dredge with flour
and fry in plenty of hot lard. Drain on brown paper and garnish
with parsley.

STEAMED BLUEFISH

Season the fish with salt and pepper and pour over it a cupful of
vinegar. Let stand for an hour, pour off the vinegar, and steam
for twenty minutes. Serve with any preferred sauce.

TWENTY-SIX WAYS TO COOK BLUEFISH Pt. #3

BROILED BLUEFISH AU BEURRE-NOIR

Broil a bluefish according to directions previously given. Mix
together one tablespoonful each of vinegar and minced parsley,
one teaspoonful of lemon-juice, and salt and pepper to season.
Put two tablespoonfuls of butter into a frying-pan and when it
browns add the other ingredients. Bring to the boil and pour it
over the broiled fish.

BROILED BLUEFISH WITH MUSTARD SAUCE

Broil a bluefish according to directions previously given, and
sprinkle with lemon-juice. Pour over a Cream Sauce to which prepared
mustard has been added.


MATELOTE OF BLUEFISH

Prepare according to directions given for Matelote of Blackfish,
using white wine instead of Claret.

STUFFED BLUEFISH--I

Prepare according to directions given for Stuffed Sea-Bass.

STUFFED BLUEFISH--II

Scrape, clean, and dry a large bluefish.

Chop three onions fine and fry in butter. Add enough mashed potatoes
to make the required quantity of stuffing, and season with salt,
pepper, minced parsley, and melted butter. Fill the fish and sew
up. Rub with melted butter, put a little hot water into the pan,
and bake for thirty minutes, basting as required. Garnish with
lemon and parsley.

ESCALLOPED BLUEFISH

Flake cold cooked bluefish and mix it with an equal quantity of
mashed potatoes. Fill buttered shells, sprinkle with grated cheese,
cover with crumbs, dot with butter, and brown in the oven.

FILLETS OF BLUEFISH A LA DUXELLES

Skin, bone, and fillet a bluefish. Season with salt and pepper,
and cook with melted butter and lemon-juice until firm. Take from
the fire and cool. Prepare a Duxelles Sauce, boil down until thick,
and cook the fish with it. Dip in crumbs, then in beaten egg, then
in crumbs, and fry in deep fat. Serve with the diluted sauce poured
around the fish.

FILLETS OF BLUEFISH WITH ANCHOVY SAUCE

Prepare the fish according to directions

given in the preceding recipe, cooking with white wine as well as
lemon-juice. Prepare a Cream Sauce, and add to it two tablespoonfuls
each of butter and anchovy paste. Pour over the fish and serve.

BLUEFISH A L'ICARIENNE

Scale and score a two-pound bluefish, and put in a buttered baking-dish
with three tablespoonfuls each of mushroom liquor and white wine,
and salt and pepper to season. Cover with a buttered paper and
bake for fifteen minutes. Take out the fish and add to the sauce
three tablespoonfuls of stewed and strained tomatoes and one
tablespoonful of chopped, cooked, smoked beef tongue. Bring to the
boil, pour over the fish, and serve.

TWENTY-SIX WAYS TO COOK BLUEFISH Pt. #2

BAKED BLUEFISH WITH WHITE WINE SAUCE

Put a cleaned bluefish into a buttered pan with salt, pepper, minced
parsley, sweet herbs, a sliced onion, two cupfuls of white wine,
and one cupful of white stock. Cover with a buttered paper and
cook for forty minutes, basting as required. Take out the fish,
strain the sauce, and thicken with a tablespoonful of flour cooked
in butter. Boil for ten minutes, add three tablespoonfuls of butter,
the juice of half a lemon and three egg yolks well beaten. Bring
to the boil, pour over the fish, and serve.

BAKED BLUEFISH A LA NAPLES

Prepare the fish according to directions given for Baked Bluefish--II.
Fry in butter for five minutes two tablespoonfuls each of chopped
onion, carrot, and lean raw ham. Add twelve pepper-corns, two cloves,
and a sprig of marjoram. Add two and one half tablespoonfuls of
flour and cook until brown. Add gradually one cupful of brown stock
and one and one fourth cupfuls of white wine. Cook until thick,
stirring constantly, strain, reheat, pour over the fish,
sprinkle with minced parsley, and serve.

BOILED BLUEFISH

Prepare according to directions given for Boiled Bass.

BROILED BLUEFISH--I

Split the fish down the back and soak for half an hour in brine.
Rinse in fresh water, dry on a towel and broil on a buttered broiler.
Serve on a hot platter with melted butter poured over, and garnish
with watercress and sliced lemon.

BROILED BLUEFISH--II

Clean and split down the back, season with salt and pepper, and
broil according to directions previously given. Sprinkle with minced
parsley and lemon-juice and pour over a little melted butter. Serve
with a border of mashed potatoes.

PAN-BROILED BLUEFISH

Lay the fish flesh side down in a well greased, very hot pan. Turn
with a pancake-turner.

TWENTY-SIX WAYS TO COOK BLUEFISH Pt. #1

BAKED BLUEFISH A L'ITALIENNE

Score and scale the bluefish and put it into a buttered pan with
three tablespoonfuls each of white wine and mushroom liquor, a
tablespoonful of chopped onion, half a dozen chopped mushrooms
and salt and pepper to season. Cover with buttered paper and bake
for fifteen minutes. Take out the fish and add to the sauce half a
teaspoonful of beef extract, dissolved in half a cupful of boiling
water. Add a wineglassful of white wine and thicken with one
tablespoonful each of butter and browned flour. Pour the sauce over
the fish, sprinkle with chopped parsley, and serve.

BAKED BLUEFISH--I

Clean, scrape, and split the fish and take out the backbone. Gash
the flesh and insert a thin slice of salt pork under the skin.
Make a stuffing of one cupful of bread-crumbs, two tablespoonfuls
of chopped salt pork, and salt,

minced parsley, chopped onion, red pepper, kitchen bouquet, and
tomato catsup to season. Add one egg well beaten. Fill the fish and
sew up. Lay on thin slices of salt pork and bake, basting frequently
with the fat. Garnish with cress and lemon.

BAKED BLUEFISH--II

Clean a large bluefish, put into a baking-pan, pour over it a cupful
of boiling salted water, cover and bake for an hour, basting frequently.
Put on a serving platter, and thicken the sauce with browned flour,
seasoning with salt, pepper, Worcestershire and tomato catsup.
Serve with a garnish of sliced lemon.

BAKED BLUEFISH--III

Make a stuffing of bread-crumbs, two tablespoonfuls of minced onion,
a teaspoonful of minced parsley, three tablespoonfuls of butter,
one egg well-beaten, and salt and pepper to season. Stuff the fish
and tie securely. Bake in a pan with a cupful of hot water and a
tablespoonful of butter, basting frequently. Take out the fish,
boil up the sauce, add a tablespoonful of catsup, a tablespoonful
of browned flour wet with four tablespoonfuls of cold water, and
the juice of a lemon. Cook until thick, and strain.

BAKED BLUEFISH--IV

Prepare a stuffing of crumbs, grated onion, beaten egg and capers.
Stuff a large bluefish and sew up. Season with salt and pepper,
rub with butter, and add sufficient boiling water. Bake, baste
frequently, and serve with any preferred sauce.

BAKED BLUEFISH--V

Make a stuffing of one cupful of bread-crumbs, a tablespoonful of
melted butter, and salt and pepper to season. Fill the fish and
sew firmly. Gash the fish and lay strips of pork in the gashes.
Cover with crumbs, dot with butter and add sufficient boiling water
to keep from burning. Bake for an hour, basting frequently. Garnish
with parsley and lemon and serve with tomato sauce.

BAKED BLUEFISH--VI

Slit a large bluefish, take out the bone, put in a buttered baking-dish
and season with salt and pepper. Fry a chopped onion in butter, add
half a dozen chopped mushrooms, three tablespoonfuls of chopped
cooked egg-plant, and a teaspoonful of minced parsley. Add two
cupfuls of stock, and cook for fifteen minutes. Thicken with a
tablespoonful or more of flour rubbed smooth in cold water,