Choose a good hen lobster, be sure it is fresh, so get a live one if you can, and boil it as in NO. 176, pick out the spawn into a mortar, add to it a quarter of an ounce of butter*, pound it fine, and rub it through a hair sieve with the back of a wooden spoon; cut the meat of the lobster into small squares, or pull it to pieces with a fork: break the chine in pieces, and put it into a stew-pan with the inside of the fish and a pint of water; let it simmer till it is reduced to about half, (this will take near an hour,) strain it through a sieve into another stewpan; when it is cold, add to it the spawn you have bruised, an ounce of butter, and two teaspoonsful of flour; mix it well together till it boils, then put to it the meat of the lobster; warm it on the fire again, but do not let it boil, or you will lose the red colour. Some who are fond of making this sauce very rich, use strong beef gravy instead of melted butter, adding catsup, cavice, lemon pickle, or wine to it.

* Two or three anchovies are sometimes pounded with the spawn.

Observations

Save a little of the inside red coral spawn, and rub it through a sieve (without butter), it is very ornamental to garnish your fish with, by sprinkling it over it; and if the skin of the breast of your fish is broken, it will be useful to hide that blemish, which will sometimes happen to the most careful cook, when there is a large dinner to get up, and many other things to attend to.

Sauce For Lobster, Etc

Bruise the yolks of two hard boiled eggs with the back of a wooden spoon, add a teaspoonful of water to them, and rub them quite smooth, mix them with a teaspoonful of made mustard, two tablespoonsful of salad oil, and five of vinegar, and season it with a very little Cayenne pepper and some salt.

Observations

To this, elder vinegar, catsup, or cavice, or anchovy paste, is occasionally added.