It has been said that the first person who ate a lobster must have been either starving or exceedingly brave; for there is but one other shellfish as forbidding in appearance as the lobster, and that is the crab.

Within this uninviting exterior is a delicious whiteandpink flesh, the like of which can hardly be equaled. When broiled and served with hot butter sauce, seasoned with lemonjuice, and garnished with crisp greens, it is delicious.

The lobster season extends from March to November. One can, of course, procure lobsters during all seasons, but, like oysters, they have their time, and out of season they are stringy and lack delicate flavor.

Signs of a Good Lobster

Always reject a dead lobster; that is, do not buy an unboiled lobster which is lifeless, as they are unwholesome. When buying readyboiled lobsters their freshness can be determined by the tail, which should be curled tightly under and when drawn out spring quickly back into place. Unless it does this the lobster was boiled when dead and should be rejected. When buying a live lobster see that it is lively when touched.

Boiling

For boiling a lobster have a deep kettle with enough water to entirely cover the lobster. When the water becomes hot take the lobster by the back and put it in head first; cover tight. When the water boils put in one tablespoon of salt and boil steadily for thirty minutes.

Preparing Lobsters

When cooked and cooled, twist off the claws and legs; break the tail apart from the body; remove the green substance, which is the fat, and considered the tidbit by epicures, and also the coral, the fine pink eggs. The stomach lies directly under the head and should be removed and thrown away; also the woolly gills.

Now pick out all the small pieces of meat which lie under the gills. Crack the claws and remove the meat. Cut the legs open with a pair of scissors and remove the meat. With a pointed, sharp knife or scissors cut open the tail, inside; remove the meat in one piece; then open it and take out the one intestine which runs the entire length of the creature.

The meat is now ready to be served in any way preferred.Lobster Baked In The Shell

Cut the meat into small pieces. Have ready three hardboiled eggs. In a saucepan place two tablespoons of butter. When melted, stir in two heaping tablespoons of flour and continue stirring until well mixed. Now add one pint of hot milk and stir until thick and smooth. Remove from the fire, and add one teaspoon of salt, onefourth of a teaspoon of paprika, one teaspoon of lemonjuice, the lobster meat, the eggs chopped very fine. Fill the shell. Cover with fine crackercrumbs mixed with a little butter. Set in a hot oven to brown. Serve with halfslices of lemon. [See illustration, Plate II.]

Lobster Salad In Tomato Ring

Cut the lobster in small cubes and to each cup add half a cup of crisp, tender celery cut in thin slices. Mix with a mayonnaise in which fold one cup of whipped cream.

Boil the contents of a twopound can of tomatoes with one bay leaf, twelve peppercorns, six sprigs of parsley, one onion, one teaspoon of celery salt, half a teaspoon of paprika for twenty minutes; then strain. Add to the liquid two tablespoons of gelatine, stir until dissolved, then turn into a ring mold. Set on ice to chill; then dip into warm water for an instant, invert on a plate, and the firm jelly will slip out unbroken. Now heap the salad in the centre, and garnish with the legs and under part of large claws, surrounding with parsley or cress.

Lobster Croquettes

Prepare the white sauce as given in the directions above, seasoning with the pepper, salt, and lemonjuice, omitting the hardboiled eggs, but adding one raw egg with the lobster meat. Spread on a shallow, buttered pan to cool. Then form into balls, a tablespoon of the mixture in each, by rolling between the palms. Coat with fine breadcrumbs, then dip into raw egg yolk seasoned with salt and pepper. Roll into very fine breadcrumbs again and drop into a kettle of deep, smokinghot fat. When a delicate brown, remove and drain on unglazed paper. Place on a folded napkin, and garnish with watercress and the legs.

Lobster Melon

Cook half a cup of milk and half a cup of breadcrumbs together. Add one and a half cups of lobster meat, chopped very fine; one teaspoon of salt, onefourth of a teaspoon of paprika, one tablespoon of sherry, the stiffly' beaten whites of three eggs. Line a melon mold, well buttered, with this mixture. Cut the tails of two lobsters into small cubes; fill the cavity in the mold and pour into this one cup of the white sauce, to which add the yolks of two eggs and one whole egg well beaten. Stand the mold in warm water and bake until firm. Unmold, garnish with watercress or parsley, and place the lobster head in centre of top.

Lobster Cutlets

For this dish canned lobster may be used. Open the can, at once tip out the contents, pouring away the liquor. Chop the meat in small pieces. To the meat add an equal measure of breadcrumbs. Season with salt, lemonjuice, and cayenne, and moisten with milk until pasty enough to mold into cutlet form. Then dip the cutlets into a mixture of egg and breadcrumbs, and fry till a light brown in deep hot fat. Lay to drain for a moment upon brown paper and serve hot.

Deviled Lobster

The foregoing receipt may be used for deviled lobster with the following variation in the cooking. When you have made the lobster ready for cooking, instead of forming it into cutlets lay it in individual dishes, put breadcrumbs upon it, pour melted butter over it, and bake in a quick oven until the breadcrumbs are a crisp brown.

Lobster A La Newburg

Melt a tablespoon of butter in a saucepan or chafingdish, and then stir in half a tablespoon of flour. After these are blended add gradually a cup of cream and see that it is well mixed in. When the cream is steaming and smooth stir in two pounds of lobster meat cut in small pieces, and when this is thoroughly heated through add a teaspoon of salt, quarter of a teaspoon of cayenne, and two tablespoons of sherry. Stir once more thoroughly, add the beaten yolks of two eggs, put in hot dish and serve immediately.

Broiled SoftShell Crabs On Toast

Choose crabs of good size, wash and clean them carefully. Then brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and lay over a hot fire on a broiler. Broil five minutes on one side, then turn and broil the other side five minutes. Have ready small pieces of white bread nicely browned and hot.

Lay a crab on each piece of bread, and drop upon it a teaspoon of Maitreya hotelier sauce and a slice of lemon. Serve hot and at once.

Creamed Shrimps

Mince a small onion and brown it in a saucepan with two tablespoons of butter. Stir in three tablespoons of cold boiled rice, three tablespoons of cream, and a cup of fresh or canned shrimps. Cook a minute, add a dash of tomato catsup and a tablespoon of tomato sauce, stir in and serve hot