Hot Lobster is a traditional British recipe, based on Mrs Beeton's recipe of 1861, for a classic dish of a lobster meat, butter, spice and breadcrumb paste bound with eggs that's formed into the shape of a lobster, oven baked served covered by the lobster shell. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Hot Lobster.
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This is a traditional British recipe redacted from the redoubtable Mrs Beeton's 1861 volume Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management, the classic Victorian cookbook.
Original Recipe
271. INGREDIENTS.—1 lobster, 2 oz. of butter, grated nutmeg; salt, pepper, and pounded mace, to taste; bread crumbs, 2 eggs.
Mode.—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.
Time.—1/4 hour. Average cost, 2s. 6d.
Seasonable at any time.
Sufficient for 4 or 5 persons.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
1 cooked lobster
60g butter
freshly-grated nutmeg, to taste
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
ground mace, to taste
6 tbsp breadcrumbs
2 eggs, beaten
Method:
Extract the meat from the lobster (reserve the body shell, tail and small claws) then pound to a paste in a mortar. Turn into a bowl and mix in the butter until smooth. Season to taste with the nutmeg, salt, black pepper and mace then mix in the breadcrumbs.
Add the eggs and stir to combine. Take the mixture and place on a baking tray then shape into the form of a lobster. Take the lobster spawn and sprinkle over the top then transfer to an oven pre-heated to 180°C and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven then cover with the tail and body shell. Arrange the small claws underneath the lobster shape (so the whole looks like a lobster) then serve.
