LOBSTER INSTITUTE
Cook's Introduction
When I was growing up, and for years after I left home, I was convinced there was only one thing to do with lobster - boil them and eat them. No great mystery, no measuring, no timing, no frills - nothing but pools of butter for dipping.
My father loves to eat. He is motivated by food. He always made it his business to know where the fiddleheads grew, where the trout were biting, and where to pick wild strawberries. He cultivated friendships with farmers who allowed him to pick his own sweet corn and fresh peas. And, best of all, he knew lobstermen. He would make the hour's drive to Blue Hill just to see his friend Seth and come home with a dozen lobsters for supper. He would duck through the kitchen (he is a tall man!) carrying a huge ice chest in his arms. He'd take off the cover, lift out a lively, thrashing lobster, and say, "Look at the claws on that one!" He liked them big and he liked them hard-shelled. He ate only the claws - my mother ate the tails and picked the bodies. While the salted water came to a boil in the big pot we used only for lobster, clams, and corn on the cob, my brothers and I would hold lobster races on the kitchen linoleum. When the time was right, my father would plunge the lobsters head first into the boiling water. By the time the water reached a boil again, my mother would put on the butter to melt. When it was done, we'd be ready for our feast.
In my family, when we ate lobsters, we did just that - we ate lobsters. No salad, no vegetables - just some saltines for mother to put tomalley on. It was the same routine with steamed clams and corn on the cob. We didn't just eat them plain - we ate them alone.
Although I ate a lot of lobster as a child, I could never get enough of them. I guess it's no wonder I married a lobsterman. For the first few months of marriage, I reveled in boiled lobsters. It seemed there was an endless supply. As time went on, I started to experiment - first with the stews, pies, and salads, and then on to the more exotic canapes, quiches, and souffles. I was lucky to have among my friends other lobstermen's wives who shared with me their family recipes.
I believe the world is made up of two kinds of people - those who love lobster and those who don't. This cookbook was written to please the former. In its pages, you'll find hundreds of ways to cook lobster. For the host or hostess, there are elegant lobster appetizers - a sure way to impress your guests. The gourmet can indulge in lobster curry, crêpes or creole. And, even if you're like Ruth Lane and "like it plain," you'll discover that there really is more than one way to cook a lobster.
