HOMARD A L'ARMORICAINE

Lobster in a sauce of wine, tomatoes and onions

4 or 5 lobster tails ( around 4 pounds in their shells) defrosted and cut into two or three pieces each
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 pound plus 2 T butter
1 crushed garlic clove
1 minced shallot or scallion
1 T tomato paste
3 large peeled ripe tomatoes
2 cups dry white wine
3 T flour
1/2 cup cognac
1 T minced parsley
1 tsp tarragon
1 small bay leaf, crumbled
1/4 tsp thyme
salt, pepper, a dash of cayenne, a dash of tabasco
hot water (about 2 cups)

Heat oven to medium (375).

Heat olive oil and 3 T butter in a large sauce pan; when very hot, add the lobster pieces, plus salt and pepper. Saute the lobster for 5 minutes, turning and stirring over fairly high heat until cooked; drain away the fat.

Add garlic and minced shallot to the pan, plus Cognac; heat briefly and flame, turning and twisting the pan until all lobster pieces are bathed in the flaming brandy. When flames die, add the white wine, tomato paste, coarsely cut tomatoes, parsley, tarragon, bay leaf, thyme. Mix well and transfer to an ovenproof casserole . . . adding enough water to bring the sauce just to cover lobster. Stir gently to distribute water in and around the sauce.

Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the lobster pieces to a warm serving dish.

Over high heat, bring the sauce to a boil and reduce for 5 minutes. Stir the flour smooth with a little water, crushing out all lumps. Add a bit of the hot sauce to the flour, and stir until there are no lumps; then return to the sauce pot and simmer very gently for 5 minutes, adding a dash of Cayenne and a dash of Tabasco sauce.

Pour the sauce over the lobster pieces, and sprinkle with parsley.

Check out these other great  fish gourmet recipes Click Here

WHITEBAIT

Crisp-fried little fish, eaten with French Fries and a good green salad .  . . one of the few really good British dishes.

This is a real delicacy, not always available -at the fish market—but if you happen to be near water, and fresh "shiners" can be had from the fishing bait store, you've got whitebait.

Ingredients

3 pounds whitebait
Seasoned flour - one cup or more
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp minced chervil or fresh parsley
1/2 tsp paprika

Heat the fish-frying deep fat kettle.

Rinse the whitebait (or shiners) thoroughly; drain any excess water, and toss them in a paper bag filled with the seasoned flour.

Place the floured whitebait in a frying basket, immerse in hot fat for 2 minutes, drain, garnish with lemon and fresh parsley and serve with plenty of tartar sauce.

For more great fish gourmet recipes Click Here

Whitebait should be crisp and well-drained, and it's ac­ceptable to eat them in your fingers—holding each fish by its little tail and dunking in the tartar sauce.