Scalloped Lobster

Scalloped lobster is as lovely a dish as it is delicious.

Select a nice fresh hen lobster and pick out all the flesh; place the spawn in a mortar with two ounces of butter and pound until smooth, then pass it through a fine hair sieve. Mince the flesh of the lobster, and season with pepper, salt and a moderate quantity of spice and a little cayenne pepper. Put the mince into a stewpan with one-half tablespoonful of finely chopped parsley, the strained juice of a lemon, a small lump of butter and two or three tablespoonfuls of thick cream. Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon over the fire until very hot, then stir in the pounded spawn. Fill some scallop shells with the mixture, levelling it smoothly over the top, sprinkle over plenty of grated breadcrumbs and put a few small pieces of butter on them. Place the scalloped lobster in the oven and bake until nicely browned. Serve on a folded napkin.