Original White House Cookbook

Half a dozen fresh crabs, boiled and minced, two ounces of butter, one small teaspoonful of mustard powder; cayenne pepper and salt to taste. Put the meat into a bowl and mix carefully with it an equal quantity of fine bread crumbs. Work the butter to a light cream, mix the mustard well with it, then stir in very carefully, a handful at a time, the mixed crabs, a tablespoonful of cream, and crumbs. Season to taste with cayenne pepper and salt; fill the crab shells with the mixture, sprinkle bread crumbs over the tops, put three small pieces of butter upon the top of each, and brown them quickly in a hot oven. They will puff in baking and will be found very nice. Half the quantity can be made. A crab shell will hold the meat of two crabs. CRAB CROQUETTES. Pick the meat of boiled crabs and chop it fine. Season to taste with pepper, salt and melted butter. Moisten it well with rich milk or cream, then stiffen it slightly with bread or cracker crumbs. Add two or three well-beaten eggs to bind the mixture. Form the croquettes, egg and bread crumb them and fry them delicately in boiling lard. It is better to use a wire frying basket for croquettes of all kinds. TO MAKE A CRAB PIE. Procure the crabs alive, and put them in boiling water, along with some salt. Boil them for a quarter of an hour or twenty minutes, according to the size. When cold pick the meat from the claws and body. Chop all together, and mix it with crumbs of bread, pepper and salt, and a little butter. Put all this into the shell and brown in a hot oven. A crab shell will hold the meat of two crabs. CRABS. (Soft Shell.) Crabs may be boiled as lobsters. They make a fine dish when stewed. Take out the meat from the shell, put it into a saucepan with butter, pepper, salt, a pinch of mace and a very little water ; dredge with flour and let simmer five minutes over a slow fire. Serve hot ; garnish the dish with the claws laid around it. The usual way of cooking them is frying them in plenty of butter and lard mixed ; prepare them the same as frying fish. The spongy substance from the sides should be taken off, also the sand bag. Fry a nice brown and garnish with parsley. OYSTERS. Oysters must be fresh and fat to be good. They are in season from September to May. The small ones, such as are sold by the quart, are good for pies, fritters, or stews ; the largest of this sort are nice for frying or pickling for family use. FRIED OYSTERS. Take large oysters from their own liquor into a thickly folded napkin to dry them ; then make hot an ounce each of butter and lard in a thickbottomed frying pan. Season the oysters with pepper and salt, then dip each one into egg and cracker crumbs rolled fine, until it will take up no more. Place them in the hot grease and fry them a delicate brown, turning them on both sides by sliding a broad-bladed knife under them. Serve them crisp and hot. Boston Oyster House. Some prefer to roll oysters in corn meal and others use flour, but they are much more crisp with egg and cracker crumbs. shell-fisb:. OYSTERS FRIED IN BATTER. Ingredients. — One-half pint of oysters, two eggs, one-half pint of milk, sufficient flour to make the batter ; pepper and salt to taste ; when liked, a little nutmeg ; hot lard.