Why does the recipe take so long (about 225 minutes)?

The cooking itself is quick, but the stew of butter, flour, milk/fish stock, egg, and lobster meat must be spread out on a platter and become completely cold and firm before it can be shaped into cutlets. This cooling accounts for most of the time.

How do you get the cutlet shape and the "bone"?

The firm stew is shaped rounded at one end and pointed at the top, turned in egg and rusk, and fried light golden-brown in lard. A lobster leg is stuck into the pointed end to imitate the cutlet bone.

How much lobster is needed, and how is the dish served?

It takes 250 g boiled, chopped lobster meat for 4 servings. The cutlets are arranged on a platter, one slightly overlapping the next, around the large claws that are stuck into a bed of rice or potato garnished with parsley.

Can I use fish stock instead of milk?

Yes, the original recipe from Schønberg Erken's "Stor kokebok" (1914, p. 146) gives 2 dl milk or fish stock—both work in the base stew.

Lobster cutlets I (cotelettes de homard) – recipe from 1914

Name: Lobster cutlets I (cotelettes de homard)
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 3 h
Total time: 3 h 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Norwegian
Ingredients: 60 g butter; 30 g wheat flour; 2 dl milk or fish stock; 250 g boiled lobster meat (finely chopped); 1 pcs egg (for the forcemeat); 1 tsp lemon juice; salt (to taste); paprika powder (to taste); 1 pcs egg (for breading); 1 dl rusk crumbs (or breadcrumbs, for breading); 4 dl neutral oil or lard (for frying); 4 pcs lobster legs (for garnish, one in each cutlet); lobster claws (for plating); parsley (for garnish)

About the dish

Lobster cutlets are a classic croquette dish from the French-inspired party kitchen: a thick lobster stew is shaped into small cutlets with a lobster leg as the "bone." Erken arranges them around the claws on a bed of rice or mashed potato.

How to make it

1
Make the thick stew
Melt the butter, stir in the flour, and thin with milk or fish stock. Bring it to a boil and let the mixture cool.
2
Mix the forcemeat
Stir in the beaten egg, the chopped lobster meat, the lemon juice, and salt and paprika to taste.
3
Cool
Spread the stew out on a platter and let it stand until completely cold and firm, preferably a few hours.
4
Shape the cutlets
Shape the mixture into cutlets, rounded at one end and pointed at the top.
5
Bread and fry
Turn the cutlets in beaten egg and rusk crumbs and fry them light golden-brown in hot fat (about 175 °C (345 °F)). Let them drain on paper.
6
Arrange
Stick a lobster leg into the pointed end of each cutlet. Arrange the cutlets on a platter, one slightly overlapping the next, around the large claws that are stuck into a bed of rice or mashed potato garnished with parsley.

Changes from the original

Lard for deep-frying has been replaced with neutral oil or butter (lard can be used). "Rusk" is given as crushed rusk crumbs or breadcrumbs, and egg and rusk for breading are specified in addition to the egg in the forcemeat. Units are modernized to grams, dl, and teaspoons, and the frying is given with a temperature.

Original 1914 recipe

Verbatim from the first edition of the Big Cookbook.

Facsimile of the 1914 page at the National Library of Norway — Foto: Faksimile: Nasjonalbiblioteket

ProofreadPage 146

60 gr. smør 30 gr. hvetemel 2 del. melk eller fiskekraft 250 gr. kokt, hakket hummerkjøt 1 egg 1 teske citronsaft salt paprika. Smørret smeltes, irøres melet, spædes med melken eller fiskekraften, gives et opkok, avkjøles. Det vispede egg irøres, hummerkjøttet, citronsaften og krydderier efter smak. Stuingen lægges utover et fat, til den er ganske kold og stiv. Dannes i koteletform, runde i den ene kant og spidse opover, vendes i egg og kavring og stekes lyse gulbrune i smult. I den spidse ende stikkes et hummerben. Koteletterne arrangeres paa fat, den ene litt over den anden, rundt de store klør, som er stukket i en risbord eller potetesbord belagt med persille.

Revised 1949 recipe

From the revised edition of the Big Cookbook.

Facsimile of the 1949 page at the National Library of Norway — Foto: Faksimile: Nasjonalbiblioteket

ProofreadPage 175

Hummerne kokes, og kjøttet tas ut av skallene. Innmat og den korallaktige massen langs ryggen legges tilside for å benyttes til sausen. Hummerkjøttet og kaviaren blandes, irøres en blanding av 100 gr. hummerkjøtt, støtt sammen med 2 spiseskjeer hvit saus samt irøres 2 spiseskjeer halvvispet fløte og en knivsodd kajenne. Små kotelettformer pensles med smør, og heri fylles blandingen. Så snart de er stivnet, tas kotelettene ut av formene; de dekkes med den tillagede, såvidt smeltede saus, som er irørt hummerkjøttet. På hver kotelett legges en utskåret skive trøffel. Kotelettene glaseres med kold, flytende fiskegelé og settes koldt til de skal anrettes. Kotelettene legges i rundkrets på et litt dypt fat; i midten fylles hakket hvit gelé. Russisk salat serveres til. Smør og mel brunes langsomt sammen og spes med den brune buljong og fiskebuljong. Sausen småtrekker i et hjørne på komfyren i ca. 2 timer, tilsettes de opskårne tomater; sausen koker inn til det halve, siles. Settes over varmen igjen, og trøffelsaft og fiskegelé has i, koker igjen inn, til den ved avkjøling stivner; nu tilsettes med forsiktighet krydderier og litt sherry. Helles op og røres i til den er kold.

Lobster cutlets I (cotelettes de homard)

About the dish

How to make it

Changes from the original

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