Seafood Sausages

[blue gecko]

From Roman Cookery by John Edwards:

1/4 lb minced mussel or oyster meats
1/2 tsp ground pepper
2 tsp celery seed (or lovage)
1 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp fennel
1 raw egg
1 cup bread crumbs
casings
2 Tbs olive oil

In a mortar, grind together pepper, celery seed, cumin and fennel. Mix with the minced shellfish meats. Bind with well beaten egg and bread crumbs. Stuff this mixture into sausage casings and saute ove low heat for 20 minutes in olive oil, in a covered pan.
A really splendid first course can be made by slicing the mussel sausage into an apple pie with a sprinkle of cinnamon. Bake, and serve when cooled.


Prawn or Lobster Forcemeats

1/2 lb minced prawn or lobster meats
1/2 tsp pepper
2 Tbs fish-pickle
1 raw egg
1 cup bread crumbs
casings
2 Tbs olive oil

Season prawn or lobster forcemeats with the pepper and fish-pickle. Bind with well beaten egg and bread crumbs. Stuff into sausage casings and saute over low heat in olive oil for 20 minutes in a covered pan.

Serve hot with steamed rice or, on a warm summer day, chilled and sliced into a simple lettuce salad.

Shellfish Forcemeats or Sausage

1/4 lb minced shellfish meats
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp celery sead (or lovage)
1/4 cup grated almonds or pine nuts
1 raw egg
1 cup bread crumbs
casings
2 Tbs olive oil
wine sauce

In a mortar, grind together pepper and celery sead. Mix with the shellfish meats and nuts. Bind with well beaten egg and bread crumbs. Then stuff into sausage casings, and saute gently in olive oil in a covered pan for 20 minutes.
When cooked and lightly browned, season with wine sauce and serve.

Wine sauce

Combine equal parts of wine and an appropriate stock, with olive oil or butter added, to taste.

[blue gecko]

From Charcuterie by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn

Shrimp, Lobster, and Leek Sausage

This is a fancy seafood sausage using a standard mousseline forcemeat, with large chunks of lobster (a mousseline is a mixture of fish or meat pureed with egg whites and/or cream). It's delicately flavored and works beautifully with a gentle, creamy sauce, such as a lobster sauce or a creamy leek sauce. This kind of forcemeat is one of the easiest and most stable to do at home, and it's a great way to turn a little bit of lobster into a dish that serves many people.

Fines herbes is a stellar all-purpose mixture of the soft herbs tarragon, parsley, chives, and chervil. It's magnificent with veal, chicken, white fish, eggs, steamed new potatoes, and in many other dishes. To make it, simply combine equal parts of the minced herbs. Chervil, a very delicate and shapely herb with an anise flavor that's a little sweeter and less assertive than tarragon; it can be hard to find in supermarkets, though, and can be omitted.

1 pound peeled rock shrimp
1 large egg white
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/3 cup diced leaks, blanched in boiling water until tender and chilled in an ice bath
1 cup cooked lobster (about 5 ounces)
1 1/2 teaspoons fines herbs
6 feet sheep casings, soaked in tepid water for at least 30 minutes and rinsed

Puree the rock shrimp with the egg white in a food processor. With the processor running, add the cream slowly, then the salt and white pepper.

In a bowl, combine the mixture with the leeks, lobster, and herbs, folding them in gently but evenly.

Stuff into sheep casings and twist into 4 inch links.

Poach in 170 degree stock or water to an internal temperature of 135 degrees F. Alternatively, you can form into a cylinder using plastic wrap, twist and tie the ends securely, and poach in water.