Braised Lobster Recipes

BROILED LOBSTER TAILS

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler.
• Place lobster tails on a baking sheet. With a sharp knife or kitchen shears, carefully cut top side of lobster shells lengthwise. Pull apart shells slightly, and season meat with equal amounts butter, paprika, salt, and white pepper.
• Broil lobster tails until lightly browned and lobster meat is opaque, about 5 to 10 minutes. Garnish with lemon wedges to serve.

BRAISED LOBSTER WITH GRILLED ASPARAGUS, POTATO HASH, WHITE WINE BEET CREAM, AND TEQUILA LIME RELISH

Steps:

• To prepare the relish, combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl, mix well, and let stand for 2 hours before serving.
• To make the beet cream, combine the beet juice, heavy cream, and white wine and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Blanch the cubed potatoes in boiling water, and set aside. Par-boil the lobster tails for 6 minutes in the shells, and then shock them in ice water. Remove the tails from the shells, cube, and set aside.
• Using a large pan, place the cubed lobster with lemon juice, 1 tablespoon butter, salt and pepper, and place in the oven until cooked to medium, or approximately 5 minutes.
• Saute the zucchini, asparagus, and leeks, until just tender, about 5 minutes, and add them to the potatoes. At the last moment add the tomatoes and spinach, just to heat through and wilt. Finish off with 1 teaspoon of butter and season with salt and pepper.
• To serve, place the potato mixture in the center of each of 4 plates and top with the cubed lobster tail. Drizzle the white wine beet cream around the plates and add the tequila relish to the sides of the lobster.

BRAISED BEEF CHEEKS WITH LOBSTER MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat to 250°F.
• Heat the beef stock in a medium pan over low heat and keep warm.
• Season the beef cheeks with 1 tablespoon salt and 2 teaspoons pepper, and sprinkle the flour evenly all over.
• Put a large Dutch oven or wide-bottomed stock pot over medium-high heat. When hot, add 2 tablespoons of the oil and enough of the beef chunks to make a roomy single layer in the pan. Cook, turning the beef as needed, until browned all over, about 6 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a large plate and repeat with the remaining beef, working in batches as necessary and adding another tablespoon or so of oil if the pot seems too dry.
• Add 2 tablespoons more olive oil to the pan, then add the onions. Cook, stirring frequently and scraping the browned bits off the bottom of the pan, until they start to soften and are barely brown on the edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the carrots, celery root, thyme, bay leaves, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the celery root starts to soften, about 6 minutes.
• Return the beef and any accumulated juices back to the pot. Stir well for another minute or so to combine.
• Add the wine and bring just to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat to maintain a simmer and continue to simmer for 5 minutes. Add the warm stock; once the liquid has returned to a simmer, cover the pot and transfer to the oven.
• Bake for 4 hours, checking every hour to make sure the liquid is at a bare simmer. (The key to tenderness is to cook at the lowest temperature possible. If the broth is simmering rapidly, reduce the oven temperature.)
• After 4 hours, remove the lid and stir. The stew should be very wet; if not, add a cup or so of water to reliquify. Return the uncovered pot to the oven. Continue to bake until the beef is completely tender and offers no resistance when you pull it apart with two forks, 1 to 2 more hours. If the beef is tender but the liquid has not reduced much, continue to bake until the liquid is 3/4 to 1 inch lower than the original level. Taste the liquid and season with more salt as needed.
• When the beef is done, set aside while you cook the mushrooms.
• (If you make this a day ahead, let cool to room temperature before you cover and refrigerate the cheeks. When ready to serve, reheat gently over low heat, stirring frequently until heated through, 30 to 45 minutes.)
• Using a small knife, scrape any dirt off of the mushrooms. If they are particularly large, cut them into 3/4- to 1-inch pieces.
• Put 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet (it should be large enough to hold the mushrooms in a single layer) and put the pan over medium-high heat. When the butter is melted and bubbling, add the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms' juices have released and evaporated. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and the shallot and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and continue sautéing for an additional minute. Add the vinegar and stir until the liquid evaporates. Add the parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Arrange the beef in shallow bowls and ladle some of the braising liquid over it. Top with the sautéed mushrooms.
• You may need to special order beef cheeks (a specialty butcher is your best bet), but you can substitute with brisket if you can't find cheeks. The glands are marble-size organs that are attached to the cheeks (they may already have been removed from the ones you have).

COD BRAISED IN SAVORY LOBSTER BROTH, WITH LEEKS, MUSHROOMS AND LOBSTER

Steps:

• To cook the lobster, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the lobster, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the lobster and set it aside to cool. Reserving the shells, remove the meat from the tail and claws and cut it into 3/4-inch chunks and refrigerate. Split the body shell in half and remove the head sac. Cut the body into smaller pieces. Set aside.
• To make the broth, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the lobster shells in a metal roasting pan with the onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Drizzle with the olive oil. Roast for 30 minutes, stirring twice, then transfer the shells and vegetables to a large pot.
• Place the roasting pan over medium-high heat and deglaze with a 1/2 cup of the water. Add this liquid and the wine and tomato paste to a pot with 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Skim the broth, then reduce to a simmer. Add tarragon, thyme, pepper flakes, saffron, peppercorns and bay leaves. Partially cover and simmer for 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Strain and season with salt and pepper.
• To make the cod, trim the fish if needed and check for bones. Keep refrigerated. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots, leeks and mushrooms and saute until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the lobster broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Season the cod with salt and pepper and place in the pan. Cover and cook until just cooked through, about 8 minutes. Add the lobster meat, re-cover, remove from heat and let stand for 2 minutes.
• Using a slotted spoon, remove the cod and divide among 4 soup plates. Arrange the vegetables and lobster meat around the fish and spoon the broth over the top. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with toasted, crusty bread