Lobster Salad Cocktails With Vanilla Bean Sabayon Recipes

LOBSTER SALAD COCKTAIL

Steps:

• Combine mayonnaise, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper, celery, shallot, tarragon and chives in a bowl.
• Add lobster meat to mayonnaise sauce and combine.
• Rub the rim of 4 martini glasses with a lemon. Dip the rim in some dry rub. Divide the lobster salad between the 4 glasses. Garnish with dry rub and lemon slices.

BROILED LOBSTER WITH LEMON SABAYON

Steps:

• For the lobsters: Bring a very large pot of water to a boil and have an ice bath standing by.
• Separate the claws from the lobster bodies and carefully stuff each lobster tail with a spoon handle, inserting at the fan end (this will help keep the lobster tails straight as they cook). Add the lobsters and claws to the boiling water and cook for about 6 minutes. Shock in ice water until cool to the touch. Remove the spoons.
• Split each lobster in half. Remove the tomalley from the lobster bodies and add to a medium heatproof bowl. Set aside. Clean out the shells of the bodies, as we will be filling them later. Set aside the lobsters on a sheet tray.
• Remove the claw meat from the shell and chop. Mix the chopped claw meat with the parsley, sun-dried tomatoes, celery, capers and zest in a bowl. Set aside.
• For the breadcrumbs: Melt the butter in a small saucepan and cook until browned. Place the panko, parsley and lemon zest in a blender and slowly add the brown butter until smooth. Set aside.
• For the sabayon: Place the lemon juice, roe, yolks and a pinch of salt in the bowl with the tomalley and set over a small pot of simmering water. Cook, whisking constantly and occasionally removing the bowl from the pot to prevent the mixture from getting too hot and curdling, until the mixture has thickened, about 4 minutes. (The whisk should leave a trail when pulled through the mixture.) Turn off the heat but leave the bowl in place to keep warm.
• For the couscous: Add the butter to a large, high-sided saute pan over medium-high heat and allow to brown. Add the Israeli couscous to the browned butter and stir to combine. Allow the couscous to toast, about 1 minute. Slowly start adding the lobster stock and cook until absorbed, continually adding lobster stock as needed (similar to risotto), until all the liquid has been absorbed, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add the parsley, garlic, olive oil, walnuts, lemon zest and juice and salt to a blender and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Add the pesto to the couscous and stir to combine.
• Preheat the broiler.
• Filled the cleaned out lobster bodies with the lobster salad. Cover the lobster salad with the sabayon. Spread the breadcrumb mixture over the lobster tails. Broil the lobsters until the breadcrumbs and sabayon are browned, about 5 minutes.
• Pour the couscous onto a large, shallow serving platter. Top with the broiled lobsters.

LOBSTER SALAD WITH GREEN BEANS, TOMATOES AND BASIL

Steps:

• In a large pot or in batches, so as not to crowd them, steam or boil the lobsters in seawater or heavily salted water. Add the bay leaf, peppercorns and allspice berries, if you wish. Depending on their size, cook the lobsters for 13 to 15 minutes. (Ask your fishmonger for recommended cooking time.) Let lobsters cool to room temperature on rimmed baking sheets.
• Using lobster crackers, kitchen shears or a mallet, crack shells and remove meat. Place the claw meat and knuckle meat in a container. Slice tail meat 1/2-inch thick and add to the container. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Make the vinaigrette: Add garlic, mustard, vinegar, olive oil, parsley and basil leaves to a blender jar or food processor. Whiz until slightly thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Put cherry tomatoes in a small bowl, season with salt and pepper and add 3 tablespoons vinaigrette. Toss to combine. To another small bowl, add green beans and 3 tablespoons vinaigrette. Toss to combine.
• Arrange lobster meat in the center of a platter or divide among individual plates. Surround with tomato slices, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Spoon cherry tomatoes over the tomato slices. Scatter green beans artfully. Tuck eggs and potatoes here and there (or serve potatoes separately). Finish with arugula or salad leaves.
• Drizzle remaining vinaigrette over everything. Garnish with the prettiest basil leaves. Serve aioli on the side, if using.

LOBSTER IN CALVADOS SABAYON

Steps:

• Split the lobsters lengthwise using a large chef's knife. Pour the liquid into a small bowl, and remove the liver and set aside. Discard the stomach (the small sac behind the eyes). Remove the claws and the legs and set aside. Slice down through the tail meat and the shell at the point of the natural hinges. Slice the body into pieces of the same approximate size.
• Melt 4 ounces of the butter in a large heavy saucepan. When the butter starts to turn the color of a hazelnut, add the lobster pieces and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the carrots, tomatoes and tomato paste, and cook over high heat for 10 minutes, turning lobsters often. Once they have turned red all over, remove the lobsters from the saucepan and set aside.
• Make the roux by combining the flour and the remaining butter in a separate saucepan. Stirring constantly, heat and mix until you have a light golden paste. Remove the roux to a small bowl.
• To the carrot and tomato mixture, add the shallots, and sizzle for 1 minute without burning. Add the Calvados, ignite, and when the flame dies out, add the cream. Using a whisk, add the roux mixture, and stir until smooth. Bring the sauce slowly to a boil.
• In a separate bowl, mix the reserved livers and lemon juice together, and add salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Add the liver mixture to the sauce and cook for about 5 minutes. You may cook the sauce longer to reduce and thicken it. Once it has reached its desired consistency, add the parsley.
• To serve, place the lobster pieces on a plate to recreate the shape of the lobster and set the claws on each side. Pour the sauce over the lobsters.

LOBSTER COCKTAIL

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Have a large ice water bath standing by.
• In a shallow saucepan, add the white wine, butter and 2 cups water, along with a pinch of salt. Turn the heat on to medium-high. Once the liquid comes to a low simmer, add the lobsters and cook for about 8 minutes. Carefully remove the lobsters from the water and immediately plunge into the ice water bath; let sit until cool to the touch. Remove the lobster meat from the claws and tails and roughly chop. Keep chilled until ready to use.
• In a large mixing bowl, add the mayonnaise, sugar, celery, lemon juice, tarragon, salt and pepper, and stir to thoroughly combine. Add the chopped lobster meat and stir to combine.
• Place the brioche pieces on a sheet tray and put in the oven to toast, tossing every minute or so to toast evenly, about 5 minutes total.
• Evenly divide the bread pieces in the bottom of stemless cocktail glasses. Top with the lobster salad, tarragon and micro cilantro.

LOBSTER SALAD COCKTAIL

Steps:

• Combine mayonnaise, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper, celery, shallot, tarragon and chives in a bowl.
• Add lobster meat to mayonnaise sauce and combine.
• Rub the rim of 4 martini glasses with a lemon. Dip the rim in some dry rub. Divide the lobster salad between the 4 glasses. Garnish with lemon slices.

ROAST LOBSTER WITH VANILLA SAUCE

Steps:

• Place a roasting pan large enough to hold the lobsters in the oven and preheat to 450 degrees. With the tip of a sharp knife pierce lobsters between the eyes to sever the spinal cord. Crack claws using the blunt edge of a cleaver or a hammer. Place lobsters in the hot roasting pan, drizzle with oil and roast until red, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven, and set aside.
• Melt 2 teaspoons of butter in a small saucepan, add the shallots and saute over low heat until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add wine and vinegar, raise heat and cook at a moderate boil until the liquid is reduced to 1 tablespoon, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, and whisk in 6 tablespoons of butter, about 1 tablespoon at a time until all is incorporated. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the sauce, stir to combine and strain into a clean saucepan. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper, and set aside.
• When the lobsters are cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the claws. Detach the tails, and discard the heads. With a pair of scissors, cut the shell on the underside of each tail in half lengthwise, remove the meat and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Loosely cover the meat with aluminum foil, and keep warm.
• Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large pot, and add spinach and watercress. Stir until greens have melted down, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until greens are tender, about 5 minutes. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper.
• To serve, reheat the sauce over low heat until warm, whisking constantly. Place a bed of greens on each plate, arrange the lobster meat on top and spoon the sauce over the lobster. Serve immediately.