Tarragon Lobster Roll Recipes

HOT LOBSTER ROLL WITH LEMON-TARRAGON BUTTER

Steps:

• To par-cook the lobsters: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the lobsters and cook about 7 minutes; they will be about three-quarters done. Drain well and let cool. Cut in half lengthwise.
• Heat a charcoal or gas grill to high for direct grilling. Brush the cut-side of the lobsters with some oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill, cut-side down, until slightly charred. Flip and continue grilling until lightly charred and heated through. Remove the lobsters from the grill and let cool slightly.
• Brush the insides of the hot dog buns with some oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill until just toasty.
• Remove the tail and claw meat from the lobsters. You can cut them, but just enough to give you about 2 very large pieces per bun. Drop them into the Lemon-Tarragon Clarified Butter and give them a good soaking. Spoon the lobster into the toasted buns and serve immediately.
• Melt the butter slowly in a medium saucepan over low heat. Let it sit for a bit to separate. Skim off the foam that rises to the top, and gently pour into a bowl, leaving behind the milk solids, which have settled to the bottom of the pan.
• Put the clarified butter in a large saute pan over low heat. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice and tarragon, and season with salt, pepper and cayenne if desired.

LOBSTER ROLL

Steps:

• For the lobster sauce: In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, reduce the white wine and tarragon vinegar with the peppercorns, shallots, bay leaf, tarragon and thyme until the mixture is nearly dry, about 10 minutes. Add the half-and-half and reduce by two-thirds, about 5 minutes.
• Decrease the heat to low and whisk in the butter, chunk by chunk, stirring vigorously until each piece is nearly melted. Remove the lobster sauce from the heat and season it with lemon juice and salt. Strain the lobster sauce through a fine mesh chinois. Hold the lobster sauce warm in a saucepan over very low heat until the lobster meat is ready.
• For the lobsters: Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Prepare a bath of icy water. Kill the lobsters by placing them on their backs on a cutting board and inserting a knife tip into their heads between the antennae. Drop the lobsters in the boiling water for 20 seconds and immediately shock them in the ice bath to stop the cooking. Extract the tail, claw and knuckle meat from the lobsters. The meat will still be translucent and raw. Remove the mud line from the tails and dice the tail meat into bite-size chunks.
• Add the lobster meat to the lobster sauce. Very slowly warm the meat until it is just barely cooked through. Be sure to agitate the pan frequently to prevent the lobster sauce from breaking. If it does start to break, sprinkle it with a few drops of cold water and take it off the heat for a moment.
• For the lobster rolls: In a saute pan, toast the sides of the buns with butter until crispy and golden. Spoon the cooked lobster meat into the prepared buns. Add as much lobster sauce as desired. Drizzle the lobster rolls with Mayo Mustard, drizzle with yogurt and sprinkle liberally with chives. Serve with lemon wedges.
• Combine the dried mustard with 1 1/2 teaspoons water and lemon juice. Whisk in the mayo, Dijon, hot sauce and salt to taste.

TARRAGON LOBSTER SALAD

Steps:

• Plunge 2 live lobsters headfirst into an 8-quart pot of boiling salted water. Loosely cover pot and cook lobsters over moderately high heat 9 minutes from time they enter water, then transfer with tongs to sink to cool.
• Return water to a boil and cook remaining 2 lobsters in same manner.
• While lobsters are cooking, combine shallot, lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.
• When lobsters are cool, remove meat from claws, joints, and tails. Discard tomalley, any roe, and shells (or save for another use). Cut meat into 1/2-inch pieces.
• Whisk mayonnaise, tarragon, and 1/4teaspoon black pepper into shallot mixture. Add lobster meat and toss gently to coat.

BAKED LOBSTERS WITH TARRAGON-CREAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
• Remove and discard the rubber or wood claw holders from lobsters.
• Bring the water to a vigorous boil in a large kettle and drop the lobsters into it. When the water returns to the boil cook the lobsters for exactly 2 minutes and drain. Arrange the lobsters shell side up in one layer in a baking pan. Place in the oven and bake exactly 12 minutes.
• Break off the lobsters' claws. Crack the claws in several places. Place the lobster carcasses shell side down on a flat surface and crack each lengthwise to cut them in half. Pull away and discard the tough sac at the beak end of each lobster. Scoop out the soft mass (the tomalley, coral, liver and so on) from the inside of each lobster. Spoon and scrape this into a saucepan. Save any juices and add these to the saucepan.
• Add the shallots to the saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring.
• Arrange the lobster halves shell side down in one layer on a baking pan. Pull and discard the upper half of each claw shell. Add the remaining claws to the baking pan.
• Add the cream to the mixture in the saucepan. Add salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Add the lemon juice. Cook about 2 minutes.
• Line a saucepan with a sieve and pour the mixture into the sieve. Rub with a rubber spatula to extract as much liquid as possible. There should be about 1 cup. Discard the solids.
• Put the sauce on the stove and bring to the simmer. Swirl in the butter and tarragon.
• Spoon the sauce over the cut portions of each lobster and serve.

LOBSTER ROLLS

Steps:

• Stir together lobster and mayonnaise. Stir in chives and tarragon (if desired), and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate, covered, while preparing rolls, or up to 2 hours.
• Heat a large heavy skillet or griddle over medium heat until hot. Lightly brush outside of buns with butter; transfer to skillet. Cook, turning once, until golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes per side.
• Spoon about 1/2 cup lobster mixture into each bun. Serve immediately.