Jews looooooove lobster! I'm a Jew & thus... Even the supposedly "Kosher" Jews I know seem to make an exception when it comes to the forbidden, sweet crustacean as long as they eat it at a restaurant or on a paper plate. Hypocrites! Well, lobster season is here & the chosen ones are happy along with the rest of all you lobster lovers out there.
(Side note: Not ALL Jews or non-Jews love lobster but come on...most do! Lobster is sexy. "Flashdance" anyone?!)
Lobster season is July through December. New shell lobsters are through October. These have just finished molting or shedding & the shells are softer than lobsters between October - December. Some people feel that hard shell lobsters are better quality but since there are such an abundance of lobsters in the Summer months who really cares. They're also cheaper now especially on the east coast where most come from. You can find them on the average for about $7.99 per lb. Just don't overcook them. The biggest mistake is overcooking your lobster which results in tough meat. I've already had lobster twice in restaurants this summer & they were tough and that just sucks!
The easiest way to cook lobster is to boil them. Just throw them in a large pot of boiling salted (or sea) water. Add about 1-2 tablespoons of kosher salt to each quart of water. When it's boiling place live lobsters in claws first & make sure lobster is submerged. When it comes to a boil again, cover & start timing. Boil 10 minutes for a 1 1/4 lb lobster & for each additional 1/4 lb add another minute on to the cooking time. The meat from a boiled lobster is easier to remove from the shell so for me this is the way to go although they say steaming a lobster yields more tender meat. Your choice folks. For this recipe, don't broil the lobster. A lot of people like broiled lobsters but I think the meat is the toughest cooked this way. I'm a purist so boiling or steaming is my favorite methods for cooking. Also, spiny lobsters are not the same so don't use them.
(Another side note: I have never heard a lobster scream. If it makes you feel better stab it in it's chest before boiling. All better!)
Anyway, this recipe for Lobster Rolls is simply de-lish! Lobster & corn really compliment each other so I add some charred corn off the cob to my lobster salad. It adds a slightly smoky, sweetness to it. If you want to be fancy like in my picture just carefully remove the meat from a lobster & place shell in the center of your platter. Fugghedabout the friggin' parsley. Who needs it!? If you don't want the carbs just make this as a lovely Summer salad. Either way I would enjoy with a lovely, slightly citrusy, white wine like a Sancerre or Sauvignon Blanc! Buon a-friggin petit!
Lobster Rolls
2 _ Cups Lobster Meat (3 1 _ lb lobsters)
_ Cup very finely chopped celery
_ cup very finely chopped red onion
_ cup mayo
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives (optional)
_ tsp Worcestershire sauce
salt & pepper to taste
Tabasco to taste (just a touch)
1 tsp lemon juice or to taste
1 Cob of Grilled/Charred Sweet Corn , cut off niblets from cob
Butter lettuce
6 Hot Dog Buns (Not fancy ones. The cheaper the better or potato buns are awesome.)
Melted Butter
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat leaf parsley for garnish (I know! Whatever!!)
Break up meat & add other ingredients to combine. Brush buns with butter & griddle. Place on beautiful white platter with shell of a lobster & enjoy!!!
makes about 3 cups
(about 6 rolls.)
Sadly, I'm a Jew who doesn't love lobster. I actually think it looks like an alien, or maybe an insect, rather than anything sexy. But I'm looking forward to some non-lobster recipes from you in the future!
ReplyDeleteI am a Jew who keeps kosher and doesn't eat lobster but the recipe above looks good and if I ate lobster I would use it. Oh, we were just in Boston at Legal Seafoods, a Boston tradition, and their fish chowder is to die --all kosher ingredients, started and still owned by the Berkowitz family - here is the recipe on a kosher blog though I like to add a sharper cheese too like gruyere http://www.kosherblog.net/2003/12/31/fish_chowder_take_1/ One of the reasons I love Legal's is their emphasis on really good fresh fish (not just shellfish). SUCCULENT! Keep blogging!
ReplyDeleteEJ the presentation of your lobster salad is so yummy that I wanted to take a bite out of my computer screen! I love both your blogs. Just keep fresh material coming. Mazal tov!!
ReplyDeletei luv lobster ate your lobster roll it's fabulous
ReplyDeleteK. First, I'm Italian-Irish from the middle of nowhere near Canada. So I like good food AND good beer AND gravy and mayonaise on my fries, eh.
ReplyDeleteAnd lobsters DO look like aliens,..so aliens, if you're out there, BEWARE.
I like my lobster later in the year,..boiled. AND NEVER EVER break the shell until eating! Simply crack, drink out the salty, sweet water, and remove the meat & eat,..sans butter (leave the butter for the tail).
Lobster Rolls are relatively new to me. And I've learned there's a 'greaSy/greaZy line' as far as proper preparation depending on from where in New England you hail.
"The lobster roll is a specialty of the Atlantic provinces. McDonald’s even offers them in Nova Scotia. They do show up in the occasional fancy restaurant, but they are, for the most part, a roadside treat, purchased while driving around places like Peggy’s Cove; sweet chunks of fresh lobster meat presented on a soft white bun.
Problem is, there are as many ways to prepare this simple dish as there are Maritimers. And none of us can agree on the correct way to do it."
(I ripped the above quote from some dumb-arse's blog site.)
Anyway, after trying a few 'ways' I vote for the above recipe,... plain buttered meat in a bun doesn't do it for me...(but I'll admit sometimes that's ALSO good).
Thanks for the recipe, EJ! Keep 'em coming.
Jesus, ten minutes to BOIL a lobster. How do you serve it, by bouncing the rubbery meat to the table? Bet it tastes as good as your brie cheese wheel wedding cakes...
ReplyDelete