HotmailTry this classic New England lobster roll
Chef Jasper White, author of ‘Lobster at Home,’ serves up the summertime staple, plus the ultimate strawberry shortcake. Check out the recipes
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Voila! Perfect lobster rolls Aug. 2: Boston chef Jasper White, author of several seafood cookbooks, demonstrates how to prepare lobster at home to the "Today" show's David Gregory. Today show |
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One of the most appealing summer seafood meals is lobster, yet many of us shy away from preparing it at home. New England chef Jasper White, author of several cookbooks including “Lobster at Home,” explains how to cook lobster at home and shares some tasty seafood dishes.
Serves 4 or 5 for sandwiches or as a light entrée. Lobster salad makes 2 cups.
Making lobster rolls at home is easy, and it is a guaranteed hit with visitors and family alike. You will need to find real New England-style hot dog buns, which are cut on the sides, so they can be buttered and griddled. If you can't find them, try buying a slightly oversized bun and trim it on the sides.
For this recipe you will need a mixing bowl for the lobster salad and 10-inch skillet, preferably heavy cast iron, to cook the buns in. If you have paper bun holders, they are quite handy for holding the roll as you stuff it for serving.
INGREDIENTS
Lobster Salad
To make the Lobster Salad
1. If you are using live lobsters, steam them until fully cooked and then cool to room temperature. Use a cleaver to crack and remove the meat from the claws, knuckles and tails. Remove the cartilage from the claws and the intestine from the tails of the cooked meat. Cut the meat into 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch dice. You may pick all the meat from the carcass and add it to the meat, or freeze the carcass for soup or broth.
2. Place the cucumber in a colander for at least 5 minutes to drain the excess liquid.
3. Combine the lobster, cucumber and mayonnaise. If the salad is to be served within the hour, add the scallions. Season with a bit more pepper if needed; it is unlikely that salt will be needed. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.
To make the Lobster Roll
1. Heat a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Spread each of the hot dog buns with 1 tablespoon butter (1/2 on each side). Place the buttered buns into the hot dry pan and toast without moving, until golden brown on one side, about a minute. Turn and cook the other side, about 1 minute more. Remove from heat.
2. Open the buns and place in a paper bun holder or on a small plate. Place a lettuce leaf on one side of the center, inside the bun. Spoon the lobster salad evenly among them. Serve with pickles, and potato chips on the side.
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Serves 4 as appetizers or makes about 16 pieces for pass-around hors d'oeuvres
Seviche is such wonderful food for our times ... bursting with flavor, high in protein, low in fat and very refreshing. In my recipe, the flavor of the ocean comes from the juice of the fresh clams and blends beautifully with the chopped jalapenos, onions, cilantro, tomatoes and lime juice. The colorful mixture is stuffed back into its shell, then presented on a bed of sparkling crushed ice. It is as beautiful and dramatic as it is delicious and healthful. Crushed ice is essential because it keeps the clams cold and level, so their juices don't escape. This seviche is perfect with a pitcher of margaritas at cocktail hour.
Although hard shell clams are named according to their size, their size can range within the given name. Cherrystone clams, which are medium-size, can range from 4 to 7 ounces. Top neck clams weigh 3 to 4 ounces. The best size cherrystone for this seviche are small, 4 to 5 ounces. You can use large top necks if you wish, 3-1/2 to 4 ounces.
INGREDIENTS
1. Prepare all ingredients and combine them in a glass bowl. Add only 1/2 of the clam juice. If it isn't moist enough (liquid to cover) add a little more juice. Season to taste with black pepper.
2. After 2 hours check the seasoning — if you want it more spicy add a little hot sauce. If you want it more acidic, add a little more lime. If it is dry add a little more clam juice.
3. To serve, place on a platter or plates filled with crushed ice. That will keep the clams level. Fill each one with seviche and as much juice as it will hold. Garnish with extra wedges of lime and sprigs of cilantro.
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Serves 4 appetizers. Recipe can be easily doubled. Green Goddess Dressing makes 1 generous cup. Keeps 3 days.
Most people eat lobster hot. Alternatively they eat it cold as lobster salad. A third way to enjoy lobster, that is quite underutilized, is chilling and then splitting it. Chilled lobster meat is fantastic; it is dense, luscious and sweet, right out of the shell. A platter of lobster halves with the body cavities stuffed with the meat from the claws and knuckles makes a beautiful presentation. They are delicious with my avocado-based Green Goddess Dressing (recipe follows).
This is my version of Green Goddess dressing, a retro salad dressing that has a fantastic and memorable name. To be honest, the name and color are the only things that resemble the original. I use this sauce for chilled split lobster, fresh crab meat and sometimes for shrimp. I don't use it for salads, although it is good spooned over fresh cucumbers and tomatoes. For equipment you will need a blender or food processor.
INGREDIENTS
Green Goddess Dressing
Chilling the Lobsters: Cooler Method
It is important to chill the lobster as quickly as possible after they are cooked. Most home refrigerators are not up to the task, so I recommend a thermal cooler that has a drain. Take the lobsters from the steamer and place them in your sink, allowing them to cool a bit as they drain. After 10 minutes, place them in the cooler and cover them with ice cubes. Leave them to drain in the cooler in your sink (or take the box outside). After 10 minutes, rearrange them as you add more ice. Put the lid on the cooler and let them chill for another 30 minutes. By now the lobsters will have become well chilled. Add ice one more time and now you are all set until you are ready to prepare them for serving. Check the cooler every 2 hours and add more ice as needed. For equipment, you will need a steamer pot or kettle with a tight-fitting lid and a pair of long tongs.
To make the Split Chilled Lobster
1. Place about an inch of ocean water or salted tap water in the bottom of a suitable pot. Use a rack to elevate the lobsters over the water; rockweed makes a great natural steam rack. Bring the water to a boil and when the pot fills up with steam, add the lobsters. Try to arrange them in a way that the steam can circulate around all the lobsters. Cover the pot and wait until the pot is full of steam again; if you crack the lid a little and see the steam escape, then you can begin timing the lobsters — this size will take about 12 to 14 minutes from this point. Halfway through the cooking, use a pair of tongs and quickly rearrange the lobsters so they cook evenly. Cover again and continue timing the lobsters.
2. When they are cooked, remove them with your tongs and place them in the sink to cool for 10 minutes. Chill the lobster, using my cooler method above or by putting them in the coldest part of your refrigerator.
3. After the lobster is completely chilled, you may prepare it at anytime. Start by breaking off the claw and knuckle section — hold the lobster in one hand and gently twist the claw; it should snap right off. Split the lobster lengthwise. Try to be exact. Remove the head sac (at the top of the head, near the eyes). Remove the intestinal track that runs the length of the tail.
4. Shuck the meat from the claws, try to leave whole if possible. The best way to do this is to snap off the thin bottom part of the claw, sometimes the meat will stay attached to the claw. Crack the big claw gently and try to pry the the claw out. Shuck the knuckles; the meat should come out in 2 pieces each. Place the meat from the knuckle and claw into the cavity of the lobster, wrap the lobster in plastic wrap, and chill until you are ready to serve.
5. To serve, fill a platter or individual plates with crushed ice. Place the lobster half on the ice with a small amount of Green Goddess Dressing over the claw. Serve the remaining sauce on the side and garnish with lemon wedges and sprigs of parsley or chervil.
To make the Green Goddess Dressing
1. Combine the avocado, lemon juice, parsley and scallions in the bowl of a food processor or blender. Pulse the machine until the avocado is broken up.
2. With the machine running, add the oil slowly and then the water, also slowly. Scrape down the container with a rubber spatula to be sure you have a very smooth puree.
3. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and green Tabasco (green Tabasco sauce is mild, so be generous). Adjust the dressing with a bit more lemon if necessary. Scrape into a small bowl, cover and refrigerate until needed.
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