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Favorite Recipes!
Baked Stuffed Lobster
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
2 Servings
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 3 tablespoons melted, for brushing
- 1 medium onion (5 to 6 ounces), finely diced
- 2 sprigs tarragon, leaves picked and coarsely chopped (2 tablespoons)
- 2 sprigs Italian parsley, leaves picked and coarsely chopped (2 tablespoons)
- 4 ounces peeled raw Maine Shrimp or raw scallops or cooked crabmeat or lobster meat, cut into 1/2-inch dice
- Kosher or sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 live 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 pound hard shell select lobsters
- 3 ounces common crackers, oyster crackers, or dried corn bread, crumble
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Melt 8 tablespoons butter in a 9-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until soft but not browned. Stir in the tarragon and parsley. If using raw shrimp or scallops, add them with the herbs and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. If using cooked lobster or crabmeat, remove the pan from the heat as soon as you stir in the herbs, let cool, and then add the lobster or crabmeat. Season with salt and pepper.
Using Lobster-Louie, split the lobsters in half lengthwise. Remove and discard the head sac and intestine. Remove the tomalley and the roe if present and place in a small bowl. Break into small pieces using a fork. With the back side of a knife, crack the center of each claw on 1 side only. Season the lobsters lightly with salt and pepper. On a large roasting pan or baking sheet, place the halves together to resemble a butterfly.
The tomalley and roe are optional for the stuffing. If you want to include them, mix them into the seafood mixture. Gently fold the crumbled crackers into the mixture. Divide the mixture evenly between 2 lobsters. If you are serving 1 lobster per person, spread the stuffing over the center so that the lobsters look whole again. Do not pack the stuffing tightly, or it will affect the even baking of the lobster. Brush the 3 tablespoons melted butter over the exposed meat tail, stuffing and claws. Bake until the lobster is cooked through and the stuffing is crisp and golden. Bake 17 minutes for a 1 1/2 pound lobster and 24 minutes for a 2 pound lobster.
Lobster Thermidor
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
2 Servings
- 1 whole lobster, about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds
- 2 lemons, halved
- 1 onion, quartered
- 1 bouquet garni
- 1/4 cup butter
- 2 tablespoons minced shallots
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 2 cups milk or half & half
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh tarragon
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
- 6 ounces bacon
- 1 cup julienned onions
- 1/2 pound french green beans, blanched
- Salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped parsley
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bring a pot of salted water containing the lemons, quartered onions and bouquet garni to a boil. Add the lobster to the boiling water and cook for 8 to 12 minutes. Remove the lobster from the water and cool in a bowl of ice water. In a sauce pan, melt the butter. Stir in the the flour and cook for 2 to 3 minutes for a bond roux. Add the shallots and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the wine and milk. Bring the liquid up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 3 to 4 minutes or until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. This sauce will be thicker than a normal Bechamel because it will be used as a filling. Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Remove the sauce from the stove and stir in the mustard and tarragon. Remove the lobster from the water and split the lobster in half. Remove the tail meat from the shells and with the Lobster-Louie, gently crack the claws. Dice the tail meat and fold in the Bechamel sauce. Stir in 1/2 cup of the cheese and reseason if necessary.
Divide the mixture and spoon into the two lobster tail shells. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the lobster. Place the filled lobster on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes or until the top is golden brown. In a hot saute pan, add the bacon and render until crispy, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the onions and saute for 2 minutes. Add the beans and continue to saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the garlic. Remove the beans from the heat. To assemble, divide the bean mixture between two plates. Lay the lobster halves on top of the beans. Garnish with parsley.
King Crab San Francisco Cioppino
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
4 to 5 Servings
STEW BASE:
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups sliced onion
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 2 1/2 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, trimmed, seeded, and diced
- 2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 cups fish stock or 1 cup bottled clam broth mixed with 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 cup julienned fresh basil leaves
SEAFOOD:
- 12 little neck clams
- 1 cooked Dungeness crab, chopped into large pieces, or 2 Alaskan king crab claws, cracked and quartered
- 12 mussels
- 1 pound large shrimp, butteflied in the shell, and deveined
(use the Lobster-Louie to devein the shrimp!)
- 1/2 pound cleaned squid, cut into rings, and tentacles halved
- 1/2 pound sea scallops, trimmed, or firm fleshed fish, like halibut, cut into 1-inch cubes
Serving suggestion: hot crusty sourdough bread
Make the stew base. Heat a large stew pot or Dutch oven over medium heat with the olive oil. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, season with salt and pepper to taste, and cook 2 minutes more. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add the wine, and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits in the pot. Simmer the wine until reduced by about half. Add the tomatoes, peppers, parsley, thyme, and bay leaf and cook for 4 minutes. Add the stock or broths; bring to a boil, then adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook the base, with a cover slightly ajar for about 30 minutes. (The base may be prepared ahead up to this point, refrigerated for 1 day or frozen for 1 month).
Finish the Cioppino. Bring the base to a simmer. Add the basil and clams, and cook uncovered, over high heat, for 5 minutes, or just until the clams open. Add the crab and cook for 1 minuted. Add the mussels, shrimp, squid, and scallops. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mussels open, the shrimp curl, and the squid and scallops are just firm, about 3 minutes. Serve in large heated bowls with plenty of crusted bread.
King Crab Soup
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
6 Servings
- 1 cup finely chopped onion
- 1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
- 1/4 cup finely chopped celery
- 1/4 cup finely chopped leeks, whites only, well rinsed
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Louisiana Seasoning (see below)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 quart reduced King crab stock, or fish stock, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 pound King crab meat, picked over for shells and cartilage, prepared using "Lobster-Louie"
- 6 steamed King crab legs
- 1/4 cub chopped green onions
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the chopped vegetables and cook, stirring, until softened but not colored, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the Louisiana Seasoning, bay leaves and thyme, and stir. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Sprinkle in the flour and stir to coat evenly. Cook, stirring with a heavy wooden spoon, until thick and a light roux forms, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the stock, stirring until well blended. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered, stirring occassionally, for 30 minutes.
Add the heavy cream, salt, cayenne pepper and crabmeat and simmer for 5 minutes. Place King crab legs in a steamer to heat up. Remove the soup from the heat and adjust seasoning to taste. To serve, ladle the soup in deep rimmed bowls.
Garnish each serving with 1 King crab leg, green onions, and chopped parsley. Serve hot.
Louisiana Seasoning:
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 2 tablespoons sea salt
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon leaf oregano
- 1 tablespoon thyme
Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.
Yield: about 2/3 cup
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