Ultimate Lobster Sandwich

About a month ago, I had brunch at Rock Lobster here in Toronto for the first time. After ordering their delicious B-L-L-T, a triple-decker BLT sandwich with lobster, I was inspired to re-create it at home. There’s no need for subtlety here– I’ll just come out and say it– it was to.die.for. So indulgent, in fact, that I almost felt guilty eating it. Since the holidays are an ideal time to excuse indulgence, this would be an amazing treat to make for a small group of guests (or just yourself!) for Christmas brunch.

I used frozen lobster tails, which I defrosted then boiled in very salty water for five minutes, cooled and shelled. You could also use canned lobster meat, available in many grocery stores, which would make the process a lot easier and faster. The other keys to making this sandwich drool-worthy is good quailty, thick-cut bacon, fresh, thinly sliced bread (I bought an unsliced, white sandwich loaf so I could cut it extra-thin), and a flavour-packed tomato aioli in place of actual tomatoes. For the latter, I used this Bobby Flay recipe, which is fast, simple and leftovers can be stored in the fridge afterwards for use in omelettes, other sandwiches or even as a side for steak.

Ultimate Lobster Sandwich

Roasted Tomato Aioli

1 large plum tomato
1 tablespoon olive or coconut oil
1/2 red onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
3/4 cup mayonnaise
Splash of aged sherry vinegar
Splash of Tobasco (optional)

Slice the tomato in half lengthwise and use a teaspoon to remove the seeds. Place cut-side up on a baking sheet and roast at 450°F until tender, about five minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan over medium heat and cook the onions and garlic until soft, about five minutes. Mix in the paprika and cook for thirty more seconds.
Combine onion mixture, mayonnaise, vinegar and Tobasco (if using) and the roasted tomato in a blender or food processor with some salt and pepper and blend until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for at least half an hour so all the flavours meld together.

Sandwich

4 small (or 2 large) lobster tails per person
3 very thinly sliced pieces of fresh white bread per person
2 thick slices of bacon per person
Roasted tomato aioli
Butter
Fresh dill

If using tails, start by boiling and shelling all lobster and removing to a bowl. Place bacon on a baking sheet and broil until cooked, but still tender, about ten minutes.
Heat a knob of butter in a pan over medium-high heat, and toast each slice of bread on each side and remove to a plate. After all the bread has been toasted, heat another knob of butter in the pan and saute all of the lobster pieces until warm, and season with salt and pepper.
Assemble the sandwiches by spreading one slice of bread with the roasted tomato aioli and placing the bacon overtop (slice it to fit). Cover with another slice of bread. Place the lobster meat on top, then sprinkle with some fresh dill. Top with a final slice of bread and ENJOY!

Spanish Rice with Lobster and Shrimp

I think of this flavourful dish as kind of hybrid between risotto and paella. The salmoretta sauce that you serve overtop has a lovely, light flavour that could easily be re-purposed alongside other fish or chicken dishes to give them a little extra kick.

While the lobster and shrimp are obviously an indulgent accompaniment to the rice here, the recipe would also work very nicely done with chunks of sauted chicken and/or chorizo instead.

Spanish Rice with Lobster and Shrimp
(serves 2-4)

1/2 tsp. saffron
1/3 cup boiling water
2 medium tomatoes, halved
1/2 Vidalia onion, peeled, cut into wedges
1/2 long red chili
6 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 tbsp. sherry vinegar
1 tbsp. chopped parsley
1 tbsp. chopped cilantro
1/4 cup diced shallots
225g shimeji mushrooms
4 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 cup Albufera or Arborio rice
2 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. garlic, chopped
250g lobster, shell(s) removed
1 cup shrimp, shells removed

Steep the saffron in boiling water for 20 minutes. Strain and discard the saffron. Make a salmorreta sauce by placing the tomatoes (cut side up), onion wedges and chili on a baking sheet and brush with one tablespoon of olive oil. Place under a pre-heated broiler until brown and blistered, about three minutes.

Skin and seed the tomato and chili and add to a food processor with the vinegar, parsley and cilantro. Turn it on and add about four tablespoons of olive oil slowly, until it’s incorporated. Season with salt as needed.

Heat another tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add shallots and mushrooms and saute until softened, about three minutes. Add 3 1/2 cups of stock and the saffron water and bring to a boil. Add in the rice, season with salt and bring to a simmer. Continue to cook, adding in the remaining stock, until rice is cooked through but still slightly firm, about fifteen minutes.

Heat butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add in garlic and cook for one minute. Add in shelled lobster and shrimp and saute until pink and cooked through, about three minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove seafood, then add garlic butter to the rice.

Serve rice in individual dishes, top each with salmorreta sauce, lobster and shrimp, and a few cilantro leaves. Enjoy!

Recipe from Lucy Waverman for The Globe and Mail.

Lobster Eggs Benedict

It’s been a hectic few days, but I was still in the mood to make something indulgent for a special birthday brunch this week. Since I love Eggs Benedict (who doesn’t?) and I love lobster, oh, why not throw the two together!? I already had some lobster tails in my freezer, so I boiled those up (five minutes in extra salty water) and used the sauce from this Williams – Sonoma recipe. It’s not a traditional Hollandaise, which is made with egg yolks, butter and fresh lemon juice, but it was exceptionally good and went so well with the lobster without overwhelming it, like a Hollandaise might have.

Instead of heating the lobster meat in the sauce as the recipe suggested, I decided to keep it separate and layer over a very lightly toasted half croissant. You can use some large pieces of the lobster’s shell (I used a few chunks from the tail) while making the sauce, which adds in just enough flavour. I also cut everything in half (save for the tarragon and sherry), since I only needed enough sauce for two servings.

I don’t have an egg poacher, so I coddled the eggs the old fashioned way by cooking them for about 3 minutes in a pan of simmering water and a good dose of white wine vinegar (about 3 oz.).

Overall, it was completely heavenly, and I’ll definitely be making it again! Enjoy!

More lobster mania here and here.

 

End-of-Summer Lobster Risotto

Shrimp and clam risotto is one of my favourite go-to dishes, especially for entertaining. However, since the end of the summer is upon us, I decided to spice up a friend’s birthday dinner with lobster to celebrate both their special day and the end of the season. I was feeling extra-indulgent so I used eight lobster tails (they were on the small side) but you could easily make this recipe with four.

Lobster Risotto
(serves 4)

4-8 lobster tails, thawed if frozen
4 cups fish stock
1 medium onion, diced
1.5 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
fresh chives and tarragon
parmigiano reggiano
butter
flaky sea salt and pepper

Boil lobster tails in a large pot of heavily salted water (think sea water) until shells are bright red and meat is opaque white, about 10 minutes. Let cool, then slice down the centre of the shell with kitchen shears and carefully remove meat. Cut tails into one-inch pieces.

Melt a knob of butter in a medium pot and add onion. Let cook for a couple of minutes. Add rice and stir to coat. Add wine and stir. Add warm fish stock 1/2 cup at a time, letting the liquid absorb into the rice between additions. Stir continuously until all liquid is absorbed and rice is tender and creamy. Add in an extra knob of butter and stir.

Add in lobster pieces and a handful of grated parmigiano and chopped herbs, to taste. Season with salt and pepper as needed. Serve and garnish with extra cheese and herbs. Enjoy!

Lobster Lovin’

While I’ve always loved lobster and all of its related dishes, for some reason, this summer I’ve become extra-obsessed with lobster rolls. I had never really had many before, but last month we happened to have an exceptional one (warm, lots of chunky lobster and not too much mayo or dressings) at a harbourfront food truck here in the city.  After that, I was hooked, and have been scheming to make them on my own ever since.

Conveniently, Bon Appétit published a story on finding the perfect lobster roll and accompanying recipe in their June issue. That recipe is here. I altered it a bit for my own use, especially since I was not especially into using celery (and my hubby despises it). Plus, since I didn’t have time to track down, cook and process live lobsters, I used this great lobster meat found in the frozen fish section. I simply defrosted it in the fridge overnight and it was good to go.

The Perfect Lobster Roll

(makes 8 rolls, good for 4 people)
2 cans of frozen lobster meat, defrosted
1 tablespoon truffle aioli
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
8 ciabatta sausage buns
butter
fresh pepper and Maldon salt flakes

Remove defrosted lobster from packaging, making sure to squeeze out all excess water. Once in a mixing bowl, double check all larger pieces of lobster (claws especially) for any remaining cartilage and remove. Add in lemon juice, mayonnaise, aioli (or just double up the mayo if you don’t have/want the aioli), and chives. Combine well. Keep at room temperature while you prepare the buns.

Choice of buns for lobster rolls is much debated, but I decided on a small ciabatta roll meant for small sausages, since I wanted more texture than a standard hotdog bun. The trick here is to carefully slice off the tops of the rolls so they’re evenly sized on top and bottom and the top isn’t too ‘bready’. Place a skillet over medium heat and generously spread all sides of the rolls with butter and place in the skillet four at a time, depending on the size of your pan. Use tongs to flip the buns so they can toast on all sides. The buns shouldn’t get too toasty, they’ll just soften up and be left with a delicious buttery flavour. Once the buns are all ready, you have to work quite quickly to fill them with lobster meat to make sure they stay warm.

Serve with simple arugula salad dressed with olive oil, lemon juice and parmigiano and French Potato Salad. I also made a simple blueberry galette for dessert with the help of puff pastry and blueberries dressed with a few tablespoons of sugar, and the juice and rind from one lemon. Serve with vanilla bean ice cream.