Poaching Lobster Recipes

POACHING LIQUID FOR LOBSTER (COURT BOUILLON)

Steps:

• Bring about 3 quarts of water to a boil. Add the wine, coriander, salt, red pepper, thyme, bay leaves, garlic and lemon to the boiling water, and then reduce the heat and simmer, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Place the lobster in the pot and simmer, 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the lobster sit in the hot water 10 minutes.
• Plunge the lobster into a salted ice bath. When completely cool, remove from the ice and serve.

HOW TO BUTTER POACH LOBSTER TAILS

Steps:

• In a saucepan, bring 2-3 tbs. of water to a simmer over medium heat
• Whisk in 1 tbs. butter, when butter melts add another piece. Continuing adding butter pieces - 1 cup (two sticks total.) Do not let the butter come to a boil or the butter will separate. Try to keep the butter between 160 and 175 degrees F. Use an instant read thermometer to to keep it under 180 F
• Add defrosted, raw tails. Cook for 6-8 minutes and turn tails in butter mixture. Again, make sure the butter does not come to a boil, reduce the heat if necessary. Be careful not to overcook lobster. Poached lobster tails should have an an internal temperature of about 140-145°

PERFECT POACHED LOBSTER

Steps:

• Fill a very large (18- to 20-quart) stockpot 3/4 full with water, add 2 tablespoons of salt, cover and bring to a full rolling boil. Immerse the lobsters in the water and cook for 10 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the middle of the underside of a tail registers 140 degrees F. (Don't worry if the water doesn't come back to a boil.) Remove the lobsters with tongs and set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove the lobster meat from the shell, including the claws.

POACHING LOBSTER

Steps:

• 1. First, kill the lobster, using one of the following methods: Bring a very large pot of water to a boil. Quickly add the lobster, cover, and blanch for 1 minute. Immediately take the lobster out of the pot. Or, place the lobster on a cutting board. Hold it firmly with your left hand (if you are right-handed) where the tail meets the head. With your right hand, hold a large knife vertically over the lobster, with the tip at the point where the vertical and horizontal creases in the lobster head intersect. Firmly and quickly thrust the knife straight through the head until the knife tip meets the cutting board, then cut downward, through the center of the head. The lobster will be dead immediately, though it may still move.
• 2. Twist off the claws where they join the body. Twist the tail away from the head (save the head and legs to make stock, if desired). To keep the tail straight, run a metal skewer lengthwise through the meat, slightly off center, nearest the underside of the tail. Wrap the tail very tightly in plastic wrap.
• 3. Bring several inches of water to a boil in a large, wide pot. Add the lobster tail (in the plastic wrap) and poach for 2 minutes. Add the claws and poach for 4 minutes more. Drain and set aside to cool.
• 4. To extract the lobster meat, twist apart the 2 sections of each claw. Hit the larger part of each claw against a work surface a few times then stand one on its side, with the jagged underside facing up. Strike the side of the claw with a large, heavy knife to crack it, then twist sideways with the knife until the shell splits open. Pull out the meat. Repeat with the other claw.
• 5. Use heavy kitchen shears to cut open and extract the meat from the smaller section of the claw. Cut off and discard the pink, fatty tip of the claws.
• 6. Press firmly on the back of the tail until you hear it crack. Cut through the shell on the underside of the tail and pull it apart to release the meat. Wrap the lobster meat in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

DAN'S POACHED LOBSTER

Steps:

• To blanch the lobsters: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Prepare an ice bath; set aside. Remove the tails and claws from lobsters. Place lobster tails into the boiling water, and cook for 3 minutes. Transfer to ice bath to stop cooking. Place the lobster claws in boiling water, and cook for 6 minutes. Transfer to ice bath to stop cooking. Remove meat from tails and claws; cut tail meat in half lengthwise; set aside.
• Remove the bodies from the shells and rinse; discard shells. Cut bodies into chunks; set aside.
• To make the broth: Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, fennel, celery, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent, but not brown, about 5 minutes. Add the lobster body chunks. Raise heat to high, and cook until lobsters are translucent and sweaty about 2 minutes. Add wine, and bring to a boil. Cook until reduced by three-quarters, about 5 minutes. Stir in the thyme, tarragon, and carrot juice. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.
• Whisk the egg whites into carrot broth. Return to a simmer and cook until egg whites have coagulated (the egg whites will help remove the impurities resulting in a clear broth). Strain through a cheesecloth lined sieve into a clean saucepan and keep hot.
• To prepare the vegetables: Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Remove the outer leaves of the artichokes by snapping them off at the base. Slice off the green tops, then cut off the stems at the base. Use a melon baller to remove the chokes. Place artichokes in a small baking pan and cover with oil. Bake until tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand until cool enough to handle. Remove from oil and cut into 1/2-inch wedges; set aside in a medium bowl. Reserve oil.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the peas to the boiling water and cook until bright green, about 2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to the bowl with the artichokes; set aside. Add asparagus to boiling water and cook until bright green, about 2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove from boiling water and add to the artichokes and peas. Drizzle vegetables with about 1 teaspoon of the reserved oil; reserve the remaining oil for another use. Season vegetables with salt, pepper, tarragon, and parsley.
• To assemble the dish: Heat beurre blanc in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add lobster meat, and heat through. Be sure not to let it boil, or it will separate. Use a slotted spoon to remove lobster from beurre blanc, and drain on a paper towels. Blot off excess beurre blanc with a clean kitchen towel.
• Divide vegetables between 6 warm bowls. Place one tail and two claws in each bowl. Serve with broth ladled over lobster just before serving. Serve immediately.