Chili Lobster With Texas Toast

Name: Chili Lobster With Texas Toast
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: Salt; 3 or 4 lobsters, totaling about 4 1/2 pounds; 2 tablespoons neutral oil, like canola oil; 1/2 cup tomato paste; 2 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced; 3 cups dry white wine; 5 sprigs thyme; 2 sprigs tarragon; 1 bay leaf; 6 cups water (reserved from poaching); 3 or 4 cooked lobsters (claws, knuckles, tails; see recipe above); 2 tablespoons neutral oil, like canola; 1 tablespoon ginger, peeled and minced; 2 tablespoons sweet onion (like Vidalia), peeled and minced; 1 1/2 cups lobster stock (recipe above); 2 tablespoons fresh mint, cut into chiffonade; 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce; 3 tablespoons Sriracha sauce, or to taste; 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces; 1 to 2 limes; 2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions; 4 thick slices sourdough bread; 3 tablespoons unsalted butter; Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Recipe from Marc Forgione

Adapted by Sam Sifton

Chili Lobster With Texas Toast — Marcus Nilsso for The New York Times; Food stylist: Susie Rigall. Prop Stylist: Angharad Bailey.

Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Rating: 4(72)
Comments: Read comments

At the chef Marc Forgione’s restaurant Marc Forgione in the TriBeCa neighborhood of Manhattan, this dish is served as an appetizer, with small cull lobsters used as the main ingredient. Made with bigger lobsters, though, and with copious amounts of toast, it is a sweet, fiery, buttery dinner of exceptional richness and excellence, a perfect pairing for dry Champagne. —Sam Sifton

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Ingredients

Yield:Serves 4

For the Lobster Stock

Salt
3 or 4lobsters, totaling about 4½ pounds
2tablespoons neutral oil, like canola oil
½cup tomato paste
2shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
3cups dry white wine
5sprigs thyme
2sprigs tarragon
1bay leaf
6cups water (reserved from poaching)

For the Chili Lobster

3 or 4cooked lobsters (claws, knuckles, tails; see recipe above)
2tablespoons neutral oil, like canola
1tablespoon ginger, peeled and minced
2tablespoons sweet onion (like Vidalia), peeled and minced
1½cups lobster stock (recipe above)
2tablespoons fresh mint, cut into chiffonade
1½tablespoons soy sauce
3tablespoons Sriracha sauce, or to taste
3tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 to 2limes
2tablespoons thinly sliced scallions

For the Texas Toast

4thick slices sourdough bread
3tablespoons unsalted butter
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Preheat oven to 400. Fill a large pot with salted water and place it over high heat until it comes to a boil. Poach the lobsters for approximately 5 minutes, then remove from water and place in an ice bath to cool them quickly. (Do not discard the poaching liquid.) Once they are cooled, cut off the claws, knuckles and tails and refrigerate them until ready to prepare the final dish. Split open the heads, and remove the tomalley, which is delicious to some but not so pretty in this dish. Lift the legs away from the shell to reveal the gills, and cut them out using scissors. Break the heads apart by hand into large pieces.
Step 2
Place a large, oven-safe saucepan over high heat, and add the oil, heating it until it shimmers and verges on smoking. Add the lobster heads to the pan and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, then stir in the tomato paste to coat the shells. Add the shallots, stir to combine and put the pan in the oven. Cook for 8 to 12 minutes, or until well roasted.
Step 3
Transfer the pan to the stove. Add the wine and herbs, bring to a boil and simmer until reduced by half. Add 6 cups of the reserved lobster poaching liquid to the reduced stock. Simmer the stock for an additional 90 minutes, reducing it. Strain through a fine sieve.
Step 4
Make the chili lobster. Cut the tails into 1-inch pieces, then crack the claws and remove the meat. In a wok or a large skillet set over high heat, heat 2 tablespoons canola oil until just smoking. Add the ginger and onion and cook, stirring, for approximately 1 minute. Add the lobster tails, still in their shell, and the claw meat, turn heat down to medium and cook for approximately 2 minutes, or until hot. Add the stock, and return it to a boil. Transfer lobster pieces to a large serving plate, leaving the stock in the pan to reduce by half. Sprinkle the lobster with mint.
Step 5
To the reduced stock, add soy and Sriracha and whisk in 3 tablespoons butter, one tablespoon at a time. Add a squeeze of lime juice, and adjust seasonings. Toast the bread, butter it generously and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Cut into triangles. Spoon sauce over the lobster and garnish with sliced scallions. Serve with toast

Ratings

4 out of 5

72 user ratings

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Comments

North Star7 years ago

I really wanted to love this recipe... it reminded me of a Jasper White recipe. I'm from Maine but I love spicy food: from Texas to Thailand, and fresh lobster was a staple at our dinner table. Skip this, a lot of work, when a little hot sauce in your drawn butter and a good loaf of sourdough will do the job in 1/4 of the time.

Sharon7 years ago

There is a much more humane way of preparing lobster. Take a very sharp knife and plunge it the back of the head. Then place it in boiling water. Boiling them alive is so cruel. Lobster does feel pain.

Cat M7 years ago

In step 2 after you add the shallots.

I'm trying this tonight since today's seafood coop share is live lobsters.

North Star7 years ago

Sharon7 years ago

michelle7 years ago

This was amazing and well worth the effort

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