Sunday, September 12, 2010

Cooking with Lobster

I feel decadent eating lobster because growing up, it was always really expensive. But lately lobster has been sort of inexpensive. Not sure why, maybe an overabundance. It was on sale recently so I decided to make a risotto with the lobster, and adding some typical summer ingredients like white corn and tomatoes. The meaty lobster pieces placed on top really made the risotto even more luxurious. Enjoy!

Summer Lobster Risotto Recipe

Copyright 2010 by Cooking With the Single Guy

Ingredients
2 lobster tails
1 white corn, kernels removed from the cob
1/2 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, each one cut in half
1/2 sweet onion, diced
1 cup Arborio rice
2 cups lobster or shrimp stock*
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 T extra virgin olive oil
small glass of dry white wine
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T butter
salt to season

Bring a pot of water to a medium boil and then add the lobster tails. Cook until the lobster turns bright orange (about 15 minutes). Remove tails from boiling water and let cool. Remove meat from the shell and chop into bite-sized pieces and set aside.

Then make the risotto. In a medium saucepan, warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat and add onion and garlic. Cook for about two minutes until onions are translucent, making sure not to brown the garlic. Add rice and stir with onions, letting the heat toast the rice for about a minute. Turn heat to medium and add wine and cook until most of it evaporates. Then start adding in the broth, using a ladle to add two scoops of broth (about 1/2 cup) to start. After about 5 minutes, toss in the corn. Continue cooking for about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon and adding broth along the way as it gets absorbed, until rice is al dente, or almost done. Add the tomatoes near the end. Then salt to taste.

Remove saucepan from the fire and stir in butter and cheese. Let it sit for about a minute, then plate up your risotto and top with lobster. Garnish with a wedge of lemon.

Makes two servings.

Pair with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc.

*If you don’t have shrimp stock handy, then you can make a quick lobster stock from the lobster shells from the tails you just cooked. After you remove the lobster meat from the shell, drop the shell in the pot simmering water and add half an onion, a couple stalks of celery, bay leaf and about five peppercorn and then let simmer for about 15 minutes. Pour everything through a strainer and use the stock for your risotto.

REVIEW OF RISOTTO: Risotto rice makes this dish unique with its short grain and creamy texture. So you can’t substitute it with the typical long-grain rice or even Japanese sushi rice. But you do have choices. There are three main Italian rice to make risotto: Arborio, Carnaroli and Vialone Nano. Arborio is the one most widely available outside of Italy and can be easily found in any grocery store. It consistently cooks in 15 minutes and produces a nice cream. But don’t be afraid to experiment with Carnaroli and Vialone Nano if you spot them on a gourmet store shelf. They both cook a bit longer, but Carnaroli grains keep more of their shape so it’s a nice choice if you don’t like your risotto too mushy. Vialone Nano is creamier if you want to go the other direction.

7 comments:

The Librarian said...

This sounds really great! Where did you get your lobster tails?

Kim said...

I'm also wondering where you got the lobster. I really like the idea of making stock from the tails. Yum!

Single Guy Ben said...

I'm embarrassed to say that I got them at Safeway! The one in my neighborhood is super convenient for me to shop, and, hey, they were on sale!! I recently did see a store in Oakland's Chinatown selling them whole live for $6.99 a pound, which is a good deal too. I may buy a whole live one soon!

Jenster said...

That looks delicious. For some reason, I've always been a little intimidated to cook lobster, wihch is silly, because I have no issue with cooking crabs or any other type of seafood. You make it sound so simple.

Carolyn Jung said...

So fancy! Did you enjoy it with a lovely Chardonnay? ;)

Anonymous said...

It both sounds and looks amazing! A great new recipe for lobster. I am yet to cook my first risotto, thinking of butternut squash risotto and might take your suggestion and use Japanese sushi rice.

Single Guy Ben said...

Jenster, I think the intimidation with lobster is people worry it'll be overcooked and chewy. I think you should be ok if you watch it and grab it once it turns totally orange.

Carolyn, I did eat it with a chardonnay! (Even though I recommend a sauvignon blanc. It's just I only had a chardonnay in the house.)

Nutpi, if you read carefully, I say DON"T substitute with Japanese sushi rice. You could try it, but I don't think it'll be the same, and may actually take longer to cook. BTW, butternut squash risotto is one of my favorites to make. I roast the butternut squash in the oven first and then mix it with the risotto at the end.