Lobster thermidor

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otuatail

Senior Cook
Joined
Nov 3, 2015
Messages
235
Location
York (UK)
Hi. Six months ago I bought a lobster form a cut price supermarket (UK) Lidl. I realised that these items are not regularly stocked as they say, when it’s gone it’s gone. I bought another four. They are in the freezer and in a kind of large sausage. The (UK) TV comedy Allo Allo had a story about loads of large German of Knackwurst,s. That is what I have got times 5.

I haven’t cooked them because I don’t know how to. So some recopies for a lobster thermidor would be nice.

Thanks.
 
At the store today - two frozen tails - $33.50. about the size shown in Chef John's video.

Watch the video to see how to split the tails and spread the following mix.

Ingredients for 4 portions:
Please note: I never measure when I use this technique, and so these are just guesses. Everything in this is “to taste,” so work accordingly.

4 frozen lobster tails, thawed and split as shown
1/4 cup mayonnaise
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon sriracha hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped tarragon, chervil, or dill
 
Craig's Lobster Diablo

This is from our very own Craig - would have done the link but rushed to find...

Lobster Diablo
________________________________________
Lobster seems to be a hot topic right now! so here's a little spicy recipe.

Lobster Diablo
With this recipe you can adjust the ingredients to your taste. Although I'm going to give amounts, I really just "eyeball" it. Feel free to adjust away to make it your own. This recipe was originally developed using Florida/Caribbean spiny lobster tails, but I'm sure Maine lobster tails would work fine.

4 Previously frozen lobster tails, meat removed and shells saved and cut into 1/2" chunks
1 Medium sweet onion, 1/4" dice
1-1/2 cups bell peppers, 1/4" dice. I prefer to use a combo of red, yellow and orange. but you can use all of one or whatever combo you want. No green please.
1 Tbsp minced fresh garlic
1 tsp Colemans dry mustard
1/2 tsp Cayenne (this is a minimum, adjust to your liking)
1/2 stick of unsalted butter
1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/8 cup freshly grated parmesan
Splash of dry white wine, vermouth or dry sherry
salt and pepper to taste

To remove meat from shells, use a pair of cooking shears to cut the membrane on the underside of the tail, along the swimmerette line, on both sides. Do this from open end to the tail fin, then cut the membrane off at the tail fin. From the open end you should be able to slip a finger between the meat and shell to pop the meat out. Set the shells aside as you will be stuffing the diablo mixture into them. Remove "vein" if needed.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Melt 4 Tbsp butter in skillet. Add onion and bell pepper and saute until softened. Add garlic and saute until fragrent. Salt and pepper to taste. Add lobster meat, mustard and cayenne. Saute until lobster meat is opaque. Add bread crumbs and mix into lobster mixture. Add wine. The mixture should be moist, without excess liquid in the pan. If too dry add more wine. If too moist add more bread crumbs. Remove from heat. Using a spoon, stuff mixture into reserved shells and bake on a cookie sheet until golden brown on top. Sprinkle cheese evenly over top. Place back in oven until cheese melts. Serve immediately and enjoy.

Craig
 
Thanks for the recopies but a video can not be copied and pasted. An on-line recipe is easy. I would have to take pictures all the time.
 
otuatail, of course I don't copy video's either, but I like to watch them as it gives me a visual rather than using my imagination from a recipes instructions. Then when I do read the recipe I understand better.

There has even been a time when I really want the recipe but can only find it in/on the video, I pause the video constantly to give me a chance to write down the ingredients. Now-a-days of course, I'm too lazy, if I can't find that paticular recipe I just go without.
 
Thanks for the recopies but a video can not be copied and pasted. An on-line recipe is easy. I would have to take pictures all the time.
otuatail, of course I don't copy video's either, but I like to watch them as it gives me a visual rather than using my imagination from a recipes instructions. Then when I do read the recipe I understand better.

There has even been a time when I really want the recipe but can only find it in/on the video, I pause the video constantly to give me a chance to write down the ingredients. Now-a-days of course, I'm too lazy, if I can't find that paticular recipe I just go without.
Chef John's recipes are available on his blog, linked in the description section of the videos.

https://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2016/12/deviled-lobster-tails-theres-something.html
 
This is a whole lobster claws and all. Not a tail. I like creamy foods like chicken korma so I thought a creamy lobster with a touch of spice. Maybe not Thermador. A recipe i have used called for Double cream but also fish sauce and lemon. Just looked up thermidor. It is French for heat. Is that t-spoon supposed to be the heat. It was terrible. I would have thought Double cream and Chilli powder. see bellow.

25g butter
2 banana shallots or 3 small shallots, finely chopped
100ml white wine or vermouth
500ml fish stock
100ml double cream
1 tsp English mustard
½ lemon, juiced
handful of parsley leaves chopped (or use a mix of parsley, chervil, chives and tarragon)
30g finely grated parmesan

PS. I am NOT a fan of white wine. I love cooking in red.

Are there any recopies that fit my creamy kind of lobster tastes. I like prawn cocktails with a cayenne kick.
 
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I think freezing the poor lobster for 6 months is pushing the friendship a bit. I can imagine that once thawed it would be watery and bland. Lobster has a very delicate flavour so I always try to use it quickly when I buy it, to keep it fresh and flavourful.
At this point, I think you could try a classic French bisque using the shells with very reduced tomato or a paste, some Chablis with lots of garlic, herbs etc for your soup stock and add the chunks of lobster meat at the end with some croutons on the side. Lots of good recipes online but be aware that it can be quite a lot of work. :)
 
I know that lobster fishers sometimes freeze lobster in a salt water brine. They claim the lobsters keep well, when frozen that way.
 
Certainly sounds plausible, taxy.
I, for one, am not buying whole lobsters anymore. Neither fresh, cooked or frozen.
I buy only the tails now-a-days. For the price you pay to have to struggle with the shells, huge pots of water - nope, just not worth the money.
 
I haven't cooked lobster in decades. It was a rare treat before I got together with Stirling. Eating most crustaceans make him feel unwell. Or, as he puts it, "I don't eat arthropods." He can sometimes tolerate and enjoy tiny shrimp. At the prices for lobster, I don't see me buying it for just me.
 
The price is what aggravates me. $$ per pound - when in actual fact you only get 1/3 the meat for what you are paying. I worked it out before I think on another thread.
I had weighed the lobsters fresh, cooked, shells sans meat, and meat sans shell. It was so disgusting. I feel for the lobster farmers that they can't get a return for their work but I can't afford nor will ing to pay those prices.

I indulge in a couple of tails once in a while and that's it.
 

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