Lobster Risotto

done2This summer we had the pleasure of attending my sister’s wedding in Negril, Jamaica!  During our time there lobster was not in season and banned from being caught.  So, when we went to a specialty restaurant at the resort we stayed at, I ordered the shrimp risotto.  And I have to say it was absolutely delicious!  Even though I was the one to order this wonderful dish, my husband fell in love with it! So, when we returned, I had the inclination to make my own risotto using our very own Northeast caught cold water lobster.

A disclaimer before I start is that risotto is a simple dish, but it is food of love as it takes a good amount of time and it can not be rushed.

First thing to do is prepare some stock. I had some frozen homemade chicken stock, so I used that (about 6 cups). If you have seafood stock, great, use that... But, I do love the flavor a homemade chicken stock brings to this dish.

First thing to do is prepare some stock. I had some frozen homemade chicken stock, so I used that (about 6 cups). If you have seafood stock, great, use that… But, I do love the flavor a homemade chicken stock brings to this dish. You want to keep this stock warm without boiling as boiling will evaporate the stock before you can use it.

Use one large shallot or two smaller ones... If you don't have shallots available you can use one medium onion. Shallots are just a bit milder in flavor.

Use one large shallot or two smaller ones… If you don’t have shallots available you can use one medium onion. Shallots are just a bit milder in flavor.

Cut the shallot in half to stabilize your cutting surface.

You'll want a small to medium dice.

You’ll want a small to medium dice.

Warm a non-stick (if you have one) pot over medium heat. Add in a few tablespoons of olive oil.

Next add in a couple tablespoons of butter to the olive oil for flavor.

Add your diced shallots to the fat in the pot.

Saute over medium heat until golden brown.

Chop up a couple cloves of garlic and add in to your already golden shallots.

Chop up a couple cloves of garlic and add in to your already golden shallots.

This is aborio rice... It is widely known as one of the best rices to use for making a good risotto. This particular one is just my store brand, but it is a long grain Italian rice imported from Italy.

This is aborio rice… It is widely known as one of the best rices to use for making a good risotto. This particular one is just my store brand, but it is a long grain Italian rice imported from Italy.

Each grain is fatter than your run of the mill rice.

Add your raw unwashed rice to your pot with your shallots and onions. You want to toast your rice grains before you start adding in liquid.

The trick to a good risotto is to add in your liquid slowly.

The trick to a good risotto is to add in your liquid slowly.

Add your warmed stock to your pot one ladle full at a time.

You want to make sure each ladle gets completely soaked in before you add the next ladle. Stir continuously.

I have a left over lobster from this past weekend. So this baby is getting cut up and put in my pot.

I have a left over lobster from this past weekend. So this baby is getting cut up and put in my pot.

I start off by removing the legs and popping them in my pot. This helps me achieve two things. Since I am using chicken stock, the legs help to introduce a seafood stock flavor… They are also pretty yummy to add to each individual dish.

Remove the meat.

Remove the meat.

Chop it up into medium sized chuncks.

Chop it up into medium sized chunks.

Add your meat into your pot when you only have a couple ladles of stock left to go. As the lobster is already cooked, your goal here is just to heat the meat through, not to over cook your meat. This is a good time to add in 1/2 cup of dry white wine as well.

At this point I like to finish with a few more tablespoons of butter and top with some reserved lobster meat. Then I top with some chopped up scallions or parsley. You also want to taste for salt and pepper now as well.

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Lobster Risotto

Serves 4

Ingredients:

6 cups chicken or seafood stock

2 cups aborio rice

1 large shallot, diced medium

3 Tbs. olive oil

6 Tbs. butter, divided

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 scallion, chopped

1 lobster, shelled and chopped

1/2 cup dry white wine

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Warm 6 cups stock in a medium sauce pan. In a large non-stick pot saute shallot over medium heat in olive oil and 3 Tbs. butter until golden brown. Add garlic and saute for a minute.  Add in raw rice and toast for a few minutes, stirring constantly.  One ladle at a time add in stock, making sure  each ladle has been absorbed before adding in the next. Add in lobster legs.  When there are only a couple of ladles of stock to go, add in white wine and lobster meat. Finish ladling in stock.  Check for salt and pepper and add if needed.  Also check for rice tenderness.  (If more liquid is needed either add more warmed stock or warmed water.  Add in a remaining butter.

Top with reserved lobster if desired and scallions or parsley.  Serve immediately.  Enjoy!

*note – This is a gluten-free recipe.

Lobster Corn Chowder

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Summer is such a wonderful time for food, especially in New England!  We have delicious sweet corn and incredible cold water lobsters a plenty.  This past 4th of July weekend we were lucky enough to have both!  I even bought some extra corn and had some left over lobster so I decided to create a version of what New Englander’s are known for… chowder! Lobster and corn brought together with a creamy broth, what could be better?

I grew up in the small New England town of Westport, Massachusetts. Westport is both a fishing and farming community.  Some of the biggest of those two industries has always been lobster, dairy and corn.  All of these essentials are found in this dish.  Who says you can’t go home again?

You'll want to start  by shucking about 8 ears of fresh corn and placing them in a pot.

You’ll want to start by shucking about 8 ears of fresh corn and placing them in a pot.

Then cover the corn in cold water. Bring to a boil and shut it off… Let it sit in the water to cool a bit. (The fresher the corn, the less time it needs… but, don’t forget this will also boil again later) One it is done boiling, reserve about 1 1/2 cups of the cooking liquid for later.

Place a small ingredient bowl inverted in a larger bowl… You’ll want to make sure your larger bowl can accommodate the kernels of 8 ears of corn… This method makes for so much less mess!

Now prop up a cob of corn on top of that little ingredient bowl.  If you don't find it to be stable enough, just cut off the very bottom.

Now prop up a cob of corn on top of that little ingredient bowl. If you don’t find it to be stable enough, just cut off the very bottom.

Now, carefully run you your knife down the legnth of the corn cob... be sure your fingers are out of the way!

Now, carefully run you your knife down the length of the corn cob… be sure your fingers are out of the way!

Now, this is a very important step... take the back of your knife and firmly run it down your naked cob.  You are essentially creaming the corn by doing this.

Now, this is a very important step… take the back of your knife and firmly run it down your naked cob. You are essentially creaming the corn by doing this.

Here is what you are left with 🙂

Before you begin, you will want to also boil a potato with salt and garlic, chop and reserve.  Just one.

Before you begin, you will want to also boil a potato with salt and garlic, chop and reserve. Just one.

Start your soup by building your base, which is your veggies, but first you'll need to render some bacon so that you have fat to cook your veggies in.  So, cook until crisp.

Start your soup by building your base, which is your veggies, but first you’ll need to render some bacon so that you have fat to cook your veggies in. So, cook until crisp.

Drain your bacon on a couple of paper towels.  Reserve the bacon fat in the pot.

Drain your bacon on a couple of paper towels. Reserve the bacon fat in the pot.

This is a shallot... a rather large shallot actually.  It is a milder cousin of the onion.  Because I find this to be a more delicate chowder, I didn't want to overwhelm the flavor with onion.

This is a shallot… a rather large shallot actually. It is a milder cousin of the onion. Because I find this to be a more delicate chowder, I didn’t want to overwhelm the flavor with onion.

Chop the shallot as you would an onion.

Chop the shallot as you would an onion.

Saute the shallot over low heat in the reserved bacon fat.

Saute the shallot over low heat in the reserved bacon fat.

Get one red bell pepper and halve and seed it. I like the sweetness of red bell pepper, you can use which ever color you like best.

Chop it up and add it in to the sauteing shallots.

Measure about a quarter cup of all purpose flour.

Measure about a quarter cup of all purpose flour.

Add flour to the sautéed veggies.

Stir in that flour and cook for a minute or so.

Add all the corn you’ve prepared to your soup pot.

That corn cooking liquid you reserved goes in now.  I run it through a strainer just to catch any stray corn silk.

That corn cooking liquid you reserved goes in now. I run it through a strainer just to catch any stray corn silk.

Here is my left over lobster, isn't he cute?

Here is my left over lobster, isn’t he cute?

Pull off his legs. There is lots of yummy meat in those legs, but I have no patience to get all that meat out for this purpose.

So what I do is throw them right in the soup pot. This serves two purposes. First of all, it gives your cooking liquid a bit of seafood stock. Second, you can serve these right with your chowder and people can suck the meat out of them should they so choose.  Now is the time to add in your potato as well.

Now, remove the body and discard. (I don’t put the body in the soup pot because there is too much mush for my taste). Shell all this lobster.

Once you have shelled the tail, you can pull off the back of the tail as I have done here and remove that vein. Some people don’t bother with this step, I just do. It’s up to you.

Now chop up the meat you have reserving the claw pieces to top your chowder if you so choose.

Now chop up the meat you have reserving the claw pieces to top your chowder if you so choose.

Add the chopped lobster to the soup pot to heat through.

Add the chopped lobster to the soup pot to heat through.

When all your ingredients have hung out together for a few minutes... Add in half a quart of light cream.

When all your ingredients have hung out together for a few minutes… Add in half a quart of light cream.

Chop and crumble bacon into the soup pot.

Chop and crumble bacon into the soup pot.

Add salt and pepper to taste.  I like a good amount of fresh cracked black pepper.

Add salt and pepper to taste. I like a good amount of fresh cracked black pepper.

Add a couple dashes of white pepper.

Add a couple dashes of white pepper.

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Add some sliced scallions, oyster crackers, the reserved lobster claw, serve and enjoy!

Recipe for Lobster Corn Chowder:

(Serves 8)

1 boiled lobster, shelled and chopped

8 ears of corn, boiled

1 1/2 cups corn cooking liquid reserved

1 large red potato, cooked and chopped

1 large shallot chopped

1/2 red bell pepper seeded and chopped

3 slices bacon

rendered bacon fat reserved

1/2 quart light cream

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. white pepper

kosher salt to taste

fresh cracked black pepper to taste

2 scallions chopped

oyster crackers or saltines

Directions:

Prepare potato by boiling in salted water and one clove of garlic (optional). Prepare lobster by boiling or getting it steamed from your fish monger.  Prepare corn on the cob by shucking and bringing to a boil, reserving 1 1/2 cups corn cooking water.  Cool these ingredients so they are easy to handle.

Next shell and chop lobster. Reserve lobster legs. Remove corn kernels from cob and cream from cob as well (demonstrated above).  Chop potato.  Set aside all ingredients for when they are needed.

Render bacon fat, reserve fat in soup pot.  Set aside bacon to drain on paper towel.  Sautee shallots and bell pepper in the bacon fat over low heat for about 5-6 minutes until tender.  Add in flour.  Cook flour for a minute or so, stirring.  Add in corn. Stir. Add in corn cooking liquid. Stir. Bring to a simmer.  Add in lobster, potato and lobster legs. Stir.  Pour in light cream. Stir.  Add in white pepper.  Add in salt and black pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

(If you would like to make this recipe gluten-free, swap out all purpose flour with corn starch)