How To Make Seared Lobster, The Kristen Kish Way
Chef Kristen Kish has won the hearts and palates of America, whether leading the kitchen in Boston or battling it out on Top Chef. Her unique style of cooking and relationship with innovative flavors has earned her accolades of all kinds, and her new cookbook is a testament to a hard-earned career. Learn how to make her seared lobster and you may never go back to simple drawn butter again.
This was one of my favorite dishes on my tasting menu at Menton. The sauce came to me first, as a way to use the trimmed ends of foie gras once the lobes were portioned for the seared foie gras course. The pickled radish was next, to add some balance to the rich sauce. Perhaps surprisingly, the lobster came last, but you'd never know it from the way it goes so well.
Note: If you don't have a vacuum sealer to compress the radishes, you can simply marinate the radish slices in the vinegar, water, sugar and thyme.
How To Make Seared Lobster, The Kristen Kish Way
Prep Time
45
minutes
Cook Time
2.5
hours
Servings
4
Total time: 3 hours, 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 quart lobster stock
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons foie gras trimmings (ask your butcher for a 2-ounce portion or any trimmings they might have on hand)
- kosher salt
- sherry vinegar
- 2 red radishes
- 3 tablespoons white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons water
- Pinch sugar
- 2 fresh thyme sprigs
- grapeseed or other neutral oil
- 8 baby white turnips
- 1/4 cup vegetable stock
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 (1-pound) live lobsters
- kosher salt
- grapeseed or other neutral oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 10 to 15 pea tendrils
- 2 to 4 lobster bodies (including heads and legs)
- grapeseed or other neutral oil
- 1 large yellow onion
- 2 stalks celery
- 1 fennel bulb
- 5 fresh thyme sprigs
- 5 fresh flat-leaf or curly parsley sprigs
- 5 fresh tarragon sprigs
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 plum tomato
Directions
- :::stock:::
- Prepare the lobster bodies by removing the top shell (carapace) and pinching out the little feathery gills. The shell has no flavor, and the gills make the stock muddy. Split the remaining lobster flesh and legs in half lengthwise. Pat dry with a paper towel. Into a medium Dutch oven over high heat, pour just enough grapeseed oil to coat the bottom. Heat to the smoking point, then add the lobster bodies to the pot in one layer. Let them brown before flipping them, 3 to 5 minutes. Brown the other side, an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the lobster bodies to a bowl.
- Reduce the heat under the pot to medium-high, add a bit more oil, if necessary, and sauté the onion, celery, and fennel. Once the edges of the vegetables begin to brown, after 8 to 10 minutes, stir and caramelize for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Add the herbs and the tomato paste, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. This helps cook out any metallic flavor in the paste and sweetens it a bit. Deglaze with the white wine and cook until the liquid has evaporated (au sec), 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the lobster bodies, any additional liquid that drained into the bowl, and the tomato to the sautéed vegetables. Fill the pot with enough water to cover the lobster. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low to achieve a light simmer.
- Cook, uncovered, periodically skimming the surface of foam and any impurities, until all the flavors have had time to meld together, 40 to 45 minutes. Taste it; if you get the intensity of the ingredients, then you are good to go.
- Strain the lobster stock through a fine-mesh sieve. Use immediately, or let cool, cover, and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze in 1-cup portions for up to 3 weeks.
- :::sauce:::
- Pour the lobster stock into a small saucepan and reduce it over medium-high heat, skimming it of foam and any impurities as it reduces, until it coats the back of a spoon. You should have about 1 cup of reduced stock.
- Using a small food processor, make the foie gras butter by puréeing the butter with the foie gras until fully incorporated. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap or scoop into an airtight container and refrigerate until firm, or for up to 1 day.
- Reduce the heat under the saucepan to medium. Cut the cold foie gras butter into pieces and then whisk it into the stock. Season with salt and sherry vinegar to taste. Cover and remove from the heat.
- :::radishes:::
- Put the radish slices in a vacuum sealer with the vinegar, water, sugar, and thyme. Seal the bag airtight and refrigerate for 1 hour. Remove the radishes from the liquid, pat dry, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- :::turnips:::
- Into a small sauté pan over medium-high heat, pour just enough grapeseed oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Sear the turned turnips until lightly golden brown, about 2 minutes. Turn over the turnips and add the vegetable stock and butter. You want the liquid to reduce, glazing the turnips. Swirl the pan over the heat to keep the turnips moving, thereby basting them as the liquid reduces, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and keep warm.
- :::lobster:::
- Season the parcooked lobster pieces with salt. In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, pour in just enough grapeseed oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Sear the lobster tails on their rounded side for 2 to 3 minutes, then turn the pieces over. Add the butter, let it melt and, using a spoon, baste the lobster with the butter for 1 to 2 minutes. Repeat with the claws and knuckles, which will take about half as much time to cook.
- On large round plates, spoon the foie gras sauce in a small circle in the center. Put the lobster on top of the sauce; I like to portion the lobster tails in half, serving a piece of the tail alongside a knuckle and a piece of claw. Arrange the turnips around the lobster and sauce. Lean 3 pickled radish slices in different places around each plate. Finish with 2 or 3 pea tendrils per person.