Native lobsters from the South West coastline are in my view as good as those from Scotland or anywhere else. Now that the summer is here, local fishermen from Newlyn, Brixham, Exmouth and other ports will go out in their day boats to pot the lobsters. If the weather is good, they are still fairly plentiful so the prices drop considerably.
This dish of fricassée of lobster was one of the first dishes on the menu at Gidleigh Park when I arrived there back in 1994. In fact I remember cooking it for the Hendersons for my cook off, which led to me getting the job! The blend of spices in the sauce also made it the talk of the town when I cooked it at the Singapore World Gourmet Summit back in 1999.
So I guess it's become a bit of a Michael Caines signature dish and like so many great dishes, it is simple and timeless, proving that food trends may come and go, but great combinations and brilliant fresh tastes last forever.
Serves 4
Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees C
Ingredients
4 x 500g live lobsters
Lobster bisque (see below)
12 x baby carrots
12 x baby fennel
12 x asparagus tips
Spring cabbage
50g broad beans
50g peas
Chopped fresh tarragon
Olive oil
Picked tarragon, chervil and chives to garnish
Preparation of lobsters
1 Kill the lobsters by pressing a sharp knife into the lobsters' heads about an inch or an inch and a half from between the eyes towards the tail. Press down until the blade goes all the way through to the cutting board and draw the knife towards the eyes.
2 Now remove the tails and claws. Blanch the tails in boiling water for 30 seconds only, and then place into iced water.
3 Bring the hot water back up to the boil and then add the lobster claws, bring to the boil again and cook for 3 minutes. Place in the iced water. Peel the lobster tail to remove the tail meat and crack the claws to remove the claw meat, keeping the claws as whole as possible. Place the lobster meat on to a tray for later use.
Lobster bisque
1kg lobster carcasses
500 ml extra virgin olive oil
50ml Cognac
100g carrots, finely chopped
100g onion, finely chopped
100g fennel, finely chopped
1/2 clove garlic, chopped
5g whole white peppercorns
5g coriander seeds, crushed
5g cumin seeds, crushed
5g cardamom seeds, crushed
1 star anise, crushed
1 bay leaf
5 sprigs thyme
250g plum tomatoes, chopped
200ml water
30g tomato purée
5g salt
100g unsalted butter
A little lemon juice
Method
4 Place a roasting tray in an oven pre-heated to 200 degrees C. Heat 400ml of the olive oil and then add the lobster carcasses, roast for 30 minutes (do not let burn) and then remove from the heat. Deglaze with the Cognac.
5 Separately in a stainless steel pan, sweat the carrots, onions, fennel and garlic in the remaining 100ml of olive oil for 10 minutes without colouring. Add the spices and herbs and sweat for a further 5 minutes. Now add the tomato purée, fresh tomatoes and water, cook out for a further 10 minutes.
6 Add the roasted lobster carcasses and the juices. Add water to below the top of the carcasses and bring to the boil. Simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Pass through a colander and leave to drain well, then pass through a fine sieve. Taste and adjust seasoning.
To finish
7 Heat 200ml of lobster bisque and 100g of unsalted butter and using a hand blender blend until frothy. Season with salt, pepper and a drop of lemon juice.
To serve
8 Cook the vegetables in boiling salted water, or in a steamer. Peel the broad beans to remove the bitter skins.
9 Using 2 non-stick frying pans (one for the tail and the other for the claws), heat some olive oil and carefully add the lobster. Place in the pre-heated oven for 2 minutes, then turn over and add some chopped tarragon and continue to cook for a further 2 minutes.
10 Re-heat the vegetables in a steamer.
11 Slice the lobster tail into 6 pieces and dress around the bowl or plate, place the claw meat into the middle and then scatter the vegetables around.
12 Heat and froth the sauce and spoon around the dish. Drizzle some of the cooking oil around and sprinkle the picked herbs over the dish to finish.
Enjoy!
