Ballymaloe Hot Buttered Lobster
4 lbs (1.8 kg) live lobster
Court Bouillon
1 carrot
1 onion
1 pint (600 ml/2� cups) water
4 ozs (110 g/1stick) butter
1 pint (600 ml/2� cups) dry white wine
Bouquet garni
Squeeze of lemon juice
Garnish
Lemon segments
Sprigs of watercress, flat parsley or fennel
One of the most exquisite ways to eat fresh lobster, but for perfection
the lobster must come straight from the sea.
Serves 4 as a main course
Cook the lobsters steaming them until they are just beginning to change
colour and are speckled with red.
As soon as they are cool enough to handle split them in half and extract
all the meat from the body, tail and large and small claws. Scrape out
all the soft, greenish tomalley (liver) from the part of the shell
nearest the head and put it with the firmer meat into a warm bowl
wrapped in a tea towel.
Heat the lobster shells. Cut the meat into chunks, melt half the butter
and when it is foaming toss the meat and tomally in it until the meat is
cooked through and the juices turn pink.
Spoon the meat into the hot shells. Put the remaining butter into the
pan, heat and scrape up any bits. Add a squeeze of lemon juice. Pour the
buttery juices into small heated ramekins and serve beside the lobster
on hot plates. Garnish with sprigs of watercress, flat parsley or
fennel, and lemon segments. Hot buttered lobster should be eaten
immediately. |