Lobster, carrot and lemongrass

Adam Handling

Adam Handling

17th February 2020
Adam Handling

Lobster, carrot and lemongrass

720 min

Serves 4 people

Ingredients

FOR THE LOBSTER

  • 4 lobsters
  • 250 grams Wagyu fat
  • 50 grams kimchi puree

FOR THE CARROT PUREE

  • 400 grams carrots
  • 400 grams carrot juice
  • 4 grams jerk spice seasoning
  • 7 grams of salt
  • 110ml olive oil

FOR THE LEMONGRASS SAUCE

  • 5 shallots
  • 100ml olive oil
  • 30 grams ginger
  • 1 bunch lemongrass
  • 10 lime leaves
  • 200 grams Noilly Prat
  • 500ml cream
  • 1/2 litre white chicken stock
  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 3 sprigs of lemon thyme
  • 50 grams Anzu
  • 8 grams of salt

FOR THE GREEN OIL

  • 200 grams leek top trims
  • 200 grams spring onions
  • 2 bunches chives
  • 300ml vegetable oil

TO SERVE/GARNISH

  • 2 whole pak choi
  • 50 grams Sea purslane
  • 10 grams picked dill
  • 10 grams purslane flowers
  • Green oil (as above) to garnish

Method

Lobster

● Blanch lobster in boiling hot water for 4 minutes
● Chill in ice cold water and remove from the shell
● Prepare the lobster by removing the intestinal tract and cartilage from the claw
● Put the prepared lobster into the fridge until it reaches 4 degree
● Warm the wagyu fat to 25 degrees, whilst whisking continuously
● Add pureed kimchi to the wagyu fat
● Dip the chilled lobster in wagyu fat and kimchi mixture and leave to cure in the fridge for 24 hours
● When ready to serve, cook for 4 minutes in the oven at 180 degrees, then finish on a robata grill (or small barbecue)
● Brush with more of the wagyu fat and kimchi mix N.B. Do not season, as the kimchi gives the lobster seasoning

Carrot puree

● Thinly slice all the carrots and pour the carrot juice over them
● Add the jerk seasoning
● Cook fast and until tender
● Drain off, add salt and blend
● When smooth, continue blending while slowly adding the olive oil to emulsify the carrots

Lemongrass Sauce

● Put olive oil into a heavy-based pan and heat on a medium heat
● Add the shallots, garlic, thyme and ginger and cook until translucent
● Turn the heat to full temperature
● Add Noilly Prat, reduce the liquid by ½
● Pour in chicken stock, reduce this by ⅓
● Add cream and bring to the boil
● Thinly slice the lemongrass
● Remove from the heat and infuse the lemongrass and lime leaves for 20 minutes
● Pass the sauce through a sieve
● Add Anzu and salt
● Reduce the sauce down by ¼, on a high heat

Green oil (for garnish only)

● Use a blender, with heat settings, to blitz the greens (leeks, spring onions, chives) and vegetable oil at 85 degrees for 3 minutes
● Strain through muslin cloth and chill for 6 hours in the fridge
● When chilled and all passed through the cloth, slowly remove the oil, leaving the water (from the vegetables) aside

Garnish

● Prep the pak choi by removing the large outer leaves
● Blanche the outer leaves in boiling, salted water for 30 seconds
● Add leaves to ice water
● Repeat this process for the centre of the pak choi and blanch for 1 minute (as it’s tougher than the outer leaves)
● Dress the pak choi with some of the reduced lemongrass sauce, green oil and salt

Serve

• Warm the carrot puree on a low heat
• Dress the plate with the carrot puree
• Remove lobster from the BBQ
• Slice lobster into 3 even pieces
• Place the whole lobster claws and pieces onto the plate
• Naturally place the pak choi, sea purslane, flowers
• Naturally place the pak choi, sea purslane, flowers and dill on top of the lobster
• Dress the dish with green oil
• Blend the lemongrass sauce, using a hand blender, to aerate, and spoon over the dish

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