Clawing Out Every Detail with American Lobsters!
Lobsters from the Northeast/Midwest of USA are delicious, this we know. Here are some other facts we should know about the species. The first: Northeast/Midwest lobsters are one of the biggest exports of the USA. Secondly, they're a cold water lobster, which makes their flesh have a clean, firmer, and sweeter bite from other lobsters, Thirdly, they're a great favourite amongst chefs and diners all around the world, especially in Singapore. This issue, we ask chefs to work with lobsters from Northeast/Midwest of the USA Specifically Maine lobster) and create recipes courtesy of American Seafood and Evergreen Seafood Supplier.
Hilton Singapore
It's a bright sunny morning at Allspice Institute when Chef Shannon Batten, Executive Chef at Hilton Singapore, is demonstrating how to prepare a live lobster for cooking. With a sharp knife, steady hands and no fear, he drives the sharp end of the knife into the lobster's head, bringing it straight down and cutting it into two. He takes the knife out again and with the same determination, drives the knife lengthwise down the body of the lobster. It takes time, but the result is a good clean cut down the hard, furled shell of the creature that houses the lobster flesh. And Chef Batten is planning to use this to create his dish: a pesto rosso mix that will be spread on the exposed flesh and put in the oven for baking. This pesto rosso mix which involves a mix of macadamia and cashew nuts, smoked sweet paprika, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted bell peppers and cream cheese, is a mix of creaminess, citric smokiness and crunch that goes well on the finalised product.
"I am using this cooking method to get the best flavours from the pesto rosso by forming a light crust over the split shell lobster, while holding in all the moisture and keep the lobster meat tender," explains Chef Batten. The pesto rosso paste seals in the juices and add flavour to the lobster while not allowing the oven to dry out the lobster meat." And it does - the firm, clean bite of lobster meat, the sweetness and citric acidity of the tomatoes and the paprika, boosted by the creaminess of the cream cheese and the texture of the blended nuts. All these elements came together to create a dish that many will enjoy.
To him, one of the few challenges that may plague any chef looking to make lobster is not knowing when a lobster is cooked. “Making sure that you do not overcook the lobster is important, otherwise the meat becomes too tough to eat,” Chef Batten cautions, citing the easiest way to know is to stick a thermometer in the tail to look for a temperature between 50 and 55*C. Any higher and it would ruin the texture and meat of the American lobster that you would get. It helps that the American lobster used for the segment is a great quality one, as any lobster from that area of the USA would be. In Chef Batten’s words? “Great quality American lobster, alive and energetic with a firm texture. The lobster is fresh smelling and has a good colour with firm limbs and long antennas. It’s the perfect lobster for today’s dish!”
