They say it's what's on the inside that counts. I'm not so sure with lobster, although that is usually the kind of thing you say to an ugly child. A good, spicy, deep and rich bisque made with the ground shell and claws gets me more excited than the sweet flesh inside. And it's quite often the best thing to do with the cheaper and less wonderful ones that you may get from your backstreet fishmonger or supermarket freezer. The kind where the meat tastes and feels like it's just been ten rounds with Frank Bruno.I used one lobster to make this, but I often will have a bag of prawn carcasses in the freezer for such an occasion. Not this time though, as I've recently cleaned out the drawers, unearthing such things as a permafrozen woolly mammoth, a small choc-ice from 1984 and many, many loose peas.It's a good was to use up some of those sad looking celery stalks and the joke shop bendy carrots in the fridge drawer that have seen better days only to be left deflating behind the half lemons and sad lettuce. What nutrients they have left in them can be wrung out, along with the flavour in the lobster carcass and inner bits that remain.It's a really wonderful, powerful soup, absolutely full of flavour. I like mine with a little more of a Cayenne pepper kick than is strictly necessary. It's great with a little tarragon creme fraiche stirred through at the end and even nicer with a fat tortellini stuffed with crab meat and spring onion in the middle.One thing to be careful of when making this, is the claws are really hard work to blitz and you can easily break your blender blade, especially if you're using a stick blender, so after cooking it, try and smash them up a bit with the back of a knife into easier chunks and take your time. It's worth it.Ingredients 1 lobster shell, claws and inside bits after you've used the claw and tail meat1/2 fennel bulb, choppedA knob of ginger, chopped1 shallot, chopped1 carrot, chopped1 celery stick, chopped2tsp smoked paprikaA handful of uncooked basmati rice1tbsp ground cumin1tbsp ground coriander1 bay leaf1/2tsp ground cloves2tsp Cayenne pepper1tsp ground turmeric2tsp Swiss bouillon powderTarragon vinegar or white wine to deglaze the panA few tablespoons of double creamOlive oilSalt to seasonMethodHeat some olive oil in a deep, heavy-based pan and add the shell and vegetables. Stir well, roasting for a few minutes until things start to colour and stick a little.Deglaze the pan with the vinegar.Add the remaining ingredients, season and stir well. Cook for one minute.Cover all the ingredients with water and bring to the boil for ten minutes.Put the lid on, turn down the heat and simmer for 45 minutes-1 hourCarefully blitz until as smooth as possible, although I like mine with a little grittiness to it. I use a stick blender for this, but it's a pretty heavy duty one. The standard kitchen ones may not be able to cope. Use a food processor if necessary, and be careful.Strain the mix through a fine sieve and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Stir in the cream, garnish with a few strips of fennel and thyme and serve.
lobster
Don't be so shellfish
I found a lobster in the freezer yesterday. Cooked and frozen solid. I'd forgotten about it, languishing there like an extra in Quincy. I gave it a hot bath, and a little shine up before taking it apart, post-mortem.Not having been able to establish a cause of death, and I know it was dead when it went in under some Vienetta, I'll have to leave an open verdict. Frozen lobster is obviously not a patch on fresh. And I'd far rather some plump tiger prawns anyway, unless I'm sitting on the shore watching the fishermen haul them up from their lobster pots and bring them clattering to the shore while singing sea shanties and talking of the sea as a 'capricious mistress'. Seeing as we live in London, this is not a fantasy I can often indulge in and I'm certainly not going to turn down this treasure from the deep-freeze.One of my favourite things to do with shellfish is keep their shells and bits for bisque. You can freeze them after cooking to do this at a later date, although in this case, I just used the one shell and made the soup straight away. I love the grittiness, the deep spiciness of the soup and it also makes a great sauce for pasta. The recipe is here.I would recommend using fresh lobster where possible, this simple dish really sings and zings so the better quality you can get, the better the end result. To state the obvious.The sweet lobster tail, the delicate claws. The quick pickled apple salad, sharp and crunchy with the aniseed hit of fennel. The warmth and freshness of ginger and the cooling cucumber, mixing among the crisp potato (let's call them chips, for that's what they are) and the punchy garlic aioli dressing that will breathe fear into your neighbours. This is a lunch worthy of any table from the city to the huts in Cadgwith or white sandy beaches in Sri Lanka. And all from the freezer and the fruit bowl.Ingredients for two1 medium lobster per person1 Maris piper potato, finely sliced into matchsticks1 apple, cubed1 small fennel bulb, sliced1/2 a cucumber, deseeded and cubed1 thumb of ginger, peeled and finely chopped50ml cider vinegar1tbsp caster sugar1 large garlic clove, crushed2 egg yolks150ml olive oil1tbsp Dijon mustardA little squeeze of lemon juice or sherry vinegar1tbsp chopped chives2tsp fresh thyme leavesSaltRapeseed oil for fryingMethodMake the aioli by whisking the ingredients (apart from the oil) together and slowly drizzling in the oil as you whisk, until it makes an emulsion. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Cover and set aside.Do what you need to do to the lobster. Cook it and cool it in iced water (probably about 12 minutes cooking depending on size) or defrost it. Carefully remove the tail and claw meat and keep the shell if you're making bisque.Mix the apple, fennel, cucumber and ginger with the vinegar and sugar and let sit for 15 minutes.Meanwhile, heat about four centimetres of oil in a heavy-based saucepan andfry the potato until crisp and golden. Drain on kitchen paper and season well.Serve the salad topped with the lobster and chips, a good dollop of the aioli and a sprinkle of cress and fennel fronds.
Polenta, lobster and squid ink tomatoes
Tinned fish is one of life's simple pleasures, and for me tinned sardines have become a gateway drug to other, more eye-watering products. As well as coming in all kinds of lovely design, they make a healthy and immediate snack or light meal served with some good, dense toast.A tin of scallops in 'Viera sauce' was the inspiration for this dish. That may not sound appetising or even real (no one I know has ever heard of Viera sauce), but not being one to shy away from trying things, I plunged in. It was inky and rich, like a loaded Mills and Boon hero and every mouthful was a delight. As long as you don't imagine for a second it's going to taste anything like a beautiful plump Scottish scallop and possibly don't question too deeply the provenance, this is a tin worth investigating.I wanted to make this at home and turn it into something more substantial and I happened, as you do, to have a couple of frozen, cooked lobster to hand. (If you're not going to eat it fresh, then you can treat it a little more like frozen prawns, and not with the reverence that most people seem to attach to this grumpy bastard of the ocean.)This, with the rich, silky polenta -which I see as a vehicle for holding together melted butter- and the deep iron sweetness of the sauce is an amazingly tasty dish and the liquid smoke adds a great hint of winter cosiness. Just make sure that for the sauce you use good sweet tomatoes like these. It takes little time to make (if you use instant polenta) and is very impressive when you've got people round for dinner. Or for when you eat it standing up at the kitchen bench wondering if it's going to snow. Not bad for a miserable January lunchtime.Ingredients1 small lobster per person300g Datterino tomatoes100g polenta (I used instant polenta with a 5:1 ratio to water)50g butterA large pinch of saffron strands1tbsp liquid smoke500ml water2tbsp squid inkOlive oil2 banana shallots, sliced thinly1 clove of garlic, roughly choppedSalt and pepper1tsp grated nutmegSome lemon thyme leavesMethodCook your lobster if fresh (this should take around 12-15 minutes in boiling water), plunge into cold water then gently take out the meat from the body and claws. Save the shell and innards to freeze for making bisque at a later date. For this I get into trouble. Part of our freezer is like Quincy's lab, except with animal parts.Cook the polenta with some saffron and five parts water. Soak it first for about fifteen minutes then season and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and stir often. When it's cooked (and you may need to add a little more water if it's getting too dry) whisk in the butter and taste to check the seasoning. The whole thing should be smooth, rich and not grainy.Meanwhile, make the sauce by gently sautéing the shallots and garlic in olive oil, then add the tomatoes, nutmeg and balsamic. Simmer gently until the tomatoes break down and lose their rawness, about fifteen minutes. Taste and season.Serve by smoothly dolloping the polenta on a plate, topping with the sauce and lobster and some of the thyme leaves. Finish with good olive oil.
Infused oils: getting more flavour into your meals
Here’s a quick and easy way to add a little more flavour to your cooking. Depending on what you’re making, using infused oils to cook with can make the difference between a good dish and a great one.I like to use this garlic, rosemary, chilli and tomato vine oil to make tomato sauces for pasta, such as arrabiata or beef ragú.IngredientsThe vine stems from four packs of tomatoes1 sprig of rosemary5/6 cloves of garlic2 chillies (serrano are good for this)400ml olive oil100ml rapeseed oilA splash of cider vinegarMethod
- Gently heat the oil and add all the ingredients to the pan.
- Cook on a medium heat for five minutes, until things start to sizzle and change colour.
- Turn the heat off and leave to cool and infuse for 20 minutes.
- Add the vinegar and store in sterilised airtight glass jars or bottles.
Other oilsOils are good to experiment with; here are some other ideas for oils that can add in-depth flavour to your cooking:Curry oil: a mix of cumin, coriander and cardamom seeds with peppercorns, cloves, garlic and ginger powder in a 50/50 mix of olive oil and rapeseed oil.Chilli oil: add chilli flakes, a selection of fresh chillies, some garlic and a dash of vinegar.Lobster oil: roast lobster shells in a little oil, then smash them up and add more oil before storing in a jar.Lemon oil: this one is great for South East Asian cooking. Blend lemon grass, lemon zest and lemon juice with some kaffir lime leaves and, if possible, verbena in a 50/50 mix of olive oil and rapeseed oil.