- Yield: 4 servings
Butter-Poached Lobster Tail with Citrus Tarragon Vinaigrette, Frisee and Kataifi Crouton
Recipe courtesy of William McDonough, Executive Chef, Kennett Square Golf & Country Club (Kennett Square, Pa.)
Ingredients
- Ingredients for the Lobster Tails:
- lobster tails - 4 ea., 5-6 oz.
- court bouillon - 1 gal.
- unsalted butter - 1 lb.
- Ingredients for the Court Bouillon:
- water - 1 gal.
- kosher salt - 1/4 cup
- white wine - 1 cup
- yellow onion - 1 ea., medium, rough chop
- celery - 2 stalks, rough chop
- bay leaves - 2 ea.
- thyme - 2 sprigs, fresh
- italian parsley - 1/2 bunch
- whole black peppercorns - 1 tsp.
- lemons - 2 ea., cut in half
- Ingredients for the Citrus Tarragon Vinaigrette:
- shallots - 3 Tbsps., chopped
- Dijon mustard - 2 Tbsps.
- honey - 2 Tbsps.
- lime juice - 1/4 cup
- orange juice - 1/4 cup
- tarragon - 1/2 cup, fresh
- extra virgin olive oil - 1 1/4 cup
- Ingredients for the Frisee:
- frisee - 1 head
- Ingredients for the Kataifi Crouton:
- kataifi - about 8 oz.
- clarified butter - 4 tsps.
- blackened seasoning - 1 tsp.
Instructions
- Carefully insert a skewer through the lobster tails so that they won’t curl up during the cooking process.
- Bring the court bouillon up to a rolling boil and carefully place the lobster tails in the liquid. You only want to poach the lobster tails for about 1 ½ ro 2 minutes, just long enough for the meat to come away from the shell.
- After about 2 minutes, pull out the lobster tails and put them into an ice bath. Let the lobster tails stay in the ice bath until they are cold.
- Once completely cold, take kitchen shears and carefully cut the shell without cutting through the meat.
- Once you have cut the through the shell, carefully remove the lobster tail in one whole piece.
- Clean the tail by cutting through just enough to be able to get to the digestive tract and be able to clean it out.
- Once the lobster tails have been cleaned, set aside on dry paper towels to absorb any excess water.
Procedure for the Vinaigrette:
- In a blender, add all the ingredients except the olive oil.
- Slowly start the blender in order to help get the ingredients going.
- Slowly add the oil until the vinaigrette has emulsified.
- Turn the blender up to high and blend until smooth. season with kosher salt and white pepper. if needed, add a little granulated sugar to balance everything out.
- Place in a squeeze bottle and keep cold until needed.
Procedure for the Kataifi Croutons:
- Divide the kataifi into four equal parts.
- Roll a portion of the pastry onto itself in order to make a small braid.
- Continue with the rest of the pastry.
- Lay the rolled up pastry on a half sheet tray.
- Add a little clarified butter to the pastry; and then sprinkle them with blackened seasoning.
- Bake the pastry in a preheated 325°F oven until golden-brown.
- Once cooked, let cool. Place in a safe container so they will not get broken.
Procedure for the Frisee:
- Remove the top of the head of the frisee; you only want the light green of the head.
- Clean the frisee in cold water in order to remove any sand, dirt, etc.
- Once cleaned, place the frisee on paper towels to dry, and place in a cooler so that it may refresh itself.
Procedure for Plating:
- Take the butter and slowly melt it in a shallow saute pan or other appropriate vessel. Place the skewered lobster tails into the butter and poach them until done (140°F).
- Divide the frisee into four separate bundles and lay it out on the plate of your choosing.
- Squeeze a little of the vinaigrette on the frisee.
- Remove the cooked lobster from the butter, remove the skewer, and slice into three equal pieces.
- Place the whole sliced lobster tail on top of the frisse, along with a teaspoon of the melted butter.
- Place the katifi 'crouton' alongside the lobster tail.
- Drizzle the plate with more of the citrus tarragon vinaigrette.
- Serve while the lobster tail is still warm.
