Pan Roasted Lobster

If you are trying out Jasper White’s Summer Shack the premier dish on the menu is Jasper’s Pan Roasted Lobster. The flavor of shallots and chervil in the sauce is amazing. So amazing we found his recipe and have done this at home quite a few times. Some things we have learned: This recipe is two lobsters and for two people. If you make it for four you really need to do the whole process twice. Doable but some work.

Some items you need: Shallots, chervil, chives and we use Wild Turkey Whiskey for the flaming part. This is what it looks like right after we have poured the Wild Turkey in and lit it.

The one last part that makes the dish. You need two girl lobsters from Gloucester. One girl, one boy is OK but part of the killer sauce is the eggs and the tomalley mixed together.

OK, here is the recipe from the New York Times adaption. It may seem like a lot of work going from the range burner to the oven and back and forth but it is so worth it. And make sure you find chervil, chives and shallots. You can use any bourbon but Wild Turkey can be sipped while you make this dish.

One last tip: make sure you have two oven mitts for getting this in and out of the oven. That pan gets hot. One can also use the broiler element and slide the pan just under the broiler instead of in the hot oven.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 live 1 1/2- to 2-pound lobsters
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 2 shallots, minced
• 1/4 cup bourbon
• 2 to 3 tablespoons dry white wine
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and chilled
• 1 tablespoon chervil, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon chives, finely chopped
• Kosher or sea salt to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

PREPARATION

1.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Place a lobster on a cutting board, facing you. Place the front tip of the knife or cleaver in the center of the lobster, near where the carcass meets the tail. In one forceful, swift motion, split the front half of the lobster, which will kill the lobster instantly. Turn the lobster around, and repeat this motion, splitting the tail and the lobster in half.

2.

Pull the head sac out of both halves. Use fingers or surgical tweezers to remove the intestines. Using a knife, cleaver or shears, remove the claws and knuckles by cutting the thin section where the knuckle meets the carcass. With the back side of the knife or cleaver, tap the claws until the shell cracks.

3.

In one swift, forceful motion, cut the head away from the tail on both sides of the lobster, quartering it.

4.

Place the lobster tomalley and roe, if there is any, in a small bowl. Using a fork, break the mass into tiny pieces, cover and refrigerate.

5.

Place a heavy 12-inch saute pan over the highest heat possible, and heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Add the oil, and heat until it forms a film over the bottom of the pan. Slide the lobster, shell side down, into the hot oil. Using tongs, move the pieces and flatten them to sear all the shells evenly. The claws need be seared on only one side.

6.

Add the tomalley and roe; stir, and place in the oven for 3 minutes. Remove, return to high heat on the stove and add the shallots and stir. Remove the pan from the heat, and add the bourbon; return to the heat, where the bourbon will probably ignite. Cook until the flames die down, and then add the wine and cook until all the liquid in the pan is almost dry. Reduce the heat to low.

7.

Quickly remove the lobster, and place, shell side down, on warm plates. Return pan to low heat, add butter, chervil and chives and stir until the mixture resembles a creamy sauce, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper to taste, spoon sauce over lobster and serve.