Muncaster lobster, seashore herbs, Pink Fir, cockles and radish

North West Young Chef of the Year

North West Young Chef of the Year

Standard Supplier 9th June 2011
North West Young Chef of the Year

Muncaster lobster, seashore herbs, Pink Fir, cockles and radish

Stunning, fresh starter cooked by 2011 North West Young chef of the Year Andrew Postlethwaite. The American, or Maine lobster, thought to be the biggest and best of its kind, along with the smaller European lobster are the two most popular varieties amongst the species that are used in recipes. Take your cooking to the next level with the following Muncaster lobster, seashore herbs, Pink Fir, cockles and radish recipe.

Ingredients

  • 1 live 350g-400g Muncaster lobster
  • Seashore Herbs
  • Mixture of sea herbs such as sea aster,
  • spinach, purslane and samphire
  • 10g butter
  • Pink Fir
  • 6 Pink Fir potatoes
  • 20g butter
  • Lobster Mayonnaise
  • 2 yolks
  • 5g white wine vinegar
  • 5g English mustard
  • 150g rapeseed oil
  • Cockles
  • 250g Morcambe Bay cockles
  • 25g white wine
  • 25g crab apple juice
  • 50g fish stock
  • 1 shallot
  • 4 chive stalks
  • 100g butter
  • 2 radishes
  • 20g chives

Method

Lobster. Bring a large pan of heavily salted water to the boil (2 tbsp of salt for every 2 litres of water). Kill the lobster by first placing it in the freezer for half an hour, then piercing the tip of a sharp knife on the 'cross' on top of the lobsters head. Push the knife straight through to the board.
Place in the boiling water and boil for 10-12 minutes until bright red. Refresh in iced water.
Crack the tail and peel the shell away with your hands, being careful to keep the meat in 1 piece. Remove the black vein that runs all the way down the tail and slice into 6 slices.
Very carefully crack the shells of the claws and knuckles to remove in the pieces of meat in one piece. Remove any cartilage. Set the tail, claw and knuckle meat aside.
Keep all the shells to make oil.
Seashore Herbs
Wash the seashore herbs in iced water and dry.
Pink Fir Potatoes
Peel and cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until al dente then refresh. Slice the potatoes into small discs.
Lobster Mayonnaise
Roast all the shells in a hot oven for 10 minutes with the oil. Crush the shells and leave on a very low heat to make lobster oil. After about 30 minutes strain the oil and chill.
In a bowl whisk together the yolks, white wine vinegar and mustard. Start to drizzle in the chilled lobster oil slowly to emulsify the yolks. Keep adding the oil slowly whilst continuously whisking until all the lobster oil is add. Taste for seasoning, then put into a bottle.
Cockles
Clean and wash cockles to remove all sand. In a very hot pan throw in the cockles, white wine, fish stock, crab apple juice, chopped shallot and chive stalks. Cover with a lid, turn the heat down and cook for 2 minutes until just opened. Strain the juice through muslin and reduce until there in 125g remaining. Pick the cockle meat from the shells and set aside. Heat the pan of cockle juice and whisk in the 100g of cold diced butter to form an emulsion to reheat the lobster and cockles.
Radish
Wash and dry the radishes. Slice very thinly on a mandolin.
Chop the chives very finely.
To serve
Heat the cockle emulsion to about 60°C and add the lobster to reheat. Add the cockles to reheat for 2 minutes.
Heat a non stick frying pan with a little butter. When foaming add the sliced potatoes and season. Turn half way then drain.
In another pan sauté the seashore herbs in the butter and drain.
Arrange the potatoes, seashore herbs, cockles and dots of lobster mayonnaise on two plates.
Place 3 slices of lobster tail, 1 claw and 1 piece of knuckle meat on each plate. Finish with slices of raw radishes, chopped chives and cockle emulsion.

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