Lobster Stew
By Charlie Burke
www.TheHeartofNewEngland.com
“Lobster stew” is, essentially, a chowder similar in most ways to fish or clam chowder. Some recipes from the past called for cooking the already cooked lobster in the pot for prolonged times, certainly more than is needed. Perhaps this and the fact that potato and salt pork are omitted in lobster stew but included in nearly all of the other chowder recipes account for the differing names. Many lobster stews are truly elemental, containing only milk, cream, butter, lobster stock and lobster, and I think some of the finest I’ve tasted were made this way.
I usually use a small amount of shallots to sauté in the butter before the lobster is added, but find potato detracts from the lobster in this traditional preparation. The best stews contain heavy cream and milk, in varying proportions depending on the cook’s or guests’ tolerance of cholesterol. Usually, if I’m serving only a cup as a starter, I’ll use more cream, decreasing it if the dish is the main course.
I do not use smoke house bacon with classic lobster stew, but I do in one of my other favorite lobster preparations, lobster and corn chowder, which uses all of Maine’s late summer treasures: lobster, heirloom tomatoes, new potatoes, smoked bacon and basil. (http://www.theheartofnewengland.com/foodLobsterCornChowder.html).
Try it later this summer for a special meal, but this preparation is easy and is a great way to use any lobster left over from steamed or boiled lobster – or a good reason to buy extra.
As is the case with other chowders, lobster stew improves if it sets for at least thirty minutes to permit its flavors to blend. I’ve found that folks who have been brought up eating lobster appreciate the flavor of the tomalley, and I’ll frequently puree it with a small amount of melted butter and whisk it into the stew. If I’m serving guests who do not eat the tomalley when having boiled lobster, then it is omitted.
In this recipe, the option of serving it with tomalley croutons is offered, and they add an extra taste of the sea to the stew.
Two servings:
Approximately 2 cups chopped lobster meat, preferably slightly undercooked
2 ½ tablespoons butter, plus extra if making croutons
1 ½ teaspoons chopped shallot
1 teaspoon tomato paste
Lobster tomalley, pureed with melted butter, optional
2 cups lobster stock (lobster shells, barely covered with water, boiled for 30 minutes with 1 carrot, 1 onion and a stalk of celery, pepper corns and a bay leaf and then strained)
2 cups heavy cream/milk mixture
2 slices day old bread in ½ inch cubes (approximately 1 cup), optional
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Chopped chive, parsley or chervil for garnish, optional
Melt butter over medium heat in a heavy 2-3 quart pot. Add shallots and cook until soft; do not brown. Add lobster meat, turn heat to low, and cook until warmed and coated with butter. Remove lobster meat and set aside.
Add lobster stock and raise heat to medium. When stock is heated, stir in tomato paste and tomalley, if using, (reserve 1-2 tablespoons if making tomalley croutons). Add milk and cream and warm over low heat. Add lobster and cook over low heat for five minutes; do not let liquid boil. Remove from heat, add salt and pepper to taste and let set for at least 30 minutes. The stew can be cooled to room temperature, covered and refrigerated overnight.
To make croutons, melt sufficient butter to film a sauté pan over low heat. Add bread cubes and toss to coat and continue to cook until crisped and slightly colored. Whisk tomalley with a small amount of melted butter and pour over croutons, stirring to mix. Turn heat to medium-high until croutons are dry.
Reheat the stew over low heat. Remove lobster with a slotted spoon and divide into bowls. Pour broth around lobster and garnish with croutons and herbs, if using and serve immediately.
Try this New England classic first with the traditional ingredients, deciding which proportions of milk and cream you prefer. Variations of the basic recipe include deglazing the butter/shallot mixture with sherry before adding the stock, adding chopped best quality heirloom tomatoes when in season, and adding fresh chervil, basil or tarragon which share an anise-like flavor compatible with lobster. I enjoy tomalley, so the croutons are my addition, but traditionally, New Englanders serve oyster crackers or Westminster crackers with their stew.