Make it at home
Ingredients
- 1 live European lobster, 800g to 1kg
- 5L water
- 200g coarse sea salt
- 1 large bunch dill
- 1 small bunch fresh tarragon
- 1 lemon, halved
- 100g unsalted butter
- 2 shallots, finely diced
- 100ml dry white wine
- 100ml fish stock
- 100ml double cream
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- Sea salt, white pepper, lemon juice to finish
Method
- Chill the live lobster in the freezer for 30 minutes to dull it.
- Bring a deep pot of water with salt and half the dill to a rolling boil.
- Plunge the lobster in headfirst. Cook 7 minutes for an 800g specimen, 9 minutes for a 1kg.
- Lift into iced water for 2 minutes to halt the cooking.
- Split lengthwise with a heavy knife. Remove the head sac. Crack claws with the back of a heavy knife.
- Soften shallots in 30g butter 4 minutes. Add wine, reduce by half. Add fish stock, reduce by half.
- Whisk in cream and remaining butter, then mustard, tarragon, and a squeeze of lemon. Season.
- Arrange the lobster halves cut-side up on a warm platter. Spoon sauce into the head cavities and across the tail. Serve with new potatoes and the second lemon half.
Tip from the editors. European lobster needs less cooking than American (Maine) lobster; an 800g West Coast lobster is fully cooked in 7 minutes, where the American Maine cousin at the same weight needs 9.
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Where to eat west coast lobster (hummerpremiar)
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