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This recipe brings together all the continents: the marine flavour of the lobster fished on our Breton coasts, and chutney, the condiments invented by the English when they discovered tropical fruits and spices in India, which they have since been unable to do without.
It's very easy to prepare.
You can just as easily use exotic fruits, such as mango, as pear or apple.
Everything depends on the balance between sweet, salty and spicy.
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 lobsters weighing 600 g (1lb, 6 oz) each - 30 g salted butter (1 oz) - The juice of four limes - 1/2 jar anchovies - 15 ml sate (sate and chilli are available from Asian grocers) - 15 ml coriander seeds (1 tbsp) - 1 onion - 1 clove - 1/2 cm vanilla (1/4 inch) - 1 cm cinnamon (1/2 inch) - Velvet swimming crabs to prepare a fish stock* - Strong mint - 30 ml mace (2 tbsp) - A touch of mini-chilli - 2 dl chicken stock (3/4 cup) - 2 cl of Marie Galante's rum (4 tsp) - Chutney: 1/2 red pepper, 1/3 pineapple, 1 pear, 1 Granny Smith apple, 15 ml currants (1 tbsp), 30 g fresh ginger (1 oz), 5 cumin seeds, 30 ml rice vinegar (2 tbsp), 30 ml brown sugar (2 tbsp)
Fairly easy. To be prepared in several stages. Quite quick to make.
Basic preparation
Velvet swimming crab stock : Live velvet swimming crabs, 1 small leek, 5 cl oil (1/4 cup), 1 carrot, 1 dl chicken stock (1/2 cup), 1/2 garlic clove, 1 shallot. Wash carrot and leek, chop them and the shallot. Heat the velvet swimming crabs in oil. They should be well seared to turn red. They are said to "cardinalise." Then, with a strong wooden spatula, and still on high heat, break them up. Add the carrot, shallot and garlic; heat the mixture. When the vegetables are translucid wet them with the chicken stock, then add water to cover. Simmer for 1 hour, adding water when necessary. Strain through a fine strainer or cheesecloth to obtain a clear and very flavourful crab bouillon. Set aside in a cool place.
For the chutney (can be prepared several days in advance): take 1/2 red pepper and cut it into small 3 mm (1/8 inch) dice. Peel the pear, the apple and the pineapple. Cut these into 5mm (1/5 inch) dice. Peel the ginger and chop it very finely.
Bring the rice vinegar to a boil with the brown sugar. Add the diced red pepper and fruit, chopped ginger, currants and cumin.
Cook at a rapid boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat. In a sealed jar, this chutney will keep for several days in the refrigerator.
Prepare the spice mix by grinding together the spices in the ingredients list.
Prepare the infusion which will be used to cook the lobster:
Squeeze the four limes.
Coarsely chop the onion and cook it in butter until pale golden.
Add the chopped anchovies and 15 ml (1 tbsp) spice mix.
Deglaze with the lime juice.
Add the velvet swimming crab stock and the chicken bouillon.
Add 1/4 cup chutney and the remaining liquid from the chutney.
Simmer for 30 minutes over very low heat.
Allow the mixture to cool then strain through a fine strainer, pressing to extract the juice. Set aside.
Meanwhile, separate the heads from the tails of the live lobster.
Cut the heads in half, remove the sand pockets, break up the heads and heat them quickly in butter in a large saucepan.
Cover with the spice infusion and simmer for 20 minutes.
At the end, add the sliced mint to the bouillon.
Strain through a fine strainer, pressing to extract all the juice.
Last minute
Bring the spiced lobster bouillon to room temperature.
Cut each lobster tail into three medallions.
Heat these in a nonstick pan, add a knob of salted butter and sear both sides of the medallions.
They should colour lightly and give off that appetising aroma of seared lobster. Take them off the heat.
Deglaze with the rum and a little water.
Pour into the saucepan containing the spice bouillon.
Serve the lobster and bouillon in a tureen, with the chutney on the side.
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© Olivier Roellinger - Maisons de
Bricourt. |
