Lobster stock [Cooking]

2009 Jun 1
We're not heading to Nova Scotia this summer, which is sad.

In order to compensate for that, we've been eating a lot of lobster. Three meals in the last two weeks and counting. While it's not the same as eating it out by the seaside, it's been delicious and we've enjoyed it immensely.

We've also been saving the carcasses to make lobster stock. There is no room in our tiny little freezer: every nook and cranny is stuffed with lobster shell.

But, man, what am I actually going to do with the stock once I make it?

Here are possibilities that I have dreamed up so far:

- A base for lobster bisque or some other soup (booooooring)
- The broth for lobster risotto (or lobster couscous)
- Reduce further and add to mashed potatoes for lobster mash

But I'm looking for something creative, people, and it's Monday afternoon and I'm too sleepy to figure that something out right now.

Any creative suggestions? For example, if I boil pasta in it, will it impart any lobstery flavour? (I'm thinking Lobster Mac and Cheese.)

Help!

2009 Jun 1
The risotto! The risotto!

You could also use it to make lobster hot chocolate? You asked for creative, not tasty...

2009 Jun 1
I found a recipe for Lobster Mac n Cheese that's fantastic, I've made it a few times to rave reviewa. It does indeed use stock, and the cheese is fontina.

www.epicurious.com

2009 Jun 1
Use it in the risotto. You could also bake with it instead of using regular old water.

2009 Jun 1
chimi, lobster bread? mmmm.

2009 Jun 1
momomoto Epicurious has an interesting idea for making lobster butter: www.epicurious.com

They also mention that the ground shells can also be added to lobster thermidor: www.epicurious.com

Now I'm getting hungry for lobster-;)

2009 Jun 1
I second the lobster risotto. I think the richness of the risotto would complement the lobster better than the couscous.

Another suggestion, is to use the lobster stock to make chinese rice. I don't know how exactly to make it as I've only seen it in restaurants, and even then I've only seen it made with crab... but I think lobster would be declious. Essentially, inside a giant bamboo leaf you put rice, lobster stock and saffron. Then you cook it and right before you serve it, you can add back the lobster chunks. Unlike a risotto, the rice would be "dry".

My other suggestion would be to use it to make a cream sauce for pasta... linguine with green onion, pepper, garlic, butter, parmesan cheese, and reduced lobster stock... yummy!!... or to use it in a super seafood paella!!

2009 Jun 1
So, we're all going to momomoto's for dinner tonight, right?

2009 Jun 1
I was going to suggest paella but I was beaten to it...and if you make are making thermidor you could make the bechamel sauce with some lobster stock to give it extra flavour.

If you have lots of stock you could justify making lobster demi-glace, and then use that in almost any type of sauce imaginable.

Does anybody know how to properly grind shells for a lobster bisque? I want to get my fill of lobster when they are 2 for 10$ this week.

2009 Jun 1
You guys rule.

Tracinho: in some strange parallel to another thread, in the Les Halles cookbook Tony (yes, we're on a first-name basis) suggests dumping it into a non-cheap food processor and going to town.

2009 Jun 1
I made lobster stock a couple of weeks ago and made lobster risotto. It turned out quite good.

I've made lobster mac and cheese before. I wonder if you could infuse the lobster bodies with milk to make the sauce. Mine turned out great with out using any lobster stock of sorts.

2009 Jun 1
Cream + lobster shells = amazing.

2009 Jun 1
k
lobster stock = shells plus any shrimp or crab shells laying about, chopped up
fish fumet (aka stock...use halibut)
white wine
mirepoix
tomato paste, caramelized til dark brown
thyme
tarragon
brandy

cover with water
cook 45 mins

strain
reduce to about what is called a salpicon or essence
basically as far down as you can before scorching or boiling off into oblivion

lobster martini
lobster bisque
lobster beurre blanc
add crayfish and cream, sauce nantua
add to mash potatoes
add to alfredo sauce
add to pizza sauce
add mac and cheese
add to softened butter to use to dip boiled lobster, shellfish, abalone in
add to smoked tomatoes, red wine vinegar, dijon, olive oil and tarragon = smoked lobster vinaigrette

add with smoked tomatoes to alfredo
add with smoked tomatoes and Lalah curry sauce to alfredo
add to Thai red curry, add protien and taro/eddo

add a tad to wakame salad
use to glaze fave sushi nigri

add to mayo, tres decadent, lobster mayo
add to remolaude
add to ratrat sauce (lol what I call tartar)
add to ranch dressing
add to caesar dressing

use to poach a fresh lobster in and refreeze to use again and reinforce the lobsterlyheavenly flavour yet again

and lastly:
use instead of maggi sauce for a lobster banh mi (check my profile pic.....LOL)


2009 Jun 1
@ Obi: you need to write a lobster cookbook. 101 things you can do with lobster.

2009 Jun 1
lol
LWB
when I worked at the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale, my mentor, EX Chef Anton Brunbauer, said I would only remain sous chef of the fine dining room as long as I never repeated a special

I was there for two years under his mentorship and had to do 1 app special, 1 salad, 2-4 mains, and 1 dessert special

I deepfried alot of things
Smoked alot of things
Broiled
Roasted
Poached
Marinated
Baked

hey Pastry shop! got any brioche?
hey Receiving! where's my baby white asparagus

I've been blessed with such opportunity

I don't resent my current digs but I find it amusing when I am asked if I can do.......

just did a Jamaica night which many thought I could not pull off until actual Jamaican friends showed up to see if I still had it

bah! my martini's dry
be back later

2009 Jun 2
Obi, do you mind me asking where you are a chef at?

2009 Jun 2
Thanks, Chef Obi! That's an awesome list to draw from.

2009 Jun 2
Oh, and Trachinho: where did you see lobster at two for $10? DO WANT.

2009 Jun 2
Downtown at Hartman's...they are small, but perfect for recipe-type things like bisque, thermidor etc.

2009 Jun 2
Momomoto- Loblaws has the 2/$10 special on this week.

2009 Jun 2
If you want a larger lobster - check out Produce Depot, last I checked, they were $9.99/lb and had some up to and over 2lbs a piece (big claw meat!) The ones priced so low are typically canners, so smaller, less meat, but more shell. Depends on what you're looking for.

2009 Jun 3
In February this year, I made some Lobster and to accompany it I made a rice that was cooked in a lobster stock.

The recipe in short: I also steamed some brocolli until it was tender, pureed it and then mixed it into the rice to give a colourful green look and mixed in some scallops (small ones) into the rice at the end.

I think you could do something like that and have nice full meal without anything else and the lobster stock would just make so good. The scallops really add to it and since they are small its not too pricey.

Cheers

2009 Jun 3
MediJ, you just gave me an idea:

In Japan they frequently add the product let say crab, raw and cut into pieces into the rice cooker before cooking and it imparts an intense flavour

while with the lobster flesh would be sorely overcooked but if MoX3 tossed in the shells, even after cooking the lobsters, they would still impart a ton of flavours

hmmm
lobster decadence/overkill:

steamed lobster
lobster drawn butter
lobster poached aparagus
lobster steamed rice
lobster martini

whoa
lol

2009 Jun 3
oh I forgot
my profile pic is a lobster banh mi, one of my fave specials to pull out of my hat to impress someone

here's my thinking:
make lobster reduction infused mayo to use on the banh mi
and perhaps blend a few lobster legs with maggi seasoning to use instead of standard maggi

while I love lobster bisque not a huge fan of lobster itself but meh, once in awhile I can go over the top lol

2009 Jun 3
Obi - your lobster skills are pimp. I'm going to have to swing by some day and request some innovative, off-the-menu lobster creation! Lobster Cheesecake? It could work...

2009 Jun 4
Savoury lobster cheesecake would rule the school.

So does anywhere actually sell fumet/fish stock? Buying it pre-made is preferable to me because I don't have the patience to pick up a whole bunch of racks/fish carcasses, make fish stock, and then make lobster stock from it.

I've come up empty-handed at Hartman's, Farm Boy, and Lapointe so far. They have fish bullion cubes, sure, but not fish stock.

2009 Jun 4
I've seen fish stock for sale at Pelican on Bank St. This reminds me, I need a pressure cooker.

2009 Jun 4
ditto the pelican

2009 Jun 5
Made Lobster Bisque last night, in fast forward mode. Tossed the shell of a lobster in the pressure cooker for an hour, all nice meat removed of course. After this I put all the legs, interior cartilage, tomalley and coral in a food processor and ground it down as best I could with a little of the stock. It never really ground perfectly smooth, and no matter how long I took that wasn't going to happen, so I strained the "pulp" through a colander into some sauteed onions and saffron. Washed the pulp through the colander using the remaining stock and tossed out whatever bits of shell and cartilage that didn't go through the colander.

From there I just simmered, added some rice and salt and pepper to taste. It was dead simple but the result was great, if it was for a crowd or on the weekend I would have pureed again and maybe thickened with a roux or cream (or both!) and finished with tarragon or chervil but I was in a bit of a rush, and the more rustic result was quite successful nonetheless.

Thanks for the inspiration...

2009 Jun 5
I remember having lobster infused shortbread once...out on the east coast. i can attest to savoury sweets working well with lobster. om nom nom!

2009 Jun 8
Ok, after reading this topic prior to the weekend, I couldn't help myself, and went out to Loblaws and bought some of the flash frozen canner type lobsters... indeed got 2 for $ 10.00 (They were labelled as Average Wt. 283 Grams), I bought 2 packages.

Anyhow, previously I've only ever bought fresh lobster, either alive (which I cooked at home), or pre-cooked from a place like Lapointe's so I have no clue how to proceed with this frozen variety.

Any advice, tips or recipes would be most welcome.

After reading this topic, you have all inspired me so that I have now decided that in the end I will save the shells and try my hand at bisque as well.

2009 Jun 11
Still looking for help with how to proceed with a frozen lobster... do I bake him, boil him, or just let him thaw out naturally. I haven't a clue. And can I only use the meat in other recipes, or could I actually eat him as if he was freshly boiled (ya know with melted butter and all). Any help appreciated.


2009 Jun 11
F&T: One of my ultimate pet peeves is an over-cooked lobster; in a just few minutes time something sublime can turn into something tough and rather ordinary. I find that the posted times for boiling/steaming are always a bit too long, and I think this is partly because the lobster's shell retains so much heat; it is cooking long after it is out of the steamer or pot.

That being said, with a cooked frozen lobster I'd be very wary of cooking it too much more. Defrost it in cold water (i don't think it would take that long), shell it, get the meat out and then gently warm it in whatever dish you were making. In my opinion frozen lobster is best suited to pasta, thermidor, risotto, lobster salad etc. I occasionally garnish a paella with claws from a frozen lobster and just let them heat through in the last 5 minutes or so of cooking.

Oh yeah, roast the shell and make stock!

2009 Jun 11
I'm tending towards letting them thaw naturally. Keep them in the fridge, inside a Pyrex dish or something, on top of a roasting rack so that the water drains away from them.

You could probably eat them as if they were freshly boiled, but the texture might not seem right. (I haven't tried it myself, though.)

2009 Jun 11
Food&Think I have never cooked frozen shellfish but I would recommend cooking the lobster from frozen. I just checked the Loblaws website since they sold the product and this is what they have to say: www.loblaws.ca
If you scroll down to the "Keeping lobster fresh" section it tells you how to freeze fresh lobster then how to cook it after.

I have a booklet I got from DFO when I first move out on my own and it also instructs to cook frozen fish from the frozen state and do not thaw. Good luck and let us know how you made out.