
LOBSTER
IN AN ORANGE AND DILL SAUCE

This
recipe was first published on 1st October 2000 - it
has now been updated and additional information added.
The recipe now shows how to use cooked or uncooked Crayfish.
I
thought a little decadence was in order and after requests
for a lobster dish, I guess I am not the only one!
In
my cooking tips section this week you will find pointers
to consider when purchasing your fresh shellfish <click
here>, but lets get on with the cooking . . .
Lobster
in an orange and dill sauce
(using cooked Crayfish flesh)
Ingredients
Rock
lobster or New Zealand crayfish (750gm) |
1 |
|
pc |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Court
bouillon: |
|
|
|
Water |
2 |
|
lt |
Onion |
1 |
|
pc |
Celery
stalk |
1 |
|
pc |
Carrot |
1 |
|
pc |
White
vinegar |
50 |
|
ml |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sauce: |
|
|
|
Orange
juice (fresh) |
400 |
|
ml |
Fresh
dill |
|
|
sq |
Arrowroot |
|
|
sq |
How
to make Lobster
in an orange and dill sauce
Making
a court bouillon
- Peel
and roughly chop the court bouillon vegetables and
place in a large pot
- Add
the water and vinegar (dill, fennel or other herbs
may also be added at this stage)
- Bring
to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes
- Remove
from the heat and allow to cool
Cooking
the crayfish
- When
cool, place the crayfish in the court bouillon and
bring slowly to a boil, simmer for approx. 20 minutes
- Pour
in the Grand Marnier and carefully ignite to flambé
(this will burn off the alcohol content but retain
the flavour)
- Add
the orange juice and simmer until reduced by half
- Mix
the arrowroot (approx. 1 tbs) with a little water
and gradually stir into sauce while stirring briskly
until lightly thickened
- Add
the cooked crayfish medallions to re-heat
- Add
the chopped dill and stir through the sauce, place
back into the inverted tail and serve immediately
Chef's
Tip
To
remove the cooked flesh:
- Carefully
cut through the membrane between the head/body and
tail
- Gently
pull the whole tail away from the body
- Carefully
cut through the belly on each side, from top to
'tail' and discard the thin belly shell
- Remove
the flesh and cut into neat, thick slices (medallions)
- Turn
the tail upside down and insert back into the head/body
to make a receptacle for the cooked flesh
On
cooking crayfish
Placing
live crayfish in cold court bouillon (or salted water)
achieves three important points:
- It
kills the crayfish in a humane manner
- It
gently cooks the flesh; plunging into boiling liquid
will shock the flesh and toughen it
- It
keeps the legs attached to the body, plunging into
boiling liquid will shock the flesh and cause them
to fall off
Crayfish
in a an orange and dill sauce (using raw crayfish flesh)
This
dish is simplicity itself, but produces a wonderfully
light dish. The orange and dill compliments lobster
/ New Zealand Crayfish so well and will not mask the
wonderful shellfish flavour.
Ingredients
Rock
lobster / New Zealand crayfish (750gm)
|
1
|
pc
|
finely
chopped shallots
|
1
|
tbs
|
Grand
Marnier
|
50
|
ml
|
orange
juice (fresh)
|
400
|
ml
|
arrowroot
or cornflour
|
|
sq
|
fresh
dill
|
|
sq
|
Method
Preparing
the crayfish
- Carefully
cut through the membrane between the head/body and
tail and gently pull the whole tail away from the
body
- Carefully
cut through the soft belly attached to the shell on
each side, from top to 'tail' and discard the thin
belly shell
- Remove
the flesh from the tail and cut into neat, thick slices
(medallions)
Cooking
the crayfish
- Gently
cook the shallots in a little butter
- Add
the crayfish medallions, pour in the Grand Marnier
and carefully ignite to flambé (this will burn off
the alcohol content but retain the flavour)
- Add
the orange juice and simmer until reduced by half
(if the crayfish cooks before the reduction is complete
remove, set aside and place back into the finished
sauce to re-heat)
- Mix
the arrowroot (approx. 1 tbs) with a little water
and gradually stir into sauce while stirring briskly
until lightly thickened
- Add
the chopped dill and stir through the sauce, place
back into the inverted tail and serve immediately
Chef's
Tip
Using
arrowroot will not affect the colour of the sauce
and keeps its bright transparency. But if over thickened
it will go stringy and gelatinous and cannot be thinned
down, so care must be taken.
Using
cornflour will not let the sauce go stringy and gelatinous,
however it will affect the colour of the sauce by
adding a whiteness to it and it will lose its transparency.

Chef's
terminology:

|
|
lt |
=
|
litres |
|
tsp |
= |
teaspoon |
|
ml |
=
|
millelitres |
|
tbs |
= |
tablespoon |
|
kg |
=
|
kilograms |
|
sq |
= |
sufficient
quantity (add to taste) |
|
gm |
=
|
grams |
|
pc |
= |
piece,
meaning a whole one of |
 |
Enjoy
and bon appetit . . .
Recipe
from professional
Chef Tallyrand
|