Lobster Sous-Vide
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Brad
Nov 6, 2008, 12:44:54 PM11/6/08
to Sous VIde
Just thought I'd share that I cooked lobster tail sous-vide last night
with good results. First I (clumsily) removed the tail meat from the
shell. Then I vacuum packed it with a pat of butter, orange section,
tiny slice of garlic, bit of chives, parsley, saffron, salt and
pepper. Finally I poached it at 139.5F for 20 minutes as per Thomas
Keller's recipe in "Under Pressure". Keller doesn't vacuum seal his
tails, but rather uses a temperature controlled bath with a water-
butter emulsion to poach them, but I think that's only because the NYC
board of health asked him not to cook shellfish sous-vide. The results
were really nice. The texture was not too different from a boiled
lobster, maybe a bit more tender. The main difference was that I could
taste the ocean salt water in the meat and a hint of seaweed. That the
amount of butter and flavorings needed is very small is a big bonus
with this method, but the biggest benefit in my opinion is that the
method is relatively forgiving when it comes to cooking time. Anyone
who has ever over- or under-boiled a lobster should appreciate that.
I'll definitely always cook them sous-vide from now on.
with good results. First I (clumsily) removed the tail meat from the
shell. Then I vacuum packed it with a pat of butter, orange section,
tiny slice of garlic, bit of chives, parsley, saffron, salt and
pepper. Finally I poached it at 139.5F for 20 minutes as per Thomas
Keller's recipe in "Under Pressure". Keller doesn't vacuum seal his
tails, but rather uses a temperature controlled bath with a water-
butter emulsion to poach them, but I think that's only because the NYC
board of health asked him not to cook shellfish sous-vide. The results
were really nice. The texture was not too different from a boiled
lobster, maybe a bit more tender. The main difference was that I could
taste the ocean salt water in the meat and a hint of seaweed. That the
amount of butter and flavorings needed is very small is a big bonus
with this method, but the biggest benefit in my opinion is that the
method is relatively forgiving when it comes to cooking time. Anyone
who has ever over- or under-boiled a lobster should appreciate that.
I'll definitely always cook them sous-vide from now on.
Marc Nicholas
Nov 6, 2008, 7:07:21 PM11/6/08
to sous...@googlegroups.com, Sous VIde
Good timing on posting this!
I'm in Halifax, Nova Scotia for a few days and was planning on taking
some live lobster home.
Does anyone have a recomendation for the best way to kill a live
lobster for sous vide? Obviously, boiling water defeats the point ;)
-marc
Sent from my iPhone
Alejandro Trambauer
Nov 6, 2008, 7:46:07 PM11/6/08
to sous...@googlegroups.com
i kill them with a 100.000 volt shock, but if not i use a sharp knife into the top of the head, then all the way down halving the head.
--
_______________________________
Alejandro Trambauer
2008/11/6 Marc Nicholas <geeky...@gmail.com>
--
_______________________________
Alejandro Trambauer
methodlab
Nov 7, 2008, 7:44:15 AM11/7/08
to Sous VIde
when i took the SV class at the french culinary institute they
actually par-blanched the lobster, then removed and skewered the tail
before putting it in the bath
brian
On Nov 6, 7:07 pm, Marc Nicholas <geekyth...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Good timing on posting this!
>
> I'm in Halifax, Nova Scotia for a few days and was planning on taking
> some live lobster home.
>
> Does anyone have a recomendation for the best way to kill a live
> lobster for sous vide? Obviously, boiling water defeats the point ;)
>
> -marc
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
actually par-blanched the lobster, then removed and skewered the tail
before putting it in the bath
brian
On Nov 6, 7:07 pm, Marc Nicholas <geekyth...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Good timing on posting this!
>
> I'm in Halifax, Nova Scotia for a few days and was planning on taking
> some live lobster home.
>
> Does anyone have a recomendation for the best way to kill a live
> lobster for sous vide? Obviously, boiling water defeats the point ;)
>
> -marc
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
Marc Nicholas
Nov 6, 2008, 8:52:37 PM11/6/08
to sous...@googlegroups.com, sous...@googlegroups.com
Do you think a 12v car battery would work? ;) or maybe just run him over with the car?
I may also see if I can find some local tuna and experiment with that. I would generally prefer good tuna raw, but the results might be interesting....
-marc
Sent from my iPhone
Sent from my iPhone
Brad
Nov 7, 2008, 11:37:05 AM11/7/08
to Sous VIde
I looked at some more recipes for lobster sous-vide after posting the
first post in this thread yesterday and was surprised to find that
many people were cooking the lobsters at much lower temperatures than
I did (between 115F and 120F instead of my 139.5F). Apparently they
got a very raw-like texture, much like lobster sushi which some people
really liked and others didn't. I tend to think lobster, like shrimp,
is better cooked through to bring out its sweetness, but I thought I'd
share just in case anyone wanted to try it.
When I dispatched my lobster I just cut the tail off while the thing
was still alive, but this proved to be bad idea as both halves of the
poor creature were still moving a full 10 minutes later. Sorry! I
think pouring boiling water over them and letting them steep for 2
minutes is the preferred way because it makes it easy to get the tail
meat out.
Anyone have any suggestions on what to do with the claws?
On Nov 6, 7:52 pm, Marc Nicholas <geekyth...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Do you think a 12v car battery would work? ;) or maybe just run him
> over with the car?
>
> I may also see if I can find some local tuna and experiment with that.
> I would generally prefer good tuna raw, but the results might be
> interesting....
>
> -marc
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On 6-Nov-08, at 20:46, "Alejandro Trambauer" <atramba...@gmail.com>
first post in this thread yesterday and was surprised to find that
many people were cooking the lobsters at much lower temperatures than
I did (between 115F and 120F instead of my 139.5F). Apparently they
got a very raw-like texture, much like lobster sushi which some people
really liked and others didn't. I tend to think lobster, like shrimp,
is better cooked through to bring out its sweetness, but I thought I'd
share just in case anyone wanted to try it.
When I dispatched my lobster I just cut the tail off while the thing
was still alive, but this proved to be bad idea as both halves of the
poor creature were still moving a full 10 minutes later. Sorry! I
think pouring boiling water over them and letting them steep for 2
minutes is the preferred way because it makes it easy to get the tail
meat out.
Anyone have any suggestions on what to do with the claws?
On Nov 6, 7:52 pm, Marc Nicholas <geekyth...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Do you think a 12v car battery would work? ;) or maybe just run him
> over with the car?
>
> I may also see if I can find some local tuna and experiment with that.
> I would generally prefer good tuna raw, but the results might be
> interesting....
>
> -marc
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> wrote:
>
> > i kill them with a 100.000 volt shock, but if not i use a sharp
> > knife into the top of the head, then all the way down halving the
> > head.
>
> > 2008/11/6 Marc Nicholas <geekyth...@gmail.com>
>
> > i kill them with a 100.000 volt shock, but if not i use a sharp
> > knife into the top of the head, then all the way down halving the
> > head.
>
>
> > Good timing on posting this!
>
> > I'm in Halifax, Nova Scotia for a few days and was planning on taking
> > some live lobster home.
>
> > Does anyone have a recomendation for the best way to kill a live
> > lobster for sous vide? Obviously, boiling water defeats the point ;)
>
> > -marc
>
> > Sent from my iPhone
>
> > Good timing on posting this!
>
> > I'm in Halifax, Nova Scotia for a few days and was planning on taking
> > some live lobster home.
>
> > Does anyone have a recomendation for the best way to kill a live
> > lobster for sous vide? Obviously, boiling water defeats the point ;)
>
> > -marc
>
> > Sent from my iPhone
>
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