NATIVE LOBSTER, SPICED CARROT AND LEMON VERBENA

Deepak Mallya

Deepak Mallya

18th February 2024
Deepak Mallya

NATIVE LOBSTER, SPICED CARROT AND LEMON VERBENA

180 min

from The Ritz's seasonal menu

Ingredients

LOBSTER COOKING

  • 1 Carrot
  • 2 stick Celery
  • 1/2 bulb Fennel
  • 2 Shallots
  • 1 Leek
  • Parsley stalks
  • Chervil stalks
  • Lots of Butter
  • Fennel seeds, coriander seeds and peppercorns
  • 250g Distilled Malt vinegar
  • 10L Water

SPICED CARROT PUREE

  • 1kg Grated sand carrots
  • 30g Finely chopped ginger
  • 4 Star anise
  • 4g Coriander seed
  • 4g Cardamom
  • 500g Unsalted butter
  • 700g Carrot juice
  • 1/2 A used vanilla pod

LOBSTER OIL

  • 850g Lobster carcasses
  • 3kg Sunflower oil
  • 2kg Chopped Prawns
  • 1 Chopped chill, seeds intact
  • 50g Chopped ginger
  • 1tbsp Tomato puree
  • 3 Garlic cloves, smashed
  • 1 Crushed lemon grass stick
  • 5 Parsley stalk/basil stalk/tarragon stalk

BARBOUJAN DOUGH

  • 1kg Flour
  • 180g Olive oil
  • 360g Water
  • 20g Salt

LOBSTER, SCALLOP ROE AND VERBENA SAUCE

  • 400g Lobster heads chopped
  • 300g Washed scallop skirt
  • 50g Celery
  • 50g Shallot
  • 50g Fennel
  • 100g Button mushroom
  • 200ml Vermouth (noily prat)
  • 450ml Fish Stock
  • 20g fresh lemon verbena leaves and stalks
  • 3g Fennel seed
  • 5 popped cardamom
  • 200g Double cream
  • 1 Bay leaf
  • Tarragon stalk
  • 200g Butter

LOBSTER, BARBOUJAN FILLING makes approx. 220 pieces

  • 40g Finely diced ginger
  • 1 Finely chopped lemongrass
  • 350g Americaine base
  • 750g Strained chopped lobster
  • 50g Butter
  • 50g Flour
  • 300g Milk
  • Studded onion (bay and clove)
  • Tarragon
  • Lemon juice / zest
  • Cayenne
  • Espelette

VANILLA AND VERBENA BUTTER

  • 50g Unsalted butter
  • 4 Star anise
  • 8 Cardamom pods crushed
  • 15g Fennel seeds
  • 15g Coriander seeds
  • 1 used Vanilla pod
  • 20g Chopped ginger
  • 1/2 Lemon grass
  • Lemon Varbena (fresh)

CARROT TUILES

  • 1 Carrot sheet

ESPILETTE AND FENNEL POLLEN POWDER

  • 50g Espilette pepper
  • 50g Maldon salt
  • 50g Spice of angel

CARROT BALLS AND BARRELS

  • 2 Carrot ball parieseinne (size 18)
  • Vanilla butter
  • Carrot barrels

PLATING

  • ½ Native lobster (600g) 1 half body 1 claw
  • 2 Carrot balls
  • 2 Carrot tuiles
  • 2 Carrot barrels (1.5cm)
  • 2 Fennel flowers
  • 2 Small borage plouche
  • 2 Chive curls
  • 15g Spiced Carrot puree
  • 30ml Lobster and scallop roe sauce
  • 4g Finger lime
  • Prawn / Lobster oil
  • 2 Lobster baboujan

Method

LOBSTER COOKING

Bring all the ingredients to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the large pieces of vegetable mirepoix and then Bring the court bullion back to the boil, ENUSRE IT IS SALTY LIKE THE SEA!
Remove the claws and head form the body and remove the pipe. Cook the claws for 6-7 minutes and Remove from the water and prep immediately- do not allow to cool!
Then cook the bodies for 4 minutes, place into ice water for 1 minute just to stop the cooking then Remove rom the shell, clean and portion.

SPICED CARROT PUREE

Crush the spices but do not powder! Melt the butter in a pan and add the ginger and spices, cook this gently until the butter reaches just before noisette. Add the carrot into the pan at this stage along with some salt.
Slowly add the carrot juice until the carrot becomes very soft. Remove the spices and vanilla and then blend until very smooth, season and pass. Emulsify with cold butter when blending if it is needed.

LOBSTER OIL

Roast the lobster carcasses and prawns in a pan, add the tomato puree, ginger, garlic and lemon grass, herbs and spices. Pour the oil on top and bring up to temperature.
Place in a deep gastro tray and bake in the oven for 15 mins. Remove from the oven, cool down then place in a large plastic container and infuse in the fridge over night. Pass and reserve until needed.

BARBOUJAN DOUGH

Add the flour and salt into the kitchen aid along with the dough hook. Slowly turn on the machine and mix gently while gradually adding the water and oil. Mix until the dough is formed and rest.
To roll the dough, flour the dough and surface and pasta machine well. Feed the dough through until it becomes thinner- you should only JUST be able to see your hand through the dough.
Place the lobster farce dome on the dough, brush with a small amount of water then layer another sheet of dough, press around the dome with a cutter gently to secure and ensure the dough is tight then cut out with the 45mm fluted round pastry cutter.
To cook, fry at 190 degrees from frozen for approx. 3-4 minutes. The pastry should cook, golden and crisp. Brush with some of the butter and sprinkle with the espellete and fennel pollen powder.

LOBSTER, SCALLOP ROE AND VERBENA SAUCE

Sweat the lobster shell gently in half of the butter (you do not want to remove much of the colour at this stage, so a light sweat is preferred.
Once the lobster has been sweat, remove from the pan and add some more of the butter, add the vegetables and cook until tender gently.
Once tender add the scallop skirts and sweat for 2 minutes and add the bay leaf and tarragon, re add the lobster shell and deglaze with the alcohol. Reduce to a syrup and top with the stock. Cook gently and reduce by 2/3.
Once reduced add the cream, bring to the boil and remove from the heat, add the verbena and cling film and infuse under the lights for 20 minutes. Pass through a superbag and bring back to the boil, taste for seasoning and texture.

LOBSTER, BARBOUJAN FILLING makes approx. 220 pieces

Make the bechamel by combining the butter and flour in a pan and cook gently until a roux is formed.
Heat the milk along with the studded onion inside and infuse for 10 minutes.
Pass the onion out of the milk and then bring back to a boil before gradually adding this to the roux slowly each time ensuring to bring the mix to the boil before adding more liquid. It should be very thick but very smooth.
In a separate pan sweat the chopped ginger and lemongrass very gently until completely soft (no colour) add the americain base and reduce this down to a total weight of 200g (reduced sauce/ginger/lemongrass weight)
Mix the reduced Americaine with the total amount of bechamel slowly adding the bechamel and whisking. Add the tarragon, lemon and seasoning and finally allow the mix to cool slightly (but must not firm up) before folding in the diced lobster.
Pipe the mix into the ‘ajo blanco’ moulds with acetate on top covering and freeze. Ensure The piping is exact and there is no excess around the mould otherwise this will effect the wrapping.

VANILLA AND VERBENA BUTTER

Bring the butter up to a gentle Simmer and add all of the ingredients above turn the heat down to ½ on the stove and just infuse the ingredients for 10 minutes.
Remove completely from the heat, cling film and leave under the lights for a further 30 minutes. Pass and chill.

CARROT TUILES

Cut the carrot sheets from MSK out using the star shape cutter. Gently fry these 1 by 1 in the fryer (180 degrees-190degrees) for approx. 10 seconds, then quickly press into the smallest red dome matt so the tuile curved to create a ‘cup/flower’ shape.
Allow this too cool in the matt before removing and storing in an air tight container.

ESPILETTE AND FENNEL POLLEN POWDER

Blend the espilette pepper, fennel pollen and maldon salt in the spice grinder until smooth.

CARROT BALLS AND BARRELS

Peel the sand carrots and create perfect spherical shaped balls form the carrot using the Parisienne scoop. Ensure the flat sude is level and the rounded edge is a perfect shape.
Place this in a vacuum bag along with some of the Verbena butter and maldon sea salt. Seal the bag and steam in a pre heated steamer set at 120 degrees for approx. 5 mins until the carrot is tender. Chill in ice water.
For the barrels, peel the carrot, cut to 1.5cm thick slices. Stamp out using the correct cork borer. Place this in a vacuum bag along with some of the Verbena butter and maldon sea salt.
Seal the bag and steam in a pre heated steamer set at 120 degrees for approx. 5 mins until the carrot is tender. Chill in ice water.

PLATING

Heat the lobster in the spiced vanilla and verbena butter at 58 degrees c in the water bath for 4 minutes.
Brush with additional vanilla lobster butter and season with sea salt. Arrange the lobster as shown.
Warm the carrot balls in the same butter and brush the room temperature carrot rolls with the warm butter. Arrange as shown in the picture.
Pipe the dots of carrot puree, place the tuiles and herbs on last minute,
then pouring one small ladles worth into the sauce jug which would have been prepared with 3g finger lime and topped with lobster oil.
Fry the barboujan in the fryer until deep golden and crispy, ensure hot in the middle before brushing with the butter and sprinkle with the espellete and fennel powder.

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