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Lobster dumpling broth and spring onions
Serves 4 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 700–800g live lobster, placed in the freezer for 30 minutes before cooking (see Cook’s note)
- 1 x 500g packet wonton wrappers
- flour, for dusting
For the broth
- 2tbsp olive oil
- 50g galangal, sliced
- 2 green chillies, sliced
- 2 lemongrass stalks, bashed and chopped
- 2tbsp chopped red onion
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1tsp coriander seeds
- 1tsp fennel seeds
- 1⁄2tsp black peppercorns 1⁄2tsp Szechuan peppercorns 2 star anise
- 70ml soy sauce
- 30g palm sugar
For the mousse stuffing
- 300g megrim (Cornish) sole, skinned and checked for any bones, cut into stamp-sized pieces
- 1 egg white
- 1tsp sea salt
- 175ml double cream 4tbsp chopped coriander
To garnish
- 8 spring onions, finely sliced handful coriander leaves fennel fronds (optional)
- 8tsp toasted sesame oil
Method
To cook the lobster, bring a pan of generously salted water to the boil over a high heat. Once the water is boiling, quickly take the lobster from the freezer, place on a board and insert the tip of a strong, sharp knife firmly into the cross on the back of the lobster’s head. This will kill it instantly, although it may still move a little. Plunge the lobster straight into the boiling water and cook for 8 minutes, then transfer to a tray to cool.
When cool enough to handle, carefully extract the meat [if you have never done this there are helpful videos online], retaining the body and all shells for the broth. Cover and keep in the fridge while you make the mousse and broth.
To make the broth, heat the olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Crush
the reserved lobster body and shells, add them to the pan and cook for 5 minutes,
stirring occasionally. Add all the
remaining ingredients and 1
litre water to the pan and bring
to a simmer, skimming off all
foam and impurities that rise
to the surface. Simmer for 45
minutes, then remove from the
heat, cover with a lid and set
aside to infuse for 30 minutes.
Carefully strain the broth into a
clean pan through a fine sieve
lined with muslin or a large
coffee filter and set aside.
To make the dumplings, first make the mousse stuffing. Put the sole, egg white and salt into the cold bowl of a food processor and blend for 30 seconds, then scrape down the sides and blend for a further 10 seconds. With the motor running, add the cream in one steady stream and count to 5, then stop the food processor. Scrape the fish mousse into a cold bowl and mix with the cooked lobster meat, chopped coriander, sea salt and black pepper.
Have a pastry brush and a small bowl of cold water ready. Lightly flour the worktop and lay out 5 wonton wrappers – making any more at a time may cause them to dry out and crack at the edges. Brush some water on to the edges of the wrappers and, using 2 spoons, place a walnut-sized spoon of mousse in the centre of each. Bring the 4 edges of the wrapper up over the mousse and scrunch in the middle, creating a parcel.
Transfer to a floured tray or plate and cover with a damp cloth while you continue to make the rest of the dumplings, until you have 20 in total.
Warm the broth over a medium heat before you start cooking the dumplings, and keep it hot, ready to serve.
Bring a large pan of salted water to a rolling boil and carefully add the dumplings to the water. Cook for 3 minutes, then carefully lift them out using a slotted spoon.
Warm 4 bowls and place 5 dumplings in each bowl. Ladle the broth over the dumplings and garnish with the spring onions, coriander and fennel, if using. Drizzle 2tsp toasted sesame oil over each serving and serve while hot.
COOK’S NOTE
If you don’t feel comfortable handling live lobster, you can buy whole, cooked lobster, caught sustainably, either fresh or frozen. Brown crab, spider crab, snow crab or flounder also make good alternatives.
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