Crispy Lobster Skewers With Green Papaya And Mint Salad

Recipe Ingredients

1		Coconut (small)
6		Lobster culls - (1 lb ea)
2 tablespoons	30ml	Oil - plus
2 tablespoons	30ml	Butter
2		Shallots - diced
1		Fresh chile - seeded, diced (small)
2		Lemongrass stalks - sliced thinly
1 cup	237ml	White wine
1 tablespoon	15ml	Freshly-grated ginger - (heaping)
1 tablespoon	15ml	Thai yellow or red curry paste
		= (or 1 tbspn Madras curry powder)
1/2 cup	118ml	Heavy cream
2		Limes - (to 3) - juiced, plus
		Zest of 1 lime
		Salt - to taste
		Freshly-ground black pepper - to taste
2 tablespoons	30ml	Unsalted butter
6		Scallions - cut 2" pieces
3		Egg whites
2 tablespoons	30ml	Cold water
1/2 cup	31g / 1.1oz	Water chestnut flour
		Peanut or corn oil - for frying
6		Wooden skewers - (10" long) - soaked 30 minutes
		Green Papaya and Mint Salad
2		Green papayas, thinly sliced
1		Wild mint - chopped
3		Upland cress
		= (or 2 bunches watercress)
1		Daikon - julienned
1		Carrot - julienned
1		Cucumber - sliced thinly (small)
12		Scallions - cut thin rounds
		Vinaigrette
1/4 cup	59ml	Rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons	10ml	Nam Pla (Vietnamese fish sauce)
1 teaspoon	5ml	Grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons	30ml	Oil of your choice

Recipe Instructions

Put coconut into a plastic bag and drop the bag onto a hard surface to split the coconut and catch the liquid. Remove the outer shell and discard. Finely grate 1 cup of fresh coconut. Thinly shave the remaining coconut into moon shaped pieces. Toast shavings lightly and set aside for garnish.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Drop live lobsters into a pot of boiling water and cook for only 5 minutes. Remove the lobsters from the water and plunge them into a large bowl or pot filled with iced water to stop the cooking. The lobsters should be cooked early in the day so the lobsters have time to reabsorb their wonderful juices.

In a 2-quart saucepan, add the oil and butter. Remove the claws and tails from all the lobsters. Set aside. Remove the outer shell from 3 of the lobsters. Saute the 6 lobster bodies over medium-high heat until a little bit colored. Leaving some of the shells on will give your sauce a pink cast.

Add the shallots, chile, and lemongrass. Cook gently until tender. Deglaze the pan with white wine. Add grated coconut and ginger. Add enough cold water to barely cover the lobster bodies. Add curry paste or curry powder. Let sauce simmer slowly for 20 to 30 minutes until reduced, showing a little "body".

Add heavy cream and let sauce reduce slightly. Add lime juice and lime zest. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Finish with 2 tablespoons of butter for silkiness.

Strain sauce. Take approximately 1/2 of the solids and puree in blender with some liquid. Add pureed solids back to sauce. Set aside.

Remove claw meat from their shells. Split the tail, removing all the shell carefully from the tail, except the last segmet of shell connected to the actual tail flippers.

Skewer the 2 segments of the tail with 1 claw and 1 piece of scallion in between. You will have 6 skewers.

Beat the egg whites with the 2 tablespoons of cold water to thin out. Dip each skewer lightly into the egg white mixture. Very delicately, sprinkle water chestnut flour all over the lobster. Don't pack on too much.

Bring a large pot of peanut oil to 350 degrees. Fry 2 skewers at a time. They will only take approximately 2 to 3 minutes to crisp. Remove skewers from the oil and drain. Place in barely warm oven while the other skewers cook.

To serve, place finished skewers on plate with your delicate salad leaning against the lobster. Spoon the curried coconut sauce around the plate and garnish with toasted coconut "moons".

Green Papaya and Mint Salad: In a large bowl, assemble the salad, combining the green papayas, the mint, the Upland or watercress, daikon, carrot, cucumber, and scallions rounds. Dress salad with vinaigrette right before serving. (Makes 6 servings)

Vinaigrette: Whisk together rice wine vinegar, Nam Pla, ginger and oil. Set aside. (Makes approximately 1/2 cup)

This recipe yields 6 servings.

Source:
COOKING LIVE with Sara Moulton - (Show # CL-9714) - from the TV FOOD - NETWORK

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