LOBSTER BIRYANI MASALA FRESH COCONUT CHUTNEY, SPICED SHEEP’S YOGURT
SINCE THE BEGINNING of time, globe-trotter chefs have been inspired by travel around the world and their culinary discoveries. This dish is an invitation to explore, inspired by India and its complex spice combinations (masala means mélange of spices ground into a paste). Cardamom, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, and red chiles blend with the perfectly light coconut oil and round up the different ingredients: a crispy samosa filled with spiced lobster and hearts of palm, lightly poached and glazed lobster tail, and tangy Old Chatham sheep’s yogurt.
Servings
8
Servings
8
Ingredients
Biryani Masala Oil
Lobster
Coconut Chutney
Grilled Hearts of Palm
Lobster Samosa
Romaine Lettuce Salad
To Finish
Instructions
For the Biryani Masala Oil
  1. In a small saucepan, combine all the ingredients over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, or until very fragrant but not burned. Remove from the heat, cover, and rest for 15 minutes. Strain the oil through a fine-meshed sieve lined with a coffee filter and reserve.
For the Lobster
  1. Pour the court bouillon into a large stockpot, bring to a boil, and place a bowl of ice water on the side. Boil the lobsters for 1 minute, then remove them with tongs and rinse under cold water. Twist the arms and tails from the lobsters. Grasp the middle fin of the tails and gently twist and pull out the veins. Boil the tails for 3½ minutes more, then remove and chill in the ice water. Boil the arms for 6 minutes more; remove and chill in the ice water. Crack the tails and arms and extract the meat. Pick and discard any cartilage from the claws and knuckles. Slice the tails in half lengthwise. Chop the claws into ⅛-inch dice. Reserve the lobster, chilled.
For the Coconut Chutney
  1. To open the mature coconut, puncture one of the eyes on the top of the coconut (of the three, one will always be soft enough). Pour out the water from the inside through a strainer set over a medium saucepan. Wrap the coconut in a towel and use a hammer to crack the shell into large pieces. Using a butter knife, pry the meat from the shell. With a mandoline, thinly shave 1 large piece into ribbons for the garnish.
  2. To open the young Thai coconut, use a sharp, heavy knife to carefully chop a 2-inch cap from the pointed tip. Pour out the water through the strainer into the pan. Use a spoon to scrape the meat from the shell.
  3. Chop both coconut meats into ½-inch chunks and transfer to the saucepan with the juice. Add the heavy cream. Simmer for 45 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced by half and the coconut is tender. Transfer the mixture to a blender and puree until smooth but small chunks remain. Stir in the lime juice and mustard seeds and season with salt and pepper. Reserve, chilled.
For the Grilled Hearts of Palm
  1. Heat a grill or cast-iron grill pan over high heat. Cut sixteen 6-inch-long by ½-inch-thick planks from the hearts of palm. With the remaining hearts of palm, use a mandoline to slice 16 long, thin shavings for the garnish. Cut all the remaining hearts of palm into brunoise and reserve for the samosa and romaine lettuce salad. Rub the planks with the biryani masala oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill on both sides until well marked. Set aside.
For the Lobster Samosa
  1. Heat the coconut oil in a small saucepan over medium heat and add the brunoised hearts of palm and bell pepper. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the biryani masala spice mix, season with salt and pepper, and stir to coat. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the reserved chopped lobster claws, the lime juice, the mayonnaise, and the coconut chutney. Adjust the seasoning as necessary with salt and pepper.
  2. Lay the spring roll strips vertically on a cutting board and use a brush to lightly coat each with the beaten yolk. Use a spoon to equally distribute the mixture in a mound on the end of each strip. Fold the bottom right corner up to the left side to form a triangle shape, then fold the triangle forward. Continue folding in this manner to form triangular packets. Transfer to a covered container and store, chilled.
For the Romaine Lettuce Salad
  1. Pull away and discard any damaged outer leaves from the heads of lettuce, then rinse them with cold water. Cut each head lengthwise to form 2 flat ½-inch-thick slices. Set the slices on a cutting board and trim away as much core as possible without breaking them apart.
  2. In a small bowl, stir together the remaining hearts of palm brunoise, the coconut oil, the lime juice, and the salt. Reserve, chilled, for dressing the lettuce.
To Finish
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Fill one-third of a medium saucepan with canola oil and heat to 350°F. Fry the samosas until golden brown and transfer them to a paper towel–lined tray. Sprinkle with salt.
  2. Heat the coconut oil in a heatproof sauté pan over medium heat and add the lobster tails and knuckles; season with salt and pepper. Warm the lobster for 1 minute on each side without browning. Arrange the tails cut side down and coat them with the yogurt. Transfer the pan to the oven for 5 minutes. Remove and sprinkle the biryani masala spice on top of the yogurt.
  3. For each serving, set 1 slice of lettuce on an appetizer plate and sprinkle with the dressing, lime zest, and lime segments. Arrange ½ lobster tail, 2 knuckles, and 1 samosa on top of the lettuce. Spoon a line of biryani masala oil on the plate. Garnish around the lobster with 2 hearts of palm shavings, 2 coconut shavings, 2 grilled hearts of palm, and a few purple shiso leaves. Spoon a few dots of coconut chutney on the plate.