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Roast lobster, sauce Bearnaise and chips

Preparation time: 35 mins   -    Cooking time: 15 mins   -    Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • - 4x1 1/4lb lobster - live
  • - 8 large chippers choice potatoes
  • - 1/2 bunch chervil
  • - FOR THE GARLIC BUTTER
  • - 400g butter
  • - 1 teaspoon chopped flat leaf parsley
  • - 2 cloves garlic
  • - FOR THE BEARNAISE
  • - 250ml white wine (Australian)
  • - 150ml white wine vinegar
  • - 1 sprig thyme
  • - 2 sprigs tarragon
  • - 1 bay leaf
  • - 10 white pepper corns
  • - finely chopped
  • - 4 egg yolks
  • - 175ml clarified butter
Method
  1. For the garlic butter: Mix all together and season
  2. For the Bearnaise: Make a reduction with the white wine and vinegar, thyme, tarragon and bay leaf, peppercorns and shallot. Boil for 8 minutes then leave to cool. Meanwhile whisk the egg yolks with 2 table spoons of the reduction and 2 table spoons of warm water over a pan of boiling water until thick and foamy. Incorporate the clarified butter slowly, adding a spoonful of warm water if it gets too thick. Pass through a muslin cloth and add the diced leaves of the 2nd tarragon sprig. Leave somewhere warm
  3. For the Chips: Cut the potatoes into perfectly rectangular chips 2 ½ inches long. Cook the chips in vegetable oil at 130 degC until they are soft with no colour. Deep fry again at 180 degC until golden brown
  4. For the lobster: Bring a pan of water with various herbs and vegetable trimmings to the boil and then allow to cool to about 80 C Drop in the live lobster for 6 minutes, take out of the water, brake off claws and drop them back into water for a further 5 minutes. Split the whole lobster in half lengthways, clean out brains, take out tail meat and slice. Pipe garlic butter back into the 2 shells and place the tail meat and grated clean meat back into shells. Pipe more garlic butter onto lobster, then roast in a medium oven (180C) for 5 minutes. Spoon the Bearnaise sauce over the lobster, place onto a plate and garnish with chervil. Serve with chips on the side

A firm favorite. Definitely one of the best ways to enjoy the grand old lobster. Goes well with the Australian white used in the sauce Bearnaise.