This is one of my favorite recipes I’ve created mainly impart to that you don’t technically NEED any lobster meat to make this. This recipe comes from the bi-product of left over lobster shells which would normally just be tossed.
In this recipe I’m going to show you how to make my standard lobster stock that can then be used and applied to various different cooking preperations.
For the Stock:
3 cooked lobsters, just the shells and any left over bits
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup tomatoes, chopped (you can use canned if need)
1 onion, medium diced
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Begin by heating your olive oil in a large stock pot. When your pot is hot, add the onions and begin to sweat over medium heat. After about 3-5 minutes, add your carrots and allow these to cook together for an additional 3-5 minutes. Remove from pan.
Next, in your pre-seasoned and oiled pan, add the lobster shells and bodies and move them around constantly so they begin to toast, not burn. If your pot is hot enough this will probably only take 60-90 seconds. When the shells start to blister and change color, thats when you know your ready. Add your aromatics back to the lobster shells and add your chopped tomatoes. After a few minutes of marrying these components together, cover the shells completely in water until they’re submerged. Drop the heat to low and allow the stock to simmer, at least 2 hours.
After your stock has simmered and your kitchen now smells amazing, drain the stock of its shells and impurities, be sure to really squeeze out all that juice from the aromatics and lobster bodies. Return to the stove on medium heat and reduce this stock by half. This will help further intensify that flavor. At this stage, this stock can be held for 3-4 days in the fridge or frozen for several months! There will be more recipes using this exact method so make sure to keep this in your arsenal. Now time for some risotto!
For the risotto:
2 cups lobster stock
2 cups white wine
1 cup Arborio rice
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon, zested
1/2 stick of butter, cubed
2 tablespoons chives, chopped
1/2 cup lobster meat, optional
By the looks of it, there’s rly not much to this recipe. That’s because when working with fish or really any delicate flavors, less is always more!
Before you do anything, add your stock and white wine to a small pot and bring it to a simmer, rice will best absorb and cook more evenly if you are introducing a hot liquid. In a medium rondo or sauce pot, add the oil and get your pan hot. Introduce the rice and coat all of the grains in the oil. Keep the heat high and the rice moving until you start to smell its toastiness. Once your rice is toasted, you’ll know begin adding your first ladle of liquid.
If you’ve never made risotto before, the key is to do this as slow as possible. If we added all the liquid at once and tried making this like standard rice, all of the liquid will evaporate and the arborio rice would be par cooked. Arborio rice, or risotto rice, is extra starchy and takes a little more time to cook. While it cooks, the starch that gets expelled from the grains will actually help thicken the liquid giving you this super creamy texture without the addition of butter or cheese… but we’ll definitely be using butter regardless :)
Back to risotto! Keeping your heat on medium and stirring constantly, add one ladel, wait for all of the liquid to absorb and/or evaporate, then add another. Risotto is a sexy dish best built on slow and attentive passion, you can quote me on that. Overall this is going to take about 18-20 minutes, just be sure to keep slowly stirring to ensure even cooking and keep adding liquid, little by little until your rice expels those starchy flavors were looking for and begins to cook. You likely wont use all of this liquid, but it’s always better to have extra then not enough!
After about a good 20 minutes, your rice should be al dente and sitting in a nice viscous yet stable “sauce”. At this point, we are just about ready. I like to add just a touch more liquid at this stage to get it a bit loose before adding the butter. Then, add your butter! I would do this one or two pieces at a time to ensure you dont cool down your risotto to fast and be left with a clumpy mess. One or two pieces over medium heat while of course stirring constantly. Once your butter is added, season with salt and pepper and add your chives. If you have some reserved lobster meat now will be the time to add that to bring it up to temperature. If not, grate in about half a lemon and your finished!
Pro Tip: If we did our job right, the risotto should be able to stand on itself in a single grain layer. Whats that mean? well, referencing the photos below you can see when I plate my risotto, its not a huge mound on a bowl or a plate. In fact, thats the worst thing you can do with all the hard work you just put in. Lightly tap your plate out on the counter so the risotto gently flattens itself, if it begins clumping and becomes sticky, you did not have the proper ratio of liquid added during your cooking process. This is really something thats only going to come with practice and experience, but is a sure sign that separates the newbs from the pros!
