It is lobster season here in California and this French style lobster meunière is what I’m dreaming to make. In general, California spiny lobsters are carefully fished by compliant licensed fishermen. Fishing law allows for a daily limit and prohibits taking smaller lobsters. A hefty fine is charged to poachers who don’t comply.
Fortunately for us, a family friend who is a licensed lobster fisherman went fishing the other day near Catalina Island. He brought us back some incredible lobsters and crabs. Of course I thought of ways to prepare the lobsters. Simple and fast is what I always go for. So here I prepared a French style Lobster Meuniere.
Keeping the lobsters alive until dinnertime was very important. It’s not a good idea to wait another day to cook it. When it comes to lobsters, the fresher the better. So I layered a bag of ice and some newspaper inside an ice chest. Next, in goes the lobsters on top of the newspaper. I covered the ice chest until cooking time.
It’s a good idea to wear gloves to protect your hands when handling lobsters. Using kitchen shears or a sharp knife to cut the lobsters lengthwise make it easy. Watch out! Some lobsters can be feisty.
I opted to cook the whole lobster for a prettier presentation. A garnish of chopped chives, parsley or arugula takes it to another level. So delicious when served with garlic bread, grilled asparagus and a bottle of Pinot Grigio.
| Prep Time | 15 mins. |
| Cook Time | 15 mins. |
| Servings |
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Ingredients
- 3 whole lobsters halved lengthwise
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 6 chives chopped
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup good white wine
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 lemon
Ingredients
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Instructions
- Wear gloves to handle live lobsters. Use a sharp knife or kitchen shears to cut lobsters in half lengthwise. Do this by first cutting through the head going down to the tail. Heat a nonstick pan on medium/high with 1 Tbsp of olive oil and 1 Tbsp of butter. (If lobsters are too big, use a roasting pan as I did. Use 2 burners). Season the lobster meat with a little salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Place flour on a platter. Place lobster meat side down on the flour to coat it. (Do not flour the shell part) Shake off excess flour. Cook lobster on the hot oil and butter meat side down for 4-5 mins., until slightly brown. Flip it over. Pour wine and deglaze for a few minutes until reduced.
- Transfer lobsters meat side up and its juices (if any) into a platter and set aside. Add the 3 Tbsp of butter into the pan and let it melt on medium/high heat. Stir in the garlic and cook for 6 seconds. Turn off heat. Drizzle garlic and butter mixture on top of lobster meat. Cut lemon in half. Squeeze the juice of half of the lemon on top of the lobsters. Sprinkle chopped chives on top. Slice the other half of the lemon. Serve with lemon slices.
Recipe Notes
If whole lobsters are too big, use a roasting pan on 2 burners. Lobster tails can be used in this recipe. For garnish, add arugula.
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