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Food & Wine Recipe

Lobster Américaine with Rice and Haricots Verts

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  • ACTIVE:
  • TOTAL TIME:
  • SERVINGS: 4
  • MAKE-AHEAD

To make four cups of boiled long-grain rice, start with about 1 1/3 cups of raw rice.

  1. Two 1 1/2-pound live lobsters
  2. 1 tablespoon olive oil
  3. 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
  4. 1 small carrot, coarsely chopped
  5. 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
  6. 1/4 cup Cognac
  7. 3/4 cup dry white wine
  8. 2 large Italian plum tomatoes, finely chopped
  9. 3 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs
  10. 1 fresh thyme sprig or 1/4 teaspoon dried
  11. 1 bay leaf
  12. Salt
  13. Freshly ground pepper
  14. 3/4 pound haricots verts or thin green beans
  15. 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
  16. 1 1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
  17. 1 scant tablespoon minced fresh tarragon
  18. 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
  19. 4 cups boiled long-grain rice, preferably jasmine *available at asian markets
  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Plunge in the lobsters head first, cover and simmer over moderate heat for 17 minutes. Transfer the lobsters to a large bowl and let cool for about 1 hour.
  2. Working over the bowl to catch the liquid, detach the lobster tails from the bodies. Using kitchen shears, snip through the soft underside of the tail shells and remove the meat. Twist off the claws, crack them open and remove the meat. Pull out and discard the intestinal vein that runs down the tail. Cut the lobster meat into 1/2-inch pieces and add it to the bowl. Discard the sand sac behind the eyes and chop the shells and head into 1-inch pieces.
  3. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy, nonreactive saucepan. Add the onion and carrot and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly colored, about 3 minutes. Add the lobster shells and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes longer. Add the Cognac and ignite with a match. Cook until the flame burns out, about 1 minute.
  4. Add the wine, tomatoes, parsley, thyme, bay leaf, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 5 cups of water to the saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, for 50 minutes. Pass the stock through a fine strainer into a large clean saucepan and discard the solids. Add any liquid from the lobster meat and boil over high heat until reduced to 1 cup, about 15 minutes. Season the stock with salt and pepper.
  5. In a medium saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the haricots verts over moderately high heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and keep warm.
  6. In a small bowl, work the butter into the flour to form a paste, then whisk the paste into the hot lobster stock. Bring to a boil over high heat, whisking constantly. Reduce the heat to low, add the lobster meat, tarragon and half of the chives and stir until warmed through
  7. To serve, arrange the rice in a ring on a platter. Spoon the lobster and sauce in the center. Arrange the haricots verts around the rice and garnish with the remaining chives.
Make Ahead The recipe can be prepared through Step 4 up to 4 hours ahead. Cover and let the lobster meat and stock stand separately at room temperature. Rewarm the stock before proceeding. Notes

Jasmine rice is available at Asian markets


One Serving Calories 458 kcal, Protein 24 gm, Carbohydrate 72 gm, Cholesterol 57 mg, Total Fat 5.7 gm, Saturated Fat 1.3 gm.

Suggested Pairing

The intense, savory flavors of the lobster sauce suggest a dry, crisp white. A California Sauvignon Blanc would do nicely.