Whether you’re throwing a dinner party and looking for an impressive starter course, or simply bored of your go-to salads, you should consider Marea ‘s Lobster Astice recipe, which makes a strong case for why lobster and burrata should always be served together. “This dish has been on the […]
Click here to view original web page at parade.com
Whether you're throwing a dinner party and looking for an impressive starter course, or simply bored of your go-to salads, you should consider Marea's Lobster Astice recipe, which makes a strong case for why lobster and burrata should always be served together.
"This dish has been on the Marea NYC menu since we opened our doors," says Altamarea Group Chef Lauren Desteno. "It’s a chance to eschew the notion that seafood and cheese cannot be paired. It also calls to mind some of the best that Italy has to offer: fresh, creamy burrata cheese, perfect seafood, tomatoes, eggplant, basil and olive oil."
Keep reading for how to make the famed dish and Desteno's best tips to master it at home.
What are your 3 best tips to master it at home?
- Do not rush the salting of the eggplant—it truly effects the final product (which is delicious even on its own).
- Make sure your water is at a rolling boil before you put the lobsters in and have your ice water ready before they are done.
- Kitchen scissors are an infinitely better tool for breaking down a lobster and getting through the shell than a cracker-type tool.
What kind of ingredients should you look for, quality wise?
- The fresher the burrata, the better.
- Make sure the lobsters are alive when you purchase them…if not, the meat will be mealy and not edible.
- White or graffiti eggplants tend to have fewer seeds, if you can find those, buy them.
- You want tomatoes that are ripe but not very soft (if they are, it's very difficult to peel them.
What would you serve this dish with?
For a wine pairing, I would choose a slightly mineral rose, such as the Graci Etna Rosato from Sicily.
I would literally serve this with anything on our menu! It does pair beautifully with any of our crudos, followed by pasta and the whole branzino, or maybe our scallop entrée.
What are your other favorite ways to cook lobster?
I love a boiled lobster with butter—it's classic. But, I also really like a partially-cooked (boiled/steamed) lobster that's cut up in the shell and then sautéed with plenty of lightly browned garlic, Calabrian chilies and some butter. It is also great to treat the claws and knuckles as ‘escargot’ and serve them with a garlic-parsley butter and some great bread. Bread dipping is mandatory for the last two preparations!
