CURRY OIL AND CELERY LEAVES GRILLED LOBSTER

March 12, 2021
Recipes
BACK

In this recipe we will serve Tanaka 1789 X Chartier sake at different temperatures to show its aromatic versatility. In the first version of the dish, sake will be poured at 12 °C to highlight its aniseed flavour. In the second version, served at around 20 °C, we will follow the aromatic trail of lactones.

Prep Time : 45 minutes   
Cooking Time : 30 minutes   

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 live lobsters, 500 to 750 g (1 to 1 ½ lb) each
  • 125 ml (½ cup) olive oil
  • 125 ml (½ cup) lovage or celery leaves
  • 10 ml (2 teaspoons) yellow curry powder
  • 60 g (½ cup) hazelnuts with the skin on

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Fill a large pot with water and salt generously. Bring to a boil and cook the lobsters for 4 minutes.
  2. Immediately transfer the lobsters to a boil of ice water to stop the cooking. Reserve.
  3. In a small saucepan, warm up the olive oil (this can also be done in the microwave oven).
  4. Transfer the warm oil to a food processor and add the lovage or celery leaves and the curry powder. Mix until you get a smooth, homogenous texture. Strain using a chinois and reserve.
  5. Place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and oven-roast them. Let cool completely.
  6. Make a fine concassé with the hazelnuts using a mortar and pestle. Reserve.
  7. Using a chef's knife, cut the lobsters in half and break the claws.
  8. Slather each lobster half with the curry and lovage (or celery) oil.
  9. Preheat your BBQ to medium heat.
  10. Place the lobsters on the BBG grill meat side up to finish cooking them. If required, brush the meat with oil to avoid it drying out. It is not necessary to turn the lobsters over.
  11. Sprinkle the lobsters with the hazelnuts concassé and serve.

AROMATIC TRAIL

VERSION #1

All the ingredients used here — curry, hazelnuts, lovage or celery leaves, apricots, peaches — are in the lactones aromatic family, which are also present in barrel-aged wines. The versatile character of a Junmai sake such as the Tanaka 1789 X Chartier Blend 001 allowed us to serve it around at 12 °C. The aniseed notes of this sake served slightly chilled will match the celery notes, while its texture in the mouth will envelop the lobster dish. The notes of lactones will find a better resonance with the evolution of the temperature in the glass. A match which evolves with each sip.

VERSION #2

Add chopped hazelnuts or shredded coconut at the very end of the cooking process or even just before serving. You can also serve your favorite fruit salsa, preferably dominated by peaches or apricots. Why, you wonder? Because they all share the same aromatic profile. Believe me when I say that the result is greater than the sum of its parts, and that’s what the Taste Buds and Molecules science is all about. These additions will allow you to follow the lactones trail and to serve Tanaka1789 X Chartier Blend 001 sake at higher temperature, around 20 °C, to discover a new aromatic profile!