Whole Howth Lobster with Garlic Butter & Chips

Wed, 25 May 2022

Whole Howth Lobster with Garlic Butter & Chips 

Chef: Niall Sabongi

 

How to store your live lobster 

The most humane way is to put wet tea towel over the lobsters and place on tray at bottom of fridge. They will naturally go into hibernation state.  

 

How to dispatch your lobster   

There are many ways to achieve this humanely.  

•          Freeze the lobster by placing it in the freezer for 30 to 60 minutes before putting it headfirst into a pot of boiling water. This will effect cooking time  

•          Stunning the crustacean by chilling it in cold air or an ice slurry - saltwater or freshwater will dispatch the lobster prior to cooking  

•          A quicker option is to plunge a knife straight down into the carapace (part of exoskeleton on the lobster's back). This is what is done in most kitchens  

Cooking your lobster:  

Ingredients 

1 live or frozen lobster 

 

Method  

1) For this dish I split the lobster just very simply give splash of wine, season with salt and drizzle of olive oil. ½ way through the cooking load with garlic butter  

2) You can then place under a hot grill for 8-15 min and until the meat is fully cooked 

3) If you want to BBQ the lobster, I recommend blanching in boiling salty water for 4-6 min and then splitting before cooking 

4) This will make the whole process much easier 

5) Place on grill shell side down and brush with garlic butter  

 

Niall’s Garlic Butter  

Very simple recipe but when making garlic butter it’s the simplest of things that make it amazing  

 

Ingredients 

8 large cloves of garlic  

Course sea salt  

1lb of butter left out of fridge to soften  

Handful of flat leaf parsley chopped  

Juice of 1 small lemon  

White pepper to taste  

 

Method 

1) The most important part of all this is how to crush your garlic 

2) Chopping, smashing and slicing all achieve different flavours. For me ‘Back Knifing’ the garlic releases all the oils and flavour to give you a really punchy butter  

3) Lay the flat side of the knife over the clove while holding the knife handle, then with the heel of your free hand carefully whack the knife against the garlic to separate the skin from the clove 

4) To crush the peeled garlic, add good pinch of course salt and  lay the flat side of the knife over the clove and smash it again 

5) Push the flat side of the knife back over the smashed garlic until you have a puree 

6) Salt acts as an abrasive and helps the garlic to pulverise quickly. Remember that you have already added salt to your crushed garlic when seasoning dishes, so that you don't over-season. 

 

Chips 

Ingredients 

750g potatoes 

Vegetable oil (around 2tbsp for baking or 500ml if you're frying) 

 

Method  

1) If baking your fries, pre-heat your oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. 

2) Wash and slice your potatoes. You can peel your potatoes if you want or leave the skin on for a more rustic feel. 

3) Par-boil your potatoes in salted boiling water for around 5-10 mins until just soft. 

4) If baking, toss the chips in vegetable oil, making sure they’re all covered and bake in the oven for 15-20 mins until golden brown and crispy. 

5) If frying, fill a saucepan 3/4 full with vegetable oil and heat until bubbling. To test if the oil is hot enough, drop a small cube of bread into it – if it crisps up, it’s ready. Fry the chips in batches until golden and crispy and remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and place on some kitchen roll to absorb the leftover oil. 

6) Sprinkle the chips with salt or herbs (we love rosemary) and serve. 

7) Please note, the nutritional info is based on the baking method. If you opt to fry using the 500ml vegetable option the calories for this dish will significantly increase.