Poached lobster with tamarind sauce

Name: Poached lobster with tamarind sauce
Prep time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: Makes 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 stalk celery, chopped; 1 leek, trimmed, well washed, and chopped; 1 carrot, peeled and chopped; Four 1½-pound lobsters; 1 bay leaf; 3 branches thyme; 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed; ¼ cup tomato paste; 1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as canola or grapeseed; 1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as canola or grapeseed; 1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as canola or grapeseed; 3 tablespoons butter; 1 onion, peeled and chopped; Salt; 1 tablespoon cumin seeds; 1 cup tamarind puree (see Note); 1 small dried chile, stemmed; 1 tablespoon coriander seeds; ¼ cup roasted peanuts (preferably unsalted, but don’t worry about it); ¼ cup roasted peanuts (preferably unsalted, but don’t worry about it); ½ cup canned unsweetened coconut milk; 2 tablespoons peeled and chopped ginger

Preparation info

Makes
4
servings

Difficulty
Medium
Ready in
1 hr 30

Appears in

Simple to Spectacular

By Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Mark Bittman

Published 2000

About

This version has more broth than the previous one: it’s almost a stew. To make the dish even fancier, garnish it with lightly steamed or sautéed scallions and shiitake mushrooms.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as canola or grapeseed
3 tablespoons butter

Fish course
Pescatarian
Gluten-free

Method

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, place the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large saucepan and turn the heat to medium. Add the onion, celery, leek, and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften, 5 to 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, poach the lobsters in the boiling water for 2 minutes, then remove. Pull off the claws (us