Description
A luxurious Butter Poached Lobster Risotto featuring tender lobster meat gently poached in butter and folded into a creamy, flavorful risotto made with arborio rice, shallots, garlic, white wine, and seafood stock. Finished with Parmesan cheese, lemon zest, and fresh chives for a rich and elegant main course.
Ingredients
Scale
Seafood
- 2 lobster tails
Risotto
- 1 1/2 cups arborio rice
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 4 cups seafood or lobster stock, kept warm
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
Butter Poaching
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
Instructions
- Par-cook Lobster: Bring a pot of water to a gentle simmer. Add the lobster tails and cook for about 3 minutes until the shells turn bright red. Remove lobster meat from the shells and cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Butter Poach Lobster: In a small saucepan over very low heat, gently melt the butter until just warm. Add the lobster meat to the melted butter and let it poach gently while you prepare the risotto, ensuring the lobster stays tender and infused with buttery flavor.
- Sauté Aromatics: In a large pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the shallots and garlic, sautéing them until soft and fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.
- Toast Rice: Stir in the arborio rice to the shallots and garlic. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the rice grains are well coated and lightly toasted.
- Deglaze with Wine: Pour in the dry white wine, stirring frequently until most of the liquid is absorbed by the rice.
- Add Stock Gradually: Begin adding the warm seafood stock one ladle at a time. Stir frequently and allow each addition to be mostly absorbed before adding the next. Continue this process until the rice is creamy and al dente, about 18-20 minutes.
- Finish Risotto: Stir in the heavy cream, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and lemon zest to enrich and flavor the risotto.
- Combine Lobster: Fold the butter-poached lobster pieces into the risotto along with some of the poaching butter for added richness. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
- Garnish and Serve: Sprinkle freshly chopped chives on top before serving. Serve immediately while hot and creamy.
Notes
- Keep the seafood stock warm throughout the cooking process for a better creamy risotto texture.
- You can substitute shrimp stock or chicken stock if seafood stock is unavailable.
- Use cold butter for the poaching stage to create a beurre monté style enriched butter instead of melted butter, for a silkier texture.
- Stir the risotto frequently to ensure even cooking and creaminess.
