Tournedos of Lotte with Lobster & Lobster Butter
Submitted by suzyhomemaker
Seared monkfish tournedos paired with lobster meat in a Cognac cream sauce finished with homemade lobster butter. A show-stopping French seafood dish worthy of a fine dining experience at home.
This is restaurant-grade French cooking brought into your kitchen, and yes, it’s worth every minute.
Lotte (monkfish) gets seared golden in clarified butter, then sauced with a luscious Cognac cream enriched by homemade lobster butter made from simmered shells.
Slices of tender lobster meat nestle between the fish, and the whole dish gets napped in that silky, coral-tinted sauce.
It’s a project, no question. You’ll need to steam the lobsters, make the compound butter from their shells, and build the sauce from scratch. But the payoff is a plate that could hold its own in any Michelin-starred dining room.
Chef Tips
- Make the lobster butter a day ahead and refrigerate it. This actually deepens the flavor and makes day-of cooking much more manageable
- Strain the sauce through cheesecloth twice for a velvety, restaurant-smooth finish
- Monkfish is sometimes called “poor man’s lobster” because of its firm, sweet flesh. It holds up beautifully to high-heat searing
- Whisk the lobster butter into the cream sauce off direct heat, a little at a time, to keep it from breaking
Ingredients
Directions
FOR LOBSTER BUTTER: Steam or boil lobsters until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
Cool, then remove all lobster meat from shells.
Refrigerate meat, covered; set aside.
In large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons clarified butter.
Add onion, carrot, celery, garlic, thyme, tarragon, and bay leaf; toss over high heat 3 minutes.
Add lobster shells, stirring; then add 2 tablespoons Cognac and stir for 3 minutes.
Add butter and tomato paste and simmer gently, covered, 2 to 3 hours.
Strain, pressing solids firmly.
Set aside for 15 minutes.
Skim any froth from surface and strain again through several layers of dampened cheesecloth, leaving behind any milky residue in bottom of pan (discard residue.
) Cool, then chill or freeze in small containers.
FOR LOTTE AND SAUCE: Pat lotte dry; sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Heat ½ cup clarified butter in heavy large skillet over medium high heat.
Working in batches if necessary, sauté lotte until lightly golden, about 2 minutes per side.
Scatter shallot around fish and cook 2 minutes longer.
Pour in ½ cup Cognac and cook 1 minute longer.
Transfer to warm serving plates and keep warm.
Add 1 cup cream to skillet and reduce by half.
Add remaining cup and boil until thick enough to coat a spoon lightly.
Lower heat and spoon in the ½ cup lobster butter a little at a time, whisking constantly.
Strain sauce into clean saucepan.
Cut reserved lobster meat into thick slices and add.
Simmer gently 2 minutes.
Place lobster pieces between pieces of lotte.
Nap with sauce; garnish with parsley and serve immediately
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