WA Lobster Spaghetti - Chef Recipe by Ben Achurch

Ingredients

3 x 500 g WA lobsters
400 g brown onion
200 g leeks
200 g celery
200 g carrot
3 cloves garlic
80 g tomato paste
100 g cognac
700 g dry white wine
500 g cream

50 g ginger
1/2 bunch coriander
30 g gochujang
1 stick lemongrass, cut into 1 cm pieces
6 kaffir lime leaves
80 g lime juice

600 g lobster meat diced into 1 cm pieces, 100 g per serve
30 g minced garlic
24 heirloom cherry tomatoes, quartered

660 g spaghetti (110 g per serve)
Butter
Salt and pepper

3 finger limes, pressed out and deseeded
1 punnet each micro coriander and micro shiso

1 tsp per serve chilli oil, or chilli crisp

Method

Take your WA Lobsters and either wearing thick gloves or wrapping a tea towel around the tail as to not get spiked, twist the tails off. Using a knife, cut the heads in half and keep to the side. Using scissors, cut down either side of the tail from the join to the fan being careful not to cut into the meat. Wiggle the tail meat out carefully in one piece. If you're lucky the digestive tracked will stay attached to the shell in one long piece. Keep the shells with the heads for the bisque. If not, using a sharp knife cut down the middle of the tail and remove it. Do the same for all 3 tails. Cut each tail into 4 strips long ways then turn and cut into 1 cm dice. Store in a bowl or lidded container in the fridge.

Slice the onion, celery, carrot and leek nice and thin. Put a large pot on the stove and turn to high. Add a 1 cm layer of oil to the pot. Once just smoking, be careful and add the lobster heads and shells. Stir to evenly caramelise. Add the veg and again stir to lightly caramelise. Add the tomato paste and stir to cook out. Add a pinch of salt then add the cognac, once boiling add the white wine. Bring that to a boil, then cover with cold water and boil till reduced by half. Add the cream and again reduce by half.

Pass the liquid through a fine chinois or sieve. Be sure to press against the veg and shells to extract as much of the liquid as possible.
Fill a blender jug half full with the bisque. Add all the aromatics and lime juice and process on high for 2 minutes. Pass this through a fine chinois or sieve into the remaining bisque.

Mix it well, then taste to adjust seasoning to taste with salt and lime juice if needed.

Bring a pot of salted water to the boil for the spaghetti (if using fresh pasta it will take approx. 1-2 minutes and for dried it will take approx 7-8 minutes), so cook accordingly so your pasta is ready when the lobster is.

Heat 2 large pans with some oil till just smoking, add half the lobster meat to each. And stir to get light golden colour. Add the garlic and stir till fragrant. Add 300 g bisque to each pan (put the rest of the bisque in the freezer to use another day) along with half the butter each and bring to a boil while stirring. Add the spaghetti to each pan, followed by the tomatoes and toss to fully incorporate and coat. Taste and add salt if needed.

Divide between 6 warmed bowls.

Scatter the top with the finger lime, herbs and a light drizzle of chilli oil or chilli crisp.

Recipe provided by Fish House Steak & Grill