Lobster with Curry Sauce
Submitted by geoff
Boiled lobster medallions and claw meat served in a rich curry sauce made from the lobster cooking liquid, Calvados, white wine, and curry powder, finished with a butter-flour thickener.
YIELD
2 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
1 hrsREADY
2 hrsThis is French technique meets Indian spice, and the result is spectacular.
Whole lobsters get a quick boil, then broken down into medallions and claw meat. But the real work happens with the shells. They go right back into the pot with onion, curry powder, garlic, tomato paste, Calvados, white wine, and fresh herbs. That 45-minute simmer extracts every bit of flavor from the shells into a concentrated, deeply savory sauce.
Calvados (apple brandy) adds a fruity warmth that plays beautifully against the curry spice. It’s an unexpected combination that feels both elegant and bold.
The sauce gets strained, then thickened with a quick butter-flour paste whisked in at the end. You want it just thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, not gloppy.
A final quick saute in butter reheats the lobster meat without overcooking it. Arrange the medallions and claws over a pool of sauce, and you’ve got a dinner party centerpiece.
Pro Tips
- Save the lobster cooking liquid. You need exactly 4 cups. Don’t dump it.
- Crack the claws carefully. You want whole pieces of claw meat, not fragments. Use the back of a heavy knife rather than a cracker, which crushes the meat.
- This recipe can be prepped 6 hours ahead. Make the sauce and prep the lobster meat separately, refrigerate both, and finish just before serving.
Variations
- Substitute brandy or Cognac if you can’t find Calvados. You’ll lose the apple note but keep the depth.
- Serve over steamed basmati rice to catch every drop of that curry sauce.
Ingredients
Directions
Bring large pot of water to boil.
Add lobsters; cover and boil 9 minutes.
Using tongs, transfer lobsters to large bowl of cold water.
Reserve 4 cups cooking liquid.
Drain lobsters.
Working over bowl to collect juices, remove claws and tails.
Cut tail meat through shells into ½ inch wide medallions.
Remove shells.
Crack claws; carefully remove meat.
Reserve large pieces, reserving all juices and shells.
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat.
Add onion, curry and garlic, sauté 2 minutes.
Stir in tomato juices.
Boil mixture 2 minutes.
Stir in tomato paste, then Calvados and reserved shells and juices.
Boil mixture 2 minutes.
Add reserved 4 cups lobster cooking liquid, wine, thyme, parsley and bay leaf; bring to boil.
Reduce heat; simmer until sauce is reduced to 1 ⅔ cups, about 45 minutes.
Strain into medium skillet, discarding solids.
(Can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Cover; shill lobster and sauce.)
Mix 2 tablespoons butter and flour in small bowl.
Bring sauce to simmer.
Whisk in butter mixture; boil 2 minutes, whisking constantly.
Season with salt and pepper.
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in another heavy medium skillet over Add lobster medallions and claw meat. Sauté just until heated through, about 1 minute. Divide sauce among 4 plates. Arrange medallions and claw meat atop sauce and serve.
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