Tournedos of Lotte with Lobster
Submitted by 7753
Tournedos of lotte (monkfish) with lobster, sauteed monkfish medallions plated with lobster meat in a silky Cognac-cream sauce enriched with homemade lobster butter. An elegant French restaurant classic for special occasions.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
3 hrsREADY
3 hrsThis is French haute cuisine at its most indulgent, the kind of dish that used to anchor special-occasion menus at four-star hotel restaurants in the 1980s. Medallions of monkfish (called lotte in France) stand in for beef tournedos, and lobster meat joins them on the plate. The sauce is where the real work lives.
The homemade lobster butter takes 2 to 3 hours of gentle simmering but it’s the secret weapon that home cooks skip at their peril. Lobster shells get sauteed with mirepoix, deglazed with Cognac, then simmered in 3 pounds of butter with tomato paste. Strained, skimmed, strained again through cheesecloth, chilled into a rust-colored compound butter packed with concentrated crustacean flavor. Freeze any leftover in small containers for another dish.
For the finish, monkfish sautees quickly in clarified butter, Cognac flambes the pan, cream reduces to a nap-the-spoon consistency, then the lobster butter whisks in spoonful by spoonful for color and depth. Slices of lobster meat warm gently in the sauce before the whole composition gets plated with fish and lobster alternating on each plate.
Pro Tips
- Pat the monkfish completely dry before searing, wet fish steams instead of browns
- Don’t let the lobster butter simmer actively, gentle and slow extracts flavor without turning the butter bitter
- Strain the sauce through several layers of dampened cheesecloth, any grit ruins the silky texture
- Add the lobster butter off the heat, vigorous boiling breaks the emulsion
- Warm plates in a low oven before serving, cold plates drop this sauce temperature fast
Variations
Ingredients
Directions
** See recipe for Clarified Butter.
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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