Stir-Fried Szechuan Lobster with Chili Sauce
Submitted by crystle
Wok-seared lobster tossed in a fiery Szechuan chili sauce with hoisin, ginger, garlic, and dried red chilies. Restaurant-quality stir-fry ready in just 15 minutes from start to plate.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
5 minREADY
15 minIf you’ve ever wondered how Chinese restaurants get that blistered, sauce-glazed lobster with the crackling chili heat, here’s your answer.
This Szechuan-style stir-fry starts with a smoking-hot wok and fresh lobster pieces seared until just cooked through. The sauce brings together hoisin, chili paste, rice wine, fish sauce, and sesame oil into something deeply savory with a slow-building, lip-tingling kick.
The whole thing comes together in about 15 minutes, which means your biggest time investment is prepping the lobster itself.
Chef Tips
- Get your wok ripping hot before adding the oil; you want it smoking so the lobster sears rather than steams
- Have every ingredient measured and ready to go before you start cooking; this moves fast
- If you can’t find Shaoxing (shao-hsing) rice wine, dry sherry makes a solid substitute
- Serve immediately over steamed jasmine rice to soak up every drop of that sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the sauce: mix together the hoisin sauce, chili sauce, shao- hsing, soy sauce, fish sauce, chili paste with garlic, sugar, MSG (if desired), sesame oil, hot chili oil, and ½ teaspoon of the peanut oil.
Reserve.
Add the remaining ¼ cup of peanut oil to a large, very hot wok over very high heat and heat until the oil is smoking.
Salt the cut lobster pieces lightly and add them to the hot wok.
Sear the cut surfaces until the lobster is just about cooked, 3 to 4 minutes.
Remove the lobster pieces and place them on a platter (or, place them on paper towels to drain some of the oil.)
To the oil remaining in the wok, add the ginger, scallions, garlic, and dried chilies.
Stir-fry for 1 minute.
Add the lobster pieces, and toss to blend well.
Add the reserved sauce, and toss to blend well.
Turn the mixture out onto a platter and serve immediately.
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