Brodetto with Lobster and Corn
This beautiful brodetto is brimful of colors, tastes, and textures, and extends the flavor of lobster to bowls of polenta or pasta. Lobster and corn cooked together in a brodetto is not traditionally found in Italy. I discovered this combination of flavors when I was traveling through Maine and other parts of the Northeastern coast of the United States, and I liked it so much that I took the liberty to Italianize the duo. The preparation follows the basic steps of all red brodetti: First the floured lobster pieces are fried to seal the flesh and caramelize it. Then they’re put back in the skillet with aromatics, tomato, and seasonings to create the brodetto, and the addition of corn adds sweetness and texture. Most people eat only the tails and the claws of lobsters, but don’t you disregard the heads and tiny legs—they are the sweetest parts. After having enjoyed the polenta and the sought-after parts of the lobster, set yourself up with a wet towel and a clean plate, and begin to nibble and suck on those little legs, biting into them now and then to squeeze out the meat. Then pull the head piece up close and pull the inside part from the shell, lick the shell, and set it down. Slowly begin to pry open the chest chambers, and with an oyster fork pry out morsels of some of the sweetest lobster meat. At our house it is the heads of the lobsters that are rationed, not the tails.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 6
Ingredients
Recommended equipment
Preparation
Cutting Up the Lobsters
Step 1
About 30 minutes before cutting them up, put the lobsters in the freezer, in whatever bag or paper wrappings they are in. They will become inactive as their temperature drops.
Step 2
Before cutting up the lobsters, put towels under your cutting board, extending out, to catch the juices that are released.
Step 3
You will split the lobster lengthwise in two strokes of the chef’s knife. Hold the lobster flat on a cutting board with your left hand on the tail, put the point of the knife just behind the head, and with a sharp stroke cut through the top of the shell, bringing the knife blade down between the eyes and antennae of the lobster. This splits the head part in two. Turn the lobster so you are now holding with your left hand the split front, and split the entire tail in one stroke. Let the split halves lie with their cut sides open, so flesh and innards and juices stay in the shell.
Step 4
Next, cut the claws off where they attach to the head; then cut the meaty pincer part of each claw from the jointed knuckle. Crack the heavy shell of the pincers on both sides, using the back of the knife blade. Cut lengthwise slits in the knuckle joints with the knife point—this will make it easier to remove the cooked meat.
Step 5
Now look in the split halves for a pale vein (the digestive tract) that runs from the tail forward, along the top side only; pick it out and discard. Next, pick out and discard the stomach sacs, located behind and underneath the eyes, in both head sections.
Step 6
Using the shears (or the knife if you prefer), cut off the eyes and antennae and the bit of shell that holds them. Snip off the small legs where they attach to the front shell.
Step 7
Cut the tail section from the head section, leaving as much of the meat in the tail as you can, and all of the tomalley and roe in the head.
Step 8
Split and cut up the second lobster in the same way. You should now have four split head sections, four split tail sections, four cracked pincer claws, four slit knuckle joints, and sixteen small legs.
Frying the Lobsters
Step 9
Flour the eight split head and tail sections by sprinkling flour over the cut sides and patting the flour to cover the meat, tomalley, roe, and the rest of the insides completely. You can’t press or roll the lobster in flour, because the innards will come out—and you don’t need to put flour on the outside shells.
Step 10
Pour the canola oil into the skillet, using enough to coat the bottom completely. Set over medium-high heat; when the oil is hot, quickly lay the split pieces, floured side down, in the pan. Don’t move them for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes, until caramelized and crusted evenly—give the wider head pieces a bit more time in the pan than the tail pieces. Remove each piece with tongs and set it on a board or a tray, cut side up. Put the claw pieces in the pan—no flouring needed—and fry them for 20 seconds or so on each side, then remove them too.
Making the Brodetto
Step 11
Pour out the canola oil and pour in 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Set over medium-high heat and stir in the onion and shallots. Sprinkle on 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and stir as the onion heats for a minute or so; then lay the four head pieces in the pan, fried side up. Strew the sixteen small lobster legs in the skillet, and stir them around with the onion.
Step 12
Cook for another minute, and then scatter the chopped leeks into the pan; stir them and heat for a minute. Clear a space, and drop in the tomato paste; toast it in the hot spot for a minute, then pour in the milled tomatoes or tomato sauce and 2 cups of broth or water—or more, if necessary, so the lobster shells are just covered. Raise the heat to high, sprinkle the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and the peperoncino all over, and stir and shake the pan as the sauce comes to a boil.
Step 13
When it is boiling, cover the pan and adjust the heat so the sauce is perking nicely all over the surface. Cook for 10 minutes or so, shaking the pan now and then; uncover and add broth or water, if necessary, to keep the pieces barely covered. Cover the pan and cook another 5 minutes or so.
Step 14
Now uncover the pan, and push the claw and tail pieces into the sauce all around the skillet. Bring the sauce to a good simmer again, and cook uncovered. After 4 minutes or so, lift up one of the head pieces with tongs, holding the shell so the meat is free to drop out. Shake the shell sharply; I usually bang the tongs vigorously on the side of the pan to dislodge the meat into the sauce. Empty all the head pieces this way, while the sauce keeps simmering. (If you can’t fit the tail and claw pieces into the pan, empty out a couple of head pieces earlier.) When the heads are gone, stir the sauce, taste, and add salt if needed.
Step 15
Stir the corn kernels into the skillet, and drizzle over pan the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil. Simmer about 4 minutes covered—or cook uncovered over high heat if the sauce needs thickening—then stir in the scallions and cook for another minute, or until the corn is tender and the brodetto is flowing yet dense and rich.
Step 16
Serve in warm bowls over loose hot polenta or grilled polenta slices, or use to dress spaghetti or other pasta. Have grilled country bread to dunk in the sauce. If you are serving more than four and everyone wants lobster tail, cut the tail pieces crosswise in half; claws must be distributed whole and shared peacefully.
