Cantonese-Style Ginger Scallion Lobster
User Reviews
4.9
100 reviews
Excellent
-
Prep Time
35 mins
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Cook Time
15 mins
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Total Time
50 mins
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Servings
4 servings
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Calories
260 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
Chinese
Cantonese-Style Ginger Scallion Lobster
Report
Cantonese-Style Ginger Scallion Lobster is prepared by splitting live lobsters and flash-frying the pieces until crisp. A savory sauce of ginger, scallions, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, and seasonings is then quickly stir-fried and poured over the fried lobster to create a fragrant, tender seafood dish with aromatic accents.
Description
This recipe begins by chilling live lobsters to ease handling. The lobster is then dispatched by removing the head shell and claws, cleaned by removing inedible parts such as gills and sand tract, and split lengthwise into halves. The lobster meat is coated lightly with flour and cornstarch, then flash-fried in hot oil until golden and crispy. This frying locks in moisture and texture while creating a crisp exterior.
A sauce is prepared from thinly sliced ginger and scallions stir-fried with Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and white pepper. This flavorful sauce is poured over the hot fried lobster pieces to infuse notes of aromatic ginger and pungent scallions. The resulting dish combines crispy lobster texture with a bold, fragrant sauce typical of Cantonese seafood preparations.
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Ingredients
- 2 lobster 1 ¼ to 1 ½ pounds each, live
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 cups neutral cooking oil for flash deep frying; plus 2 tablespoons, generic cooking oil
- 6 lices ginger
- 3 scallions (cut into 2-inch pieces)
- 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/8 teaspoon sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
Instructions
- Put the lobsters in the freezer for 10 minutes. This puts slows their metabolism, de-sensitizes them, and makes them easier to handle.
- Remove the head shell to dispatch the lobster. You can discard these, or trim them so that they can sit upright on the plate (if you want to keep them for presentation, which is what's done in most restaurants).
- Cut off the mouth portion of the lobster head with a cleaver or chef's knife. Cut or twist off the lobster claws, and cut off the smaller legs. Set those aside.
- Remove and discard the lobster gills, which are inedible. Remove the green mustard, innards and the sand tract. Rinse all the lobster pieces under cold running water. You can discard the mustard, use it in another dish, or include it in this dish. We left it out (some people don't like the strong flavor).
- Split the lobster lengthwise from the head portion to the end of the tail, so you have two halves. Take each half and cut off the upper section, separating it from the tail portion (there's actually quite a bit of meat in that piece). Cut each tail half into 3 equal pieces, giving you 6 total tail meat pieces. You can adjust this according to the size of the lobster.
- Separate the elbow joint from the claws and split each claw with a cleaver (using a mallet may help).
- Let all of the lobster pieces drain of excess water after you rinse them and pat dry with a paper towel.
- Mix the flour and cornstarch in a shallow bowl, and lightly dredge the lobster pieces. Dredge only the exposed meat to seal in the juices.
- At this point, many restaurants deep fry the lobster in a large wok to quickly seal in the juices. This process only takes 20 seconds or so, but for home cooking, we'll use a smaller pot and fry in batches. This flash fry method cooks the lobster about 70% of the way through, enhances the lobster flavor, produces a rich color, and seals in the juices while preventing the tender meat from overcooking.
- Heat 2 cups of oil in a small pot to about 350 degrees F, and drop the lobster into the pot a couple pieces at a time for about 10 seconds. Remove to a sheet pan to drain. The shells should turn bright red almost instantly.
- To finish the dish, start with a clean wok over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil to the wok, along with the ginger. Let the ginger fry for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.
- Add the white portions of the scallions and the lobster. Stir fry on for 20 seconds, keeping the heat cranked up as high as it'll go.
- Pour the wine around the perimeter of the wok and immediately cover it. Let it cook for about 2 minutes. This step infuses or "bakes" the lobster with the ginger and scallion flavor.
- Uncover the wok and add the soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, white pepper, and the rest of the scallions. Stir fry for another minute. You can add a couple tablespoons of water if the wok is too dry. Serve!
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Calories
260kcal
(13%)
Carbohydrates
7g
(2%)
Protein
12g
(24%)
Fat
15g
(23%)
Saturated Fat
1g
(5%)
Cholesterol
45mg
(15%)
Sodium
520mg
(22%)
Potassium
173mg
(4%)
Fiber
1g
(4%)
Sugar
1g
(2%)
Vitamin A
90IU
(2%)
Vitamin C
1.7mg
(2%)
Calcium
59mg
(6%)
Iron
0.6mg
(3%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 4servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 260 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 260kcal | 13% |
| Carbohydrates | 7g | 2% |
| Protein | 12g | 24% |
| Fat | 15g | 23% |
| Saturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Cholesterol | 45mg | 15% |
| Sodium | 520mg | 22% |
| Potassium | 173mg | 4% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 1g | 2% |
| Vitamin A | 90IU | 2% |
| Vitamin C | 1.7mg | 2% |
| Calcium | 59mg | 6% |
| Iron | 0.6mg | 3% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.9
100 reviews
Excellent
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