Lobster Nam Tok
Lobster Nam Tok
Nam tok is a Thai dressing often used on grilled meats or fried fish; it's simple to make and pairs well with lobster, too. It's refreshing, zingy, and spicy. Serve with jasmine rice.
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Servings
1
Ingredients
- one 1 ½-pound live maine lobster
- 1/4 onion, sliced thinly
- 1 scallion, sliced thinly on a bias
- 1 habanero, stemmed, seeded, and sliced thinly
- juice of 1 lime
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon toasted rice powder (optional)
- 1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped (optional)
- 1 cup cooked jasmine rice, for serving
Directions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Dispatch the lobster using a chef's knife, and break apart the body, but do not boil the lobster. Reserve the head for making stock, or discard.
- Flip the tail over so that the legs are facing up, and insert a butter knife into the tail, wedging it in between the shell and the meat. (This will keep it from curling up like a shrimp when cooking, and will make it easier to remove the meat when cooked.) Drop the tail into the water, and cook until the shell is bright red; do not overcook. (For a 1 ½-pound lobster, it will take about 5 minutes for the tail.) Remove from the pot with a pair of tongs and drain in a colander set over a bowl.
- Next, cook the claws. For a 1 ½-pound lobster, this will take about 7 minutes. (A general rule of thumb is to cook the claws just 2 minutes longer than the tail.) Remove from the pot with a pair of tongs and drain in the same colander as before.
- To make the dressing, combine the onion, half of the scallions, habanero, lime juice, and fish sauce in a bowl. Add the toasted rice powder and cilantro, if using.
- Remove the butter knife from the tail (use oven mitts because it will be very hot), and carefully use kitchen shears to cut through the shell. Working over a bowl to reserve the juices, remove the meat from the shell. Next, carefully use the heel of a chef's knife and kitchen shears to crack through the claws or lobster crackers if you have them. Working over a bowl, remove the meat. Slice the tail meat into approximately ¼-inch rounds. Pour any reserved juices into the dressing. Arrange the lobster on a plate, and top with the dressing. Garnish with the remaining scallions, and serve with jasmine rice.