Equipment
Ingredients
Lobster and Poaching Liquid
- 2000 ml water
- 250 ml dry white wine
- 30 g sea salt
- 4 lobster tails, raw, in shell
Garlic Basil Mayonnaise
- 2 egg yolks, room temperature
- 20 g fresh basil, leaves only, packed
- 2 garlic, peeled
- 10 g dijon mustard
- 15 ml lemon juice, freshly squeezed, at room temperature
- 150 ml neutral oil
- 50 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 3 g kosher salt
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 565 kcal
- Protein
- 21 g
- Carbohydrates
- 1 g
- Fat
- 53 g
- Fiber
- 0 g
- Sugar
- 0 g
- Sodium
- 810 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 8 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 10 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Cholesterol
- 243 mg
- Potassium
- 268 mg
- Calcium
- 122 mg
- Iron
- 0.9 mg
- Magnesium
- 49 mg
- Phosphorus
- 228 mg
- Zinc
- 4.3 mg
- Vitamin A
- 49 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 3 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.5 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 3.1 mg
- Vitamin K
- 28 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.2 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 1.6 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.05 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.07 mg
- Niacin
- 1.9 mg
- Folate
- 29 mcg
- Water
- 109 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Combine the water, dry white wine, and sea salt in a large pot, then bring to a rolling boil over high heat.
Submerge the lobster tails in the boiling liquid using tongs, reduce the heat slightly to a gentle simmer, and cook for 5 to 6 minutes until the shells are bright red and the internal meat temperature reaches 60°C/140°F.
Transfer the cooked lobster tails immediately into a large mixing bowl filled with ice water to rapidly halt the cooking process.
Remove the cooled lobster meat from the shells using a chef's knife or kitchen shears, carefully avoiding breaking the tail meat, and discard the shells.
Place the extracted lobster meat in a sealed container and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes until completely chilled through.
Process the fresh basil, garlic, room temperature egg yolks, Dijon mustard, and lemon juice in a food processor until the herbs and garlic are completely pulverized and smooth.
With the food processor running continuously, pour the neutral oil and extra virgin olive oil through the feed tube, starting drop by drop, until a thick and stable green emulsion forms.
Slice the thoroughly chilled lobster tails into even medallions and arrange them on plates, serving generous spoonfuls of the garlic and basil mayonnaise alongside for dipping.
Chef's Notes
- Using a blend of neutral oil and extra virgin olive oil is critical. Blending 100 percent extra virgin olive oil in a food processor can rapidly shear the bitter polyphenols, resulting in an unpleasantly metallic and bitter mayonnaise.
- Ensure all mayonnaise ingredients, especially the egg yolks and lemon juice, are at room temperature. Cold yolks are stiff and much more difficult to emulsify, greatly increasing the risk of your mayonnaise breaking.
- For the most tender lobster meat, never hard boil the tails. Once they are dropped into the boiling liquid, lower the heat to maintain a gentle poach, which prevents the proteins from rapidly seizing and becoming rubbery.
- To safely consume raw egg yolks, you can utilize pasteurized eggs in the shell. Alternatively, coddle the eggs by submerging them whole in boiling water for precisely one minute before separating the yolks.
Storage
Refrigerator: 2 days — Store mayonnaise in an airtight container with plastic wrap pressed directly to the surface to prevent oxidation.
Troubleshooting
Mayonnaise is thin, watery, or visibly separated into oil and liquid pools
Cause: Oil was added too quickly before an emulsion could establish, or ingredients were too cold
Fix: Whisk a fresh room-temperature egg yolk with a teaspoon of warm water in a clean bowl, then slowly whisk the broken mayonnaise mixture into the new yolk drop by drop.
Prevention: Drizzle the oil drop by drop at the beginning, ensuring each addition is fully incorporated before adding more. Always use room temperature ingredients.
Cultural Context
The pairing of chilled shellfish with an aromatic, garlic-forward emulsion is heavily inspired by Le Grand Aioli, a traditional Provencal feast celebrating fresh coastal ingredients. Integrating vibrant fresh basil brings a distinctly summery Italian twist to the classic French preparation, harmonizing beautifully with the natural delicate sweetness of cold-water lobster.
