Lobster tortellini dish | How to prepare and clean a lobster

We’re going to make a delicious lobster dish. First I'm going to show you how to cook and clean a lobster. Then we’re going to make some lobster tortellinis, a delicious lobster and lemon butter, sweet and sour celeriac and a celeriac cream.

How to prepare and clean the lobster

Pierce the shell of the back of head to kill the lobster instantly. Now twist off the claws and the tail. Press a spoon between the meat and the shell of the tail to prevent it from curling up. Now boiling them for 1 minute for every 100 grams of lobster. Mine weight 500 grams, so I boil them for 5 minutes. Then cool them down in ice water. After that remove the spoon and press the tail to crack it. Then remove the shell. Now separate the claws from the knees. Then twist the finger and pull it out together with the swords. Be sure to pull out both swords. Now crack the claw open with the back of a knife and pull out the meat. Then cut the knees open with a scissor and remove the meat as well. Now portion the lobster tail and check the inside for any intensions. Then chop the knees and the claws into a fine tartare. Keep the lobster in your fridge for later.

The lobster butter

	The lobster head
1	shallot
100 grams	butter
1	lemon

Cut the lobster head in two and chop it. Then heat up a saucepan, add a drizzle of oil and pan fry the chopped lobster till it starts to color. Meanwhile cut the shallot in half and clean it. Now chop it. Then add the chopped shallot to the lobster and fry it for a couple more minutes. After add the butter and the peel from the lemon. Now turn down the heat and let it marinade for at least 45 minutes. Then pass it through a sieve that’s lined with a kitchen paper and keep it in your fridge for later.

The celeriac cream

1	celeriac
200 grams	vegetable broth
100 grams	cream
5 grams	salt
10 grams	olive oil
	The peel from half a lemon
	Xanthan gum powder

First clean the celeriac. Then cut 1/3 of the celeriac off and keep it for later. Cut the remaining celeriac in small cubes. Now transfer 300 grams of the cubes into a saucepan together with the vegetable broth, the cream, the salt, the olive oil and the peel from half a lemon. Now reduce the liquid completely on a medium heat. Once it’s reduced remove the lemon peels and transfer it into a blender. Now blend till smooth. When it’s smooth add a knife tip of xanthan powder to prevent the cream from splitting. Blend for another minute and then keep the cream in your fridge for later.

The sweet and sour celeriac

50 grams	white wine
50 grams	water
50 grams	white wine vinegar
50 grams	sugar
1	lemongrass
2	lime leaves
	The remaining celeriac

Pour the white wine into a saucepan together with the water, the white wine vinegar and the sugar. Then chop the lemongrass and add it to the saucepan. Also add the lime leaves and then bring it to a boil. Once it has boiled turn off the heat and let it cool down completely. Meanwhile take the remaining celeriac and cut it in thin slices on a mandolin. Make small stacks and cut them with a small round cutter. Then season some boiling water with salt and blanch the celeriac round for 1 minute. Now cool them down completely in ice water. Then pass the sweet and sour through a fine sieve and add the celeriac. Let it marinade in your fridge.

The pasta dough & tortellini

200 grams	flour
50 grams	semolina flour
5 grams	salt
25 grams	olive oil
200 grams	egg yolk

Transfer the flour on your worktop and make a well in the middle. Fill it with the semolina flour, the salt, the olive oil and the egg yolk. Now knead it into a nice dough, this takes around 5 minutes. Then cover the dough and let it rest in your fridge for at least 1 hour. Meanwhile let’s make the filling. Take the chopped lobster and add some celeriac cream and lemon zest. Then chop some chives and add it to the lobster as well. Mix this. After that dust your worktop with flour and roll out the pasta dough. Roll it till the thickness is around 2 millimeters. Then cut the dough with a round cutter. Now remove the excess dough and place a teaspoon of the filling on the middle of each circle. Then brush some egg wash around the filling. This is one part egg yolk and one part water. Now press the outside of the dough together and be sure to also press out all the air. Otherwise, the tortellini will break when boiling them. Then press the ends together to create a nice shape.

How to finish the dish

Start with seasoning some boiling water with salt. Then brush a thin layer of the lobster butter on the lobster tail and sprinkle some flaky salt on top. Heat it up at 90 degrees Celsius for 7 to 8 minutes. Meanwhile boil the tortellini for 2 minutes. Once cooked transfer them on a tray. Then keep some of the pasta water for later and drain the rest. Now pour around 20 grams of the lobster butter in the saucepan and also add the pasta water. Reduce this till a thicker sauce starts to for. Then add the chopped chives and the cooked tortellini. Give it a good hustle. Then take the hot celeriac cream and make a circle on a plate. Place half a lobster tail on the side and the tortellini on the other side. Add a tablespoon of the sauce and pipe a big dot of the celeriac cream in between the tortellini. Then decorate with the sweet and sour celeriac and some garden purslane.