Chef Matt's "Fat Guy" Lobster Chowder

[Fat Guy]

Chef Matt's "Fat Guy" Lobster Chowder

Serves 4 as Appetizeror 2 as Main Dish.

Chef J. Matthew Seeber invented this dish in Fat Guy's home when Fat Guy was writing an article for Salon.com about mail-order lobsters. Later, Chef Matt converted this rustic version of the dish into a more haute, elegantly plated version (depicted here) that became part of the menu at the restaurant formerly known as Bid, with which he is no longer affiliated.

• 4 live 1.5-pound lobsters
  
• 1 medium onion peeled and quartered
  
• 1 large carrot peeled and roughly chopped
  
• 1 celery stalk chopped
  
• 1/2 small fennel bulb
  
• 2 c heavy cream
  
• 2 medium potatoes boiled and diced
  

Separate the tails and claws from the four live 1.5-pound lobsters. Boil them until the meat is just cooked, approximately four minutes for the tails and eight minutes for the claws (measured from the time the water comes back up to the boil). Serve the lobster tails immediately, or refrigerate for use in lobster salads or other recipes. Remove and chop the claw meat, and refrigerate for use in the chowder.

Remove all innards from each lobster body, setting aside the roe if the lobster is a female. Rinse the bodies thoroughly.

In a 4-quart or bigger pot, place the bodies, the peeled and quartered onion, the peeled and roughly chopped carrot, the chopped celery stalk, and, if available, half a small fennel bulb. Cover with approximately 2 quarts of the cooking water from the claws and tails (or use plain water). Do not add salt (lobster is naturally salty). Bring to a boil and simmer for three hours.

Strain the stock, discard the solids, and place the liquid back on high heat. Reduce until you have about two cups of thick, rich lobster stock.

Add an equal amount of heavy cream, two diced boiled potatoes and the lobster claw meat. Bring back to the boil, heat through and serve.

Optional:

# Combine the lobster roe with a few tablespoons of room-temperature butter and mix thoroughly with a fork until a smooth green paste is formed. Add this to the chowder at the end of cooking and boil, while stirring, for one minute. The lobster roe, when cooked this way, will turn everything a delightful shade of pink and provide further body and flavor to the chowder.

# Add a smoked pork product, like bacon or sausage, to the chowder for a nice smoky flavor.

# Add other chopped cooked vegetables (corn, carrots, leeks), fresh herbs (particularly tarragon) and/or shellfish (scallops, clams) to the chowder for variety.

# If you perform all three of these optional steps, this will be one of the best, most insanely rich things you've ever eaten.

Keywords: Soup, Seafood, American, Appetizer, Fish, Main Dish, Lunch, Expert, Dinner

( RG254 )