Jump to content
  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

Lobster tails for 30-40


luke duke

Recommended Posts

I have been tasked with cooking lobster tails for a group of 30-40 people. The lobster will be paired with some prime NY Strips.

 

Being from Texas and not having many options for lobster, we have bought 10lbs of 4oz cold water lobster tails from Restaurant Depot.

 

I am looking for suggestions on how to cook such a large quantity of lobster tails in the easiest way possible without sacrificing too much flavor. I have two large pots/strainers, so I could boil/steam them all at the same time. I have a large enough grill where I could grill them in two batches. I have enough oven space where I could probably broil them all at the same time, but definitely in two batches. I have sous vide equipment.

 

Any suggestions?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have no experience on quantity service but I must comment that with such small tail I would:  cut in half lengthwise, lube up with olive oil, salt, smashed garlic and herbs of choice (maybe a touch of citrus)- then either grill or roast at high heat. I absolutely would not boil or steam - you will have nothing but mush. They will take 5 to 7 minutes max - do a test. They will be fine room temp at service in my opinion so finish them and set aside, concentrate on the beef and serve.

Edited by heidih (log)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not a professional so FWIW, I'd go with sous vide for the "set and forget" aspect. Skewer 'em so they don't curl, bag with some beurre monte and away you go. At service pull the skewers, cut open the shell with scissors (for easy eating) add a quarter lemon and a little cup of butter and you're done.

Edited by William Colsher (log)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not a professional so FWIW, I'd go with sous vide for the "set and forget" aspect. Skewer 'em so they don't curl, bag with some beurre monte and away you go. At service pull the skewers, cut open the shell with scissors (for easy eating) add a quarter lemon and a little cup of butter and you're done.

 

How long and at what temp would you cook them?

 

 

10 lbs lobster is no where near enough for 40 people.

 

dcarch

 

I also have two striploins.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How long and at what temp would you cook them?

130 F for 15 minutes when I make Lobster Eggs Benedict with little tails like that. However... When I posted  I had completely forgotten that I peel the tails prior to the butter poaching for which I apologize. Obviously it's an extra step before cooking that will take some time.

 

And... 130 F might be a little on the rare side for some - other recipes specify 140F for 20-30 minutes which is probably closer to what most people think of as "normal".

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've never been happy with SV lobster. I know restaurants do it very successfully, but I haven't found a temp/time combo to my liking.

I think it may be a problem to try to boil/simmer the tails all at once - even if you have two pots. The problem is that you probably don't have enough heat, unless you plan on putting the pots on a wok burner. Dropping 15-20 lobster tails into a pot of boiling water will drop the temp considerably, and depending on how much heat you have, may take a really long time to come back to temp - during which time, you have no idea how long it's been at what temperature.

I think a more realistic way to do it would be to cook them in small batches in a pot. Since your tails are small, I can't recommend timing, but guessing, I'd simmer for about 5 min. then turn off the heat and let steep (covered) for another 10. Take out the tails and let them cool in the air, during which time you can bring the pot back to a boil and do it again for the next batch. You can then refrigerate the tails (well wrapped) for a day or so, and then either reheat on the grill, or all at once in a big pot of water for a minute or two. You can do these all at once because it doesn't really matter what temp the pot drops to - you're just reheating for a few minutes anyway.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have no experience on quantity service but I must comment that with such small tail I would:  cut in half lengthwise, lube up with olive oil, salt, smashed garlic and herbs of choice (maybe a touch of citrus)- then either grill or roast at high heat. I absolutely would not boil or steam - you will have nothing but mush. They will take 5 to 7 minutes max - do a test. They will be fine room temp at service in my opinion so finish them and set aside, concentrate on the beef and serve.

As a New Englander (read, lobster expert), I pretty much agree with Heidi. Grill or bake, with mix of butter and olive oil. Citrus and herbs sound good, or you can do something spicy. You could poach, peel, and sautée in butter and herbs if you want to serve on top of the strips rather than alongside. Please do not SV. Whatever you do, cook just until opaque. Four oz tails sounds barely what we would call legal. So err on the short side of time. When poaching I tend to boil water, plunge in lobsters, then turn off the heat.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If this were my party, I'd start by cooking the lobster tails until just done, then plan on reheating to serve.  I'd do stage one by putting all the tails in a large pot and bring it to about 170F.  Drain, rinse and hold chilled for Step 2.  Which would be to drop into a warming bath of say 140F and plate out as convenient to coordinate with the steaks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...