The First Annual “Lobster de Mayo” presented by Homarus, hosted by Food Network’s Katie Lee, join chefs from 20 of the city’s finest restaurants, for a night of lobster and top-shelf tequila to benefit City Harvest. New Yorkers and their guests sampled an exquisite lobster tasting menu of inventive Mexican-themed dishes created exclusively for this event. Guests savored some of the best tequilas available as they also participated in a Silent Auction, whose proceeds were given to City Harvest. Those who purchased a VIP ticket were granted access to the VIP Lounge, as well as signed cookbooks from world-renowned chefs. *All lobster was supplied from Maine, by Homarus
Restaurant participants include:
TAO, Lavo, Gramercy Tavern, Marea, Catch, ABC Kitchen, Bodega Negra, La Cenita, Marc Forgione, and many more.
I have been to many food festivals, but nothing similar to this. When most people hear the word Lobster they immediately perk up and know exactly what they want to eat, and that is- LOBSTER, many say in their head, how I could get so lucky, Lobster is too expensive to order on a normal day. They immediately think- splurge. Lobster De Mayo was all about splurge. As guests walked in- they were able to meet Top Chef’s Katie Lee, and John Legend’s wife- Chrissy Teigen, who is known for being a major foodie. Guests were greeted with wine, and in the first hallway were given lobster dishes prepared by Betony, Tao, and ABC Kitchen. At this junction- most guests didn’t know whether to leave these food stations or enjoy the rest of the Lobster event because their first bites were perfect enough.
As you walk into the main corridor of the event, lights beamed through the midway of the banquet hall, the DJ was blazing, and in the center of the restaurant stations laid a ginormous Patron bar. In the main dining room, were some of NYC’s finest restaurants, Lobster tacos from soft to hard shell were handed out from Tao and Beauty & Essex. Lobster mac & Cheese was prepared by Chef Hung Huynh, most were raving that they had not tried anything like it, but others were stunned by Chef Yuhi Fujinaga and his Lobster 5 ways from sea Grill NYC.
I felt like a kid in a candy store, as shell fish is my end all be all. I fell in love with two chefs from Lobster De Mayo event, and just was impressed with their chef skills- Chef Frank Cervantes of Arlington Club and Chef Mathew Hughes of Tao.
Special recipes they served!
Chef Frank Cervantes: Arlington Club
Baby kale greens with grilled lobster and citrus foie gras dressing:
The baby kale greens and the flowers are two guys farm in Union Square and for the recipe that’s “as necessary” or enough for four salads roughly 6 to 8 ounces
Take a ¼ a lobe of foie gras and dice medium size briefly sear on a very hot pan with “once briefly cooked set foie aside save rendered fat for salad dressing.
2 whole lobster cook in boiling water for 5-8 minutes or until not moving. Remove from boiling water and cool in ice water briefly do not let completely cool down it is easier to remove from shell when the lobster is still a little warm! Split in ½ & Remove from shell marinate in E.V.O.O. for a couple of minutes or however long it takes you to make the dressing
For the vinaigrette
- ¼ lbs. butter “1st brown butter”
- 3 tbsp. of finely chopped garlic “2nd slightly brown in butter”
- 1 cup of roughly chopped Shallots “3rd “cook in butter after garlic is golden”
- 1 cup soy sauce “deglaze with soy then add rest of ingredients and stir well let come to a boil then cool. Once cooled add Tarragon.
- 1 cup lime juice
- 1 cup lemon juice
- Reserved foie fat. Should be about 1-2 cups
- 1.5 cup grape seed oil
- .5 cups sherry vinegar
- 1 bunch of tarragon roughly chopped.
For salad garnishing or ingredients to the salad
- Four pieces of jumbo asparagus or as needed peel and briefly cook in boiling water cut to desired shape
- Hearts of palm also cut to desired shape
- Orange and grape fruit peel and cut wedges make sure to take out seeds
- Shallots chopped then tossed in woundra flour then fried at 300 degrees until crispy
Arrange salad
- Toss greens and vegetables vinaigrette Place in middle of bowl
- Pan sear or grill lobster and put on top in middle of the salad
- Slightly heat up foie pieces and place around the salad
- Finish with citrus segments and crispy shallots
- Top garden flowers
Chef Mathew Hughes: Tao
Lobster Sausage
Mis En Place
- 1 piece seared lobster sausage
- Steamed matao bun
- Green papaya slaw
- Red curry mayo
- Nam Prik Mayo
- Kefir Lime oil
- Micro Basil
Green Papaya Slaw
- 1/4 cup Green Papaya Fine julienne
- 1/4 cup Carrot Fine julienne
- 3 oz. Prik Dressing
- 28 g Chopped Thai Basil
- 28 g Chopped Cilantro
Prik Dressing
- 4 dried red Thai chilies
- 2 red Thai bird chilies
- 4 cloves garlic
- 3 coriander roots cleaned
- 2 t salt
- 4 oz. Palm sugar by weight
- 1/2 cup fish sauce
- 1.5 cup lime juice
Method:
- take chilies, garlic, coriander and salt grind to a paste
- add sugar and pound more
- add fish and lime juice mix well
Lobster sausage
- 200 g raw lobster tail
- 100 g raw shrimp
- 40 gram red curry mayo
- 15 g brunoise bell peppers
- 150 g cooked diced claw
- 3 g chopped Thai basil
- Bacon sliced on #
Method:
- Remove Claws from lobster and steam for 8 minutes
- Cool in ice water and remove meat and reserve.
To remove tail meat place the lobsters in a slurry of ice water and salt and set in freezer for about an hour. - Remove from water and crack tails to remove meat
- Grind raw lobster with shrimp with small, die fold in remaining ingredients.
- Pipe mixture onto plastic wrap and roll tightly into sausage shape, making sure there are no air pockets.
- Tie both ends and steam for eight minutes, cool in ice bath.
- Remove Plastic wrap and wrap sausage with bacon.
- Sear in pan on all sides till bacon is cooked.
- On plate place a line of Prik Mayo, place steamed Mantao on plate and spread a 1/2 teaspoon of red Curry mayo on bread, top with sausage, then Papaya slaw, Drizzle all with kefir lime oil
Red Curry Mayo
- 200 g Mayonnaise
- 2 g Kefir Lime salt
- 8 g lime juice
- 70 g red curry paste
- Blend all until smooth
- Kefir Lime oil
- 50 g kefir lime leaves
- 32 oz. Blended Oil
Method:
- Place all in blender and blend until oil is smoking
- Strain through cheese cloth and chinoise, cool
Prik Mayo
- 16 oz. ketchup
- 16 oz. Mayo
- 8 oz. namprik pao
- 2tbs chopped garlic
- 1/8 cup rice vinegar
- 1/8 cup siracha
- lemon juice for acid to taste
- salt and pepper
- 1 chopped shallot
