Name: Lobster poached in ginger-coconut milk with melon
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 40 gm ginger, coarsely chopped (8cm piece); 1 lemongrass stalk, white part only, coarsely chopped; 1 tbsp vegetable oil; ½ tsp each white peppercorns and coriander seeds, finely crushed in a mortar and pestle; 400 ml coconut milk; 3 kaffir lime leaves, coarsely torn; 1½ tbsp fish sauce, or to taste; 15 gm light palm sugar, or to taste, crushed; 2 cups Thai basil leaves (loosely packed); Juice of 1 lime, or to taste; 3 uncooked lobster tails, halved, meat removed, cut into large bite-sized pieces; To serve: steamed jasmine rice; 2 small green chillies, thinly sliced, to serve; Sweet and sour melon; ½ honeydew melon, cut into 5cm cubes; 120 gm caster sugar; 55 ml rice wine vinegar; 1 tbsp fish sauce; Fried shallots; For shallow-frying: vegetable oil; 6 golden shallots, thinly sliced

Lobster poached in ginger-coconut milk with melon

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for lobster poached in ginger-coconut milk with melon.

Serves 4

Prep

45M

Cook

10M

Total

55M

Ingredients

40 gm ginger, coarsely chopped (8cm piece)

1 lemongrass stalk, white part only, coarsely chopped

1 tbsp vegetable oil

½ tsp each white peppercorns and coriander seeds, finely crushed in a mortar and pestle

400 ml coconut milk

3 kaffir lime leaves, coarsely torn

1½ tbsp fish sauce, or to taste

15 gm light palm sugar, or to taste, crushed

2 cups Thai basil leaves (loosely packed)

Juice of 1 lime, or to taste

3 uncooked lobster tails, halved, meat removed, cut into large bite-sized pieces

To serve: steamed jasmine rice

2 small green chillies, thinly sliced, to serve

Sweet and sour melon

½ honeydew melon, cut into 5cm cubes

120 gm caster sugar

55 ml rice wine vinegar

1 tbsp fish sauce

Fried shallots

For shallow-frying: vegetable oil

6 golden shallots, thinly sliced

Method

Main

1.For sweet and sour melon, place melon in a non-reactive container and set aside. Stir sugar, vinegar, fish sauce and 80ml water in a saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves, set aside to cool, pour over melon and refrigerate to pickle slightly (20 minutes).

2.For fried shallots, heat oil in a wok over medium-high heat until shimmering, add shallot and stir until golden (3-5 minutes). Strain through a metal sieve and set aside to drain on absorbent paper.

3.Process ginger, lemongrass, oil and spices in a small food processor to a fine paste. Heat a saucepan over medium heat, add paste and stir-fry until fragrant (1-2 minutes). Add coconut milk, kaffir lime leaves, fish sauce, palm sugar and half the Thai basil, stir to dissolve sugar and bring to the simmer. Add lime juice, adjust seasoning to taste, add lobster and simmer until just cooked through (2-3 minutes). Spoon onto steamed jasmine rice, top with drained sweet and sour melon, fried shallots, thinly sliced chilli and remaining Thai basil leaves and serve.