The Easy & Fast Way - Marc Forgione's Chili Lobster & Texas Toast

 Marc Forgione/TriBeCa, Photo Courtesy of Restaurant Marc Forgione

"Chef Way, Real Way" is one of my favorite features in Food and Wine Magazine. In it, the magazine's contributors figure out ingenious ways to make even the most involved and time consuming pro chef dishes more accessible to the home cook. 

This week, motivated by a fierce, ever-burgeoning obsession with a restaurant dish that "had me at hello," we're tackling Iron Chef Marc Forgione's bestselling appetizer "Real Way" style:

Chili Lobster with Texas Toast

Restaurant Marc Forgione in NYC's TriBeCa is a delightful place for a special night out. Check out their website HERE.  Forgione's creative and playful take on New American fare is as unique as it is well executed. The restaurant's rustic yet still modern ambiance is warm and inviting, and the service is always on point.  Order Chili Lobster as your appetizer. Please. You won't be sorry. What's it like? Well just imagine bite-sized chunks of Lobster bathed in a super spicy, buttery, and herbacious Asian Chili Sauce served along with thick slices of Sourdough Texas Toast that's just begging to be dipped. So now you know why we just had to to remake this showstopper recipe for the home cook.

Photo Courtesy of ChefShop.com

Our Changes to the Forgione Version:
Forgione's original recipe calls for Lobster Stock. Stock can be time consuming to make and requires you to have several lobster carcasses on hand, which both drives up the price of the recipe as well as the time it takes to prepare. Some specialty food markets do carry a paste-like Lobster base specifically for Lobster Stock. If you can find it, that would be a great option. Instead, my gourmet market carried a more widely available high-quality seafood stock concentrate that listed Lobster as one of its ingredients - it's called Glace de Fruits de Mer Gold from a brand called More Than Gourmet. Use this appropriately red-hued concentrate at full strength for this recipe and you will be left with a fast and fantastic lobster-ish stock that does the job. If you can't find it, regular Seafood Stock is another great option. We like the one from Kitchen Basics. 

Photo: NK 

Forgione also calls for various parts of the Lobster to be sauteed and baked separately. To make our Chili Lobster the faster home-cook way, we exclusively use easy to find frozen Lobster Tails that need only to be thawed, sliced in the shell, and very briefly stir fried in a blazing hot wok. Our version of Chili Lobster will save you time and the hassle of buying and processing several whole lobsters. As an added bonus, you don't have to worry about boiling live lobsters if you are squeamish about executing the poor guys - which I absolutely am, hypocrite though I may be.

Time to get out your fish forks. We're ready to cook. 

NK's Chili Lobster with Texas Toast
Adapted from Chef Marc Forgione of Restaurant Marc Forgione 
Serves 2 as a large appetizer or light entree 

Ingredients: 
1 Lb of Lobster Tails - Four 4 Ounce Tails (defrosted if frozen)

1 Cup Lobster Stock - Or prepare your own Mock Lobster Stock according to the below* OR 1 Cup Seafood Stock (We prefer Kitchen Basics) OR** 3/4 Cup Clam Juice mixed with 1/4 Cup Water

Mint Chiffonade and Scallion Threads, Photo: NK

2 Tablespoons Sriracha
1 Tablespoon regular Soy Sauce
3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1 Tablespoon Ginger, minced
1.25 Tablespoons Garlic, minced
Juice of 1 Lime
2 Tablespoons Mint, cut into a chiffonade
2 Scallions, green parts only, thinly sliced lengthwise into skinny threads (optional) 
4 Thick Slices of Sourdough, toasted
2 Tablespoons Canola Oil
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

*Ingredients & Prep of Seafood Stock 
(Yields 3.75 Cups/Adjust to the amount you desire - **you will only need 1 cup of stock per every 2 servings)
3.75 Cups Water
1.5 Ounce Container of "Glace de Fruits de Mer Gold" Stock Base by More Than Gourmet 

~To make Seafood/Lobster Stock, simply combine the entire 1.5 Ounce container of Glace de Fruits de Mer with water and stir over low heat.

~**Alternate Seafood Stock Substitute**- Simply Mix 3/4 Cup Clam Juice with 1/4 Cup Water

Chili Lobster & Texas Toast, Photo: NK

Method:
If you haven't already, toast the Sourdough and set aside. 

Using a kitchen scissor, clip all the tiny legs off the underside of the Lobster Tails.
Place Tails on a cutting board and cut, keeping the shell on, into 1 inch pieces. Note that it is easiest to cut through the crease in the shell segments and it requires a little elbow grease. 

Pan Sauteeing the Lobster Pieces, Photo NK

Over a medium flame, add Canola Oil to a Large Saute Pan or Wok and heat until the oil begins to smoke. 

Add the Lobster Tail pieces carefully (the oil may spit) and cook about 1 minute, stirring. Flip pieces over and cook for another minute. 

Toss the Garlic and Ginger into the wok and deglaze the wok by adding 1 Cup of Lobster Stock or Storebought Seafood Stock. 

Remove Lobster to a plate.

Turn flame up just a bit and allow Stock to reduce by half. This should take a few minutes but make sure to keep your eye on it. 

Next, add Sriracha (less if you are spice sensitive), and whisk in the Butter, tablespoon by tablespoon, into the wok. Stir to combine. 

Add Soy Sauce, several generous squeezes of the Lime, and Salt and Pepper according to your taste. Turn off the flame and toss Lobster back into Wok and give it a quick stir to coat. 

To Plate: Portion out Lobster Pieces into two bowls. Pour equal amounts of Chili Sauce over each serving. Perch 2 Slices of Texas Toast on the rim of each bowl. Garnish the Toast with Scallion Threads and the Lobster with the chiffonade of Mint. Serve with fish forks and enjoy!

A Visit to Nobu with Dad - Asian Style Miso Cod

Around 1996, my dad and I dined at the famous Japanese restaurant, Nobu, in NYC's TriBeCa. Back then, it wasn't common practice for me to visit upscale restaurants. I was still a teenager and this was a big event for me, one prompted by the fact that Dad had received a gift certificate there from my brother and sister in law. To my delight, he chose to take me as his dinner guest, his little sushi fiend.

Nobu, NY - Photo Courtesy of Nobu Restaurants

Earlier that year, he had also introduced me to the wonder that is sushi. On weekends, during my visits to his house in New Jersey, our ritual was to hit the Asian supermarket in Edgewater and come back with trays and trays of takeout sushi. I got hooked. Like me, Dad was also someone who relished a good nap, so the best part about our weekly sushi binges was that afterwards, we'd both fall into what we called a "sushi coma" on the couches in front of the TV. Those were good times.

Overall, Dad and I shared a lot of the same traits with regard to food. He was the type that would become fixated with one food item and eat it every day for several months. The subjects of his obsessions ranged from things as simple as Dannon Coffee Yogurt and Del Monte "Very Cherry" Fruit Salad, to Alaskan King Crab Legs that he'd buy by the pound from Costco. 

The guy knew how to live it up and eat well, and he did everything to the max.

If you ask anyone who knows me, they'll tell you I go through the same sort of food jags. Currently it's Guy and Gallard's Chicken and Dumpling Soup for lunch. In college, I ate a toasted bagel with one slice of melted cheese, a tomato, and hot sauce. This was my favorite lunch for four years running.  In high school, the subject of my desire for a solid year was a slice cheese cake from our cafeteria. Astonishingly, I gained not one pound from this everyday indulgence, though I can't look at cheese cake to this day. Cheers to teenage metabolism, I guess! Those days too, are long gone.

Naturally, when our big night at Nobu rolled around, I was a totally fixated on ordering sushi and had zero interest in anything else they served. In my single minded quest, I nearly missed one of the best things they offered on their menu - the Miso Glazed Black Cod. On the waiter's recommendation, my dad requested it. Black Cod, unlike other cod varieties, is truly the Cadillac of fish. It has a luscious, buttery texture and a delicate flavor. With a little nudge of the fork, it flakes off easily into silky, perfectly symmetrical segments. It's a beautiful fish that should be eaten slowly and thoughtfully. Miso pairs with it naturally. 

Once Dad's cod arrived, I still turned up my nose when he offered me a bite, but when I finally agreed to taste it, boy was I glad. Now that I cook regularly, I thought it might be nice to find a Miso Cod recipe in order to recreate this special memory. While the authentic Nobu recipe is available online HERE. The recipe I ultimately adapted is from Food.Com and tastes the same. I find it easier too, though they don't differ all that much.

The recipe I've provided below is worthy of food addiction. Though black cod comes with a steep price tag, this dish is totally worth it. It's also easy enough for a weeknight dinner (both the main course and the vegetable side can be made in under a half hour, not counting five minutes to prepare the cod marinade the night before), but because it is so tasty and elegant, it's also a great dinner party choice. 

Dad passed away in 2005 and I miss him every day. Yet, I feel blessed that I have lots of great memories to draw on, and enumerable traits in myself that remind me of him. Do enjoy this easy and tasty version of the Nobu classic (and the suggested veggie side), and I hope that you too have great memories of family and food.

Sauteed Scallions, Shitake Mushrooms and Asparagus 

Recipe Adapted from Martha Stewart

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 Lb Fresh Shitake Mushrooms, stems removed

1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil

Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

1 Lb of Asparagus, trimmed and cut diagonally into 2 inch pieces

2 bunches Scallions, sliced diagonally into 2 inch pieces 

1 teaspoon White Wine Vinegar

Shitake Mushroom, Scallions, Asparagus, Photo: NK

 

Method:

Slice the mushrooms thinly.

In a large skillet, heat oil over high heat.

Add mushrooms and cook, tossing frequently, until browned. About 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, boil 3 Cups of Salted Water in a small saucepan.

Add Asparagus and cook for about 3 minutes until crisp yet tender. Drain.

To Mushrooms, add Asparagus and Scallions. 

Add Salt and Pepper to taste.

Cook, tossing frequently, until pan is dry and scallions have wilted. About 2 minutes.

Add vinegar and serve immediately. 

Asian Style Miso Black Cod

Recipe Adapted from Food.com's "Chef at Large"

Serves 4

Ingredients:

24 ounces of Black Cod (4 Six-Ounce Steaks)

1/2 Cup White Miso Paste (available at Asian Supermarkets) 

1/4 Cup Mirin (Asian Seasoned Cooking Wine) 

1/4 Cup Sake (If you don't have Sake on hand, a dash of any clear alcohol works)

2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce

2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup

 

Method:

The Day Before: 

Combine Miso, Mirin, Sake, Soy and Maple Syrup in a small pot over low heat.

Mix ingredients until smooth and incorporated, about 5 minutes.

Let the mixture cool and pour it over the cod in a container to marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours or more.

The Day Of:

Set oven racks in the middle of the oven and one in the broiler position.

Preheat oven to 450.

Remove fish from the marinade and scrape off as much as you can.

Place fish on the middle rack on a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes.

Turn on broiler and move fish to broiler position.

Broil another 2-3 minutes so that the top browns and glazes a bit.

Remove and serve immediately with a bit of rice and optional pickled ginger.

Miso Glazed Black Cod with Scallion, Asparagus and Shitake Saute, Photo: NK

Enjoy! 

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