The Best Wine and Lobster Pairings For Outdoor Entertaining

Posted on June 5, 2020

Best Wine & Lobster Pairings for Outdoor Entertaining

With the Fourth of July just weeks away, the outdoor entertaining season with fresh Maine lobster is moving into full swing. With the lobster menu decided upon, the question that always comes up is what are the best wine and lobster pairings for outdoor entertaining?

Maine lobster and white wine

First of all, let’s answer the question that is most asked. No, you can not serve red wine with lobster. The tannin in red wine and the iodine in lobster will react, overpowering the delicate flavor of the lobster, giving the meat a metallic taste. Therefore, no red wine, not even Beaujolais or other kind of low-tannin red should be served. The Gamay of even a subtle red will over power the lobster. The only exception is Lobster fra Diavolo, when Chianti is the only choice. But that discussion is for another day.

Wine and Steamed Lobster Pairing

Today we are entertaining outdoors and a traditional steamed lobster dinner is on the menu. So what wines are most enjoyable?

I will start out by saying beware of serving robust white wines such as the new types of Chardonnay that have overly vibrant fruit flavoring. The natural saltiness of lobster, as with any seafood, will amplify the flavor of a big fruity Chardonnay. So unless you are grilling your lobster, go with a Chardonnay that is gently touched with fruit, and mostly unoaked.

Perfect chardonnay for serving with lobster

Pouilly-fuisse & Lobster

For us, we prefer steamed lobster with a white burgundy such as Louis Jadot Pouilly-fuissé (2018 $24.99). This wine has wonderful Chardonnay flavors, minerals and just a bare touch of oak. The perfect pairing for enjoying the sweet, delicate taste of warm lobster dipped in melted lobster butter.

First Course Oysters

The first course should be Wellfleet oysters. They must be shucked and served as an appetizer. On a large platter covered with plenty of ice, arrange the oysters in circles with traditional New England red cocktail sauce, lemons and horse radish … the only way to serve oysters.

What wine to pair with raw oysters?

The world’s perfect oyster must be served with the perfect Champagne. We enjoy Taittinger Champagne La Francaise (2017 $49.99). This sparkling wine has a high blend of Chardonnay grapes to yield a balance of stone fruit and crisp hints of bread crust. One sip of chilled Champagne, followed immediately by a world famous Wellfleet oyster, and your taste buds will explode. Trust me, you will love it.

Taittinger Champagne goes with Wellfleet Oysters

Champagne & Oysters

The steamers and chowder should be served as the second course well before the lobster and paired with a zesty Chardonnay. I enjoy pairing the clams with La Crema Montery Chardonnay (2018 $19.00). This is a wine with its own fresh mineral notes and tropical aromas of lemon that will nicely pair with the sweet, ocean flavor of the steamer clams. Just chill the wine and serve.

Chardonnay & Steamers

Fleet of Wines, Shellfish & Lobster

Wellfleet Oysters and Taittinger Champagne; La Crema Chardonnay and Maine steamer clams (or shrimp); and of course, Louis Jadot Pouilly-fuissé and lobster; sweet, fresh lobster will all contribute to a memorable outdoor dining experience. The perfect pairings of three wines with three courses of all the best seafood New England has to offer will have your dinner guests abuzz. Believe us when we say, it does not get any better than this.

Just let us know what time we should be there for dinner.

© Wayne Howe 2020

Cooking lobster and recipes Lobster roll recipes

Make Your Own authentic Maine Lobster Roll Right at Home

Posted on May 15, 2020

Make Your Own authentic Maine Lobster Roll

There is nothing that says sunshine and sea as the taste of a specially prepared, fresh lobster roll on a toasted New England bun. Waterfront clam and lobster shacks have been serving up lobster rolls all summer. Now, you can make your own authentic Maine lobster roll right at home anytime of year.

Cape Cod, Ipswich, Massachusetts and the Maine seacoast are world famous for the lobster roll made with freshly caught lobster. The lobster meat, cooked to sweet perfection, is served overflowing a top loading bun. Add a side of chips, a cold beer and a sunny table, and you’re there. The recipe may vary a bit from town to town but it always begins with freshly caught lobster.

Jumbo Maine Lobster Roll on New England bun

A lobster roll from the Clam Box, Ipswich, MA

This longing for the opening of lobster-shack season was made all the more interesting when recently it was learned that Chuck Hughes, owner of the Garde-Manger Restaurant in Montreal, was named Food TV Iron Chef of America, in part because of his preparation of a good old Maine lobster roll. That’s right. The judges went crazy for his lobster roll!

For those of you who share our passion for the lobster roll but can’t go to Maine or Cape Cod, we decided to share Chef Hughes winning lobster roll recipe. We have only few hints to add.

The lobster must be fresh and healthy, so only order from a reputable lobster online dealer. Ask for a couple of females so that you can collect the lobster roe to make lobster butter. Steam or boil the lobster in a large pot of salted water and take care not to over cook. Overcooking will make the meat tough. When opening the cooked lobster, cut the meat into large chunks. And finally, make sure to pick a quality, top-loading bun.

It’s All About the Maine Lobster

Remember, it’s all about the lobster!

Here is Chef Hughes recipe, adapted from his cookbook Garde-Manger:

Maine Lobster Roll Recipe

Serves 4
For an added Iron Chef twist, feel free to add a smidgen of chopped dill.4 lobsters, weighing about 1 1/2 pounds (675 grams) each

2 tablespoons (30 mL) best-quality mayonnaise

2 scallions, cleaned and finely chopped

Salt and freshly ground pepper

4 hotdog buns

Lobster butter (recipe follows)

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the lobsters for 6 minutes, and then plunge them into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.
Shell the lobsters and cut the flesh into large pieces. Combine the lobster with the mayonnaise and green onions. Season the mix to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

When serving: Butter the buns with the lobster butter, and toast them in a fry pan until golden. Divide the lobster mix among the four buns and serve immediately.

Lobster Butter Recipe

Makes 1 pound (450 grams)
Lobster butter keeps refrigerated for one month, or can be frozen for up to three.
1 pound (450 grams) unsalted butter, softened
Roe from one female lobster

In a large fry pan, melt the butter and whisk in the (roe) eggs. The butter will be red. Pour into a container and keep refrigerated until ready to use.

© Wayne Howe 2016

Cooking lobster and recipes Holidays Lobster Lobster Recipes

Mother’s Day Maine Lobster Benedict Brunch Recipe

Posted on May 2, 2020

Coming fast, Mother’s Day 2020 is May 10th this year. So this time begin Mom’s special day with a Mother’s Day lobster brunch of homemade fresh Maine Lobster Benedict, a beautiful dish that is sure to make your Mother’s Day celebration very special indeed. As we like to say, flowers are great, but a Mother’s Day gift of lobster just tastes better.

The Maine Lobster Benedict recipe begins with fresh Maine lobster. You will need five one-pound lobsters to garner 1 pound of cooked lobster meat. You steam the lobster as usual and use a large chef’s knife to open the claws and tail to remove the meat. Of, if you prefer, you can buy one pound of freshly cooked Maine lobster meat. Just make sure the lobster is fresh.

The Maine Lobster Benedict recipe will provide four servings for a great Mother’s Day Brunch. The recipe includes preparing homemade Hollandaise Sauce:

Hollandaise Sauce Ingredients:

2 egg yolks
½ cup (1/4 pound) unsalted butter
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
Dash of cayenne pepper
Sea salt

Other Ingredients

4 English muffins
12 asparagus spears, steamed
1 pound cooked Maine lobster
1 tablespoon butter
8 eggs, poached

Prepare the Hollandaise Sauce:

Melt the butter in a double-boiler on top of the stove.
In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper.
Whisk the egg mixture into the melted butter, stirring constantly over heat until the sauce starts to thicken.
Season to taste with sea salt.
Remove the double boiler from the heat and keep the sauce warm over the hot water.

Prepare Maine Lobster Benedict:

Split and toast the English muffins and place 2 halves on a plate.
Cut the steamed asparagus spears in half, and place 3 halve-pieces on each English part of the English muffin.
Briefly sauté the pre-cooked lobster in 1 tablespoon of butter until it is heated, and add a portion of the heated lobster to each English muffin.
Poach the eggs and top each muffin half with a poached egg.
Add a dollop of the Hollandaise Sauce on top.

Note on the Hollandaise Sauce from Chef Tom Gutow: If the butter fat and egg yolks separate and the sauce appear to curdle, add a few tablespoons of hot water from the boiler and whisk like crazy to emulsify it. This will make the sauce smooth again.

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