Lobster in Creamy Sauce

Ingredients

• Salt
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 bundle soup vegetables (ca. 250 g)
• 4 lobsters (each ca. 700 g)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp fennel seeds
• 3 tbsp brandy
• 3 onions
• 3 Carrots
• 1 bulb fennel
• 3 stalks celery
• 3 tomatoes
• 2 tbsp Tomato paste
• 4 tbsp vermouth
• 175 ml dry white wine
• 2 l vegetable broth
• 125 ml heavy cream
• 1 tbsp Cornstarch
• 40 g cold butter
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Instructions

1. 1.

   Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the cumin and roughly chopped soup vegetables. Place the lobsters in the boiling water and cook for about 3 minutes. Then reduce heat and let them simmer for about 8 more minutes (if the pot is not large enough, cook the lobsters one at a time).

2. 2.

   Remove the cooked lobsters. Break the lobster tail from the body by turning it counter‑clockwise. Open the shell from below and extract the meat. Release the flesh from the claws and legs.

3. 3.

   Wash the lobster shells for the sauce, pat dry with kitchen paper, and chop finely. Sauté them in hot oil in a pot. Add the fennel seeds and deglaze with brandy.

4. 4.

   Peel and dice the onions and carrots. Wash the fennel, cut off the core, and dice it. Clean the celery and slice into rounds. Wash the tomatoes and roughly chop them. Add the vegetables to the stock base and simmer gently on low heat. Stir in the tomato paste. Pour in the vermouth and wine, then add enough broth to cover everything. Let it cook on low heat for 1–1.5 hours.

5. 5.

   Strain the stock through a sieve and reduce it to about one‑third of its volume. Whisk in the cream and thicken lightly with cornstarch mixed in cold water. Fold in cold butter pieces and season the sauce with lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

6. 6.

   Plate the lobster with the sauce and garnish with chili threads and basil leaves as desired.