Lobster Mousse Loaf (Biscuit de Homard) rich and delicate

Name: Lobster Mousse Loaf (Biscuit de Homard)
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 165 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 1 blue lobster, preferably 21 oz (600 g); 14 oz (400 g) whiting fillets, boneless; 3 whole eggs; 3 dl heavy cream; 1 bunch fresh chives, finely chopped; A pinch of Cayenne pepper or Espelette powder; Fine sea salt; For the sauce:3 dl sweet Jurançon wine (late harvest) or Sauternes; 3 dl liquid cream; 1 shallot, finely chopped; 2 dl prepared fish stock; 1 knob of butter; 3.5 oz (100 g) frozen raw peas

A recipe by Michelin-starred Chef Patrick Asfaux 4.9/5 (22 reviews) · 🍳 19 made it

Prep 45 min

Cook 60 min

Rest 1h

Total 2h45

Servings 6 serv.

Whiting mousse, firm and smooth, with chunks of blue lobster in the center, cooked in a water bath for 45 minutes at 180°C. Clean-cut texture, sweet Jurançon wine sauce.

Ingredients for 6 servings

Adjust for

servings

1 blue lobster, preferably 21 oz (600 g)
14 oz (400 g) whiting fillets, boneless
3 whole eggs
3 dl heavy cream
1 bunch fresh chives, finely chopped
A pinch of Cayenne pepper or Espelette powder
Fine sea salt

For the sauce:

3 dl sweet Jurançon wine (late harvest) or Sauternes
3 dl liquid cream
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 dl prepared fish stock
1 knob of butter
3.5 oz (100 g) frozen raw peas

Step-by-step recipe

Cooking the lobster:

1 Bring 2.1 qt (2 liters) of water and 0.9 oz (25 g) of salt to a boil, add peppercorns, bay leaf, thyme, and an onion studded with a clove, then at a rolling boil plunge the live lobster into the pot. Cook for 12 minutes per 17.75 oz (500 g), then remove it and let it cool.

Recipe progression:

2 In a blender or bowl, place the whiting fillets, well-chilled cream, eggs, salt and pepper, and blend until you have a compact paste.

3 Then with a spatula, gently fold in the coral cooked and removed from inside the lobster and the meat from the shelled claws, and finally the bunch of chopped chives. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

4 Preheat your oven to 355°F (180°C) (gas mark 6).

5 On your work surface, place a loaf pan (non-stick or silicone) for 6 servings in front of you, then line the bottom and sides with the mousse using a spatula, then add the shelled lobster that you will have cut into large cubes in the middle and fill to the top with the remaining mousse. Smooth the top with your spatula, then place your pan in a roasting pan with hot water at mid-height (water bath) and place in the oven for 45 minutes.

6 While it cooks, you'll have plenty of time to prepare the sauce. In a saucepan, sweat your chopped shallot for 3 minutes without browning, then add the wine and cream, let reduce by half, add the fish stock and let reduce by another third. Taste and season, then blend and strain through a fine sieve. Keep this sauce warm in a water bath.

7 For the peas: place the frozen (unthawed) peas in a strainer, then plunge the strainer into boiling salted water for 1 minute, then remove and plunge them into ice water. Drain them and set aside in a small bowl.

8 To test your loaf, do as usual, insert a needle or knife blade in the center, it should come out dry and hot. Remove your terrine from the water bath and let it rest on your work surface for 10 minutes covered before cutting 6 thick slices.

9 In a small saucepan, warm half of the sauce and stir in the peas.

Presentation:

10 Place a beautiful slice of lobster loaf in the center of the plate, with a drizzle of sauce and peas arranged around it. Serve the remaining sauce hot in a sauceboat. It's customary to serve the same wine used in making the dish.

A chef's advice

In Brittany, some cooks replace the whiting with pollack, which is firmer and holds together better when sliced. Others, around Brest, add crab coral when lobster is in short supply. Here the sauce is made with late-harvest Jurançon, but young Sauternes works well too, with more liveliness on the finish.