Lobster Corn Chowder

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My husband says: A fair bit of work, but ohhhh… talk about the taste of late summer in New England! Adapted from Jasper White’s recipe in “50 Chowders".

Ingredients for the stock

Serves 10 as a starter
5-6 as a main course

3 live lobsters, 1¼ to 2 lbs.
4 ears corn
1 cup tomatoes with their juice
2 medium onions
2 stalks celery
2 small carrots
4 cloves garlic

2 quarts of water
1 cup dry white wine
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 dried bay leaves
¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns

Remaining ingredients

4 oz pancetta, or meaty salt pork
1 large onion (10 oz)
2 - 3 sprigs thyme
1 ½ lb potatoes
Chives for garnish (optional)
4 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 ½ cups heavy cream
Salt, black pepper
Oyster crackers, Tabasco sauce, freshly ground black pepper

Instructions for the stock

My husband says: You can do this a day ahead – just separately refrigerate the stock, lobster meat and corn kernels. Then, before you start the chowder, bring them out and let them return to room temperature for an hour or so.

  1. Boil the lobsters in a large pot for 10 minutes, drain and let cool. Do not cook them completely, as the meat will cook further in the chowder.
  2. Meanwhile, grill the corn in the husk, and let cool.
  3. Chop the tomatoes. Thinly slice the medium onions. Thinly slice the celery. Thinly slice the carrots. Crush the garlic.
  4. When the lobsters have cooled, pick out all the meat, saving the shells and bodies. Split the bodies lengthwise; remove and discard the head sacs.
  5. When the corn has cooled, strip off the husks and silk, cut the kernels off the cob and reserve. Break the cobs in half and reserve.
  6. Place the lobster bodies & shells in a stockpot and cover with 2 quarts of water. Bring to a boil, skimming off the scum.
  7. Add the corn cobs, wine, tomatoes, onions, celery, carrots, garlic, thyme sprigs, bay leaves, fennel seeds and peppercorns. Let simmer for 1 hour.
  8. Strain the stock. If there’s more than 4 cups, reduce it further to 4 cups or so.

Instructions for the chowder

  1. Cut the pancetta or salt pork into ¼ inch dice. Cut the large onion into ¼ inch dice. Remove the leaves from the 2-3 thyme sprigs, and chop. Peel the potatoes, and cut into 1/3 inch dice. Finely slice the chives, if using, and cover and refrigerate them.
  2. Heat a 4-6 quart heavy pot over low heat and add the pancetta or salt pork.  Once it has rendered most of its fat, increase the heat to medium and cook until it is a crisp golden brown. If there’s more than about 2 tablespoons of fat rendered, pour off the excess.
  3. Add the butter, onion, and thyme and sauté, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes, until the onion is softened but not browned.
  4. Add the paprika and smoked paprika, and cook 1 minute longer, stirring frequently.
  5. Add the potatoes, corn kernels and the stock. If the potatoes aren’t covered, add enough water to do so. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and cook the potatoes vigorously for about 10 minutes, until they are soft on the outside but still firm in the center.
  6. If the chowder hasn’t thickened lightly, smash a few potatoes against the side of the pot, and cook a minute or two longer to release their starch.
  7. Remove from heat, stir in the lobster meat and cream.
  8. Salt and pepper to taste.
  9. Let sit, covered, at room temperature for 1 hour.
  10. When ready to serve, reheat over low heat – do not let it boil. Re-test for salt.
  11. Serve in heated bowls, with chives sprinkled on top - oyster crackers, Tabasco and black pepper on the side.