I recently had the pleasure of making my lobster ramen and also getting a little exercise in with my fellow mommy friend, Nicole DeBoom. Nicole is the Founder & CEO of SkirtSports, and like the super mom she is - she manages running a business, staying fit and chasing around her 6-year-old little girl Wilder who is a good buddy of Ellie's. Check out our adventures here as we walk through making lobster ramen at my house and also give you some comic relief.
Always a crowd favorite - I've made Lobster Ramen only about 5 times so it truly is a labor of love but so satisfying to see the look on people's faces when they take their first bite. The lobster shell infused Shio Base is layered with flavor, the thinly shredded red cabbage adds a vibrant pop of color and the lemon zest gives it all a fresh brightness that pairs well with the lobster. It's decadent, delicious and definitely one of my favorites.
Lobster Ramen (ロブスターラーメン Robusuta-Ramen)
Serves 6
Prep time: 45 minutes, plus time to make Shio Ramen Soup Base, fresh Ramen Noodles (optional), and Roasted Garlic (optional)
These components need to be made ahead of time:
Shio Ramen Soup Base – See Recipe for Shio Ramen Soup Base.
Ramen Noodles (optional) – See Recipe for Ramen Noodles. Or noodles can be purchased.
Roasted Garlic Butter (optional) – See Recipe at bottom.
Ingredients:
Six lobster tails, about 5 to 6 oz each
6 tablespoons ghee or clarified butter
wooden skewers soaked in water for at least 15 minutes
Lobster Stock ingredients:
12 cups chicken or vegetable stock – homemade or store bought
12 tablespoons unsalted butter
¾ cup mirin
1 large rectangular piece of kombu (about 10” length) – cut in to large squares
12 dried shitake mushrooms, crumbled into small pieces
6 bay leaves
Additional Toppings:
1 small mound of arugula and spinach mixed together per serving
2 lemons with zest (1 teaspoon zest and 1 wedge per serving)
½ head purple cabbage, shredded (1 small mound per serving)
1 dollop of Roasted Garlic Butter (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450º F.
Split the lobsters down the center of the back by turning over and cutting in half lengthwise through the shell with kitchen shears, starting from head and leaving the tail intact.
Thread a soaked skewer through the underside of the tail through the bottom of the shell.
Brush the underside portion with the exposed meat with clarified butter. Wrap in foil and set in a roasting pan in one layer. Bake for 15 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes and remove the lobster tails from the foil, reserving the drippings to add to your stock.
Make the Lobster Broth: in a large soup pot over high heat, combine the stock, butter, mirin, kombu, dried shitake mushrooms, bay leaf and reserved lobster drippings. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
Carefully remove the lobster meat from the shell by sliding a knife under the meat and gently lifting it out of its shell. Do this over your roasting pan to save any of the juices that drip. Add the shells and any of the lobster juices to your stock. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes.
Have all of your toppings ready so that they can be quickly placed on top of your ramen when it's ready.
Place a pot of water to boil for your noodles.
Line a colander with cheesecloth and set it over a pot large enough to hold the stock. Strain the lobster stock and return it to the stove. Add 1/2 cup of your pre-made Shio Base. Right before serving, crank it back up to boil.
Boil the noodles—if fresh, boil for about 1 minute; if packaged, boil for about 2 minutes.
While the noodles are boiling, pour two cups of piping hot soup into each bowl. As soon as the noodles are done, shake out all of the excess water and lay a portion into each bowl of hot soup by folding them on top of each other so they do not look messy.
Top each bowl with a lobster tail, shredded purple cabbage, a small mound of spinach and arugula mixed together. Add zest of lemon and a dollop of roasted garlic butter and squeeze a lemon wedge over each bowl before serving.
Roasted Garlic Butter
Many ramen shops offer cloves of fresh garlic and a press at the table so you can squeeze the garlic right into your ramen. I prefer the more subtle flavor of roasted garlic (plus I don’t like sweating garlic all day). This butter adds flavor and richness to any ramen soup and it’s delicious spread on bread or toast.
Serves: 4 - 1 tablespoon portions
Prep time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Ingredients:
Quantities can be increased for more portions or to save for later. This can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.
1 head garlic
4 tablespoons or 1/2 stick of unsalted butter at room temperature
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400º F
Cut about ¼ inch off of the top of the garlic bulb to expose the cloves and place the garlic on a piece of aluminum foil.
Drizzle the bulb with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and wrap with the foil to cover completely.
Repeat with additional heads.
Place on a cookie sheet on the center rack and bake for 1 hour until the bulb(s) start popping up out of their skins and are caramel in color. You can take a peek to check.
Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins onto a cutting board. With the back of a knife or a fork, mash the cloves into a paste.
Transfer to a small bowl and combine with the butter until well incorporated.
Store in a covered container and refrigerate for up to 4 weeks. Bring to room temperature before using.
