STEAMED LOBSTER WITH SEA URCHIN CREAM

INGREDIENTS:

Lobster:

1 live lobster (450/550gr.)

30 cc. Dashi soy sauce

4 tsp white truffle oil 

Smoked sea urchin:

1 sea urchin

Powdered sea urchin:

1 sea urchin

Lotus roots:  

1/5 fresh lotus roots

Grapeseed oil

Dashi stock

Dashi soy sauce

Salt and Shichimi (powdered Japanese pepper)

Sea urchin cream:   

300 gr. fresh sea urchins (Sashimi quality)

350 cc. prawn stock

7 gr. gelatine

18 gr. white miso

15 cc. white truffle oil

Others:

Caviar, ginger in wafer-thin slices, spring onion, slices of Japanese cucumber

PREPARATION:

Lobster: Steam the lobster for 6 min. in its shell. Place in a plastic bag and submerged in iced water for 30 sec. Peel the tail, retaining any juices, and cut into small portions. Mix with the Dashi soy sauce and rectify with the lobster juices. Add the white truffle oil.

Smoked sea urchin: Steam the fresh sea urchin for 4 min. Smoke for 5 min. in alder (Alnus glutinosa) smoke. Leave to cool.

Powdered sea urchin: Steam the fresh sea urchin for about 20 minutes then bake in the oven at 190ºC (374ºF) for 18 min. (moving every 2 min.). Grind to a very fine powder.

Lotus roots: Cut the roots into very thin slices and sauté in grapeseed oil until soft. Add a little Dashi stock and Dashi soy sauce. Season with salt and shichimi.  

Sea urchin cream: Steam the sea urchins for 20 minutes then bake in the oven at 190ºC (374ºF) for 10 min. (moving every 3 min.). Dissolve the gelatine in the hot prawn stock. Place all the ingredients except for the miso and oil in the blender. Mix until smooth. Add the white miso and white truffle oil.

TO SERVE:

Place each slice of lotus root in a round metal mould. Add a layer of steamed lobster, then a layer of sea urchin cream  then another layer of lobster. Add a wafer-thin slice of ginger with caviar, spring onion, sea urchin and powdered sea urchin. Turn out onto a bed of cucumber slices and serve.