MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – Representatives from Red Lobster joined News13 NOW at 9 a.m. on Friday to talk about preparing lobster. One technique that many people may not be familiar with is the “en papillote” technique, which is a French term referring to preparing steamed lobster in parchment paper.
Watch the video for a full explanation. The following is an outline of the information that was covered:
- The first step in preparing your lobster meal is selecting your cooking technique.
- There are more ways to cook lobster than people may think – including grilling, steaming, roasting and more.
- While you can’t go wrong with any of these preparations, you can choose your favorite based on your flavor and texture preferences.
- First is a grilled lobster tail– which is one of our most popular preparations at Red Lobster.
- This prep gives the tail those really nice grill marks and caramelizes the juices, adding to the flavor
- Next is a roasted lobster tail.
- Roasting the lobster tail enhances the sweet flavor.
- After the tail is roasted, at Red Lobster, we brush it with a garlic butter sauce, pairing the sweet and savory flavors
- Lastly, we have two variations of steamed lobster tail.
- You can steam the lobster tail using boiling water
- At Red Lobster, we use Lobster and Crab pots, which are specifically designed to lock in the moisture in our seafood
- Another preparation steams the lobster in parchment paper, which is a cooking technique called en papillote.
- Steaming in parchment gives you tender and flavorful lobster in just minutes.
- This is a great preparation for home-cooks because you can add in vegetables, rice, fresh herbs, and the parchment paper works to help seal in all of the flavors.
- First is a grilled lobster tail– which is one of our most popular preparations at Red Lobster.
- To prepare lobster steamed in parchment, you’ll start by:
- First: Lay out the parchment paper
- Next: Build your culinary masterpiece!
- At Red Lobster, we use rice pilaf as our base, which soaks up all of the delicious flavors
- Then: Place an uncooked Maine lobster tail in the center of the base, and add your toppings.
- Today, we’re using fresh green onions and tomatoes.
- And we’re going to top it with an herbed butter that has notes of lemon, parsley and chive, but at home, you can customize to your liking
- You can season with salt, pepper and Red Lobster’s Signature Seafood Seasoning that you can find in grocery stores
- Now we fold! Take the empty side of the paper over top of the lobster tail to create a pouch, making sure to create a tight seal to keep the steam in
- It’s like pinching the sides of a pie crust
- Next: Transfer the parchment paper pouch to a baking sheet and bake at 375º for about 15-20 minutes.
- Since ovens may vary, make sure you cook the lobster until the internal temperature reaches at least 145º