Dublin Lawyer Image Used Under Creative Commons License From Donalskehan.com
Citizens, lobster has been on my mind these last few weeks, as evidenced by my more recent recipe postings!
One of the all-time classic lobster preparations is the unusually-named “Dublin Lawyer”, a close cousin to the famed Lobster Newberg.
Supposedly named for its luxurious ingredients of whisky and cream, suitable for the rich lawyers of the Irish capital, the recipe is a true classic of the Emerald Isle despite the fact that the Irish historically eat seafood less than most every other European maritime country!
The eating of seafood, despite Irelands enormous coastline, is just not that common – Irish people eat well below the European average of seafood.
It appears that it may have been more common in the past, but declined markedly in the last few centuries. There may be various reasons for this.
Irish owned shipping was severely restricted under English governance from the late 16th century on. Ireland was traditionally a cattle-based economy and fish was associated with religious fasting.
It was the traditional food of fast on Fridays, in common with other Catholic countries. Also, seafood and particularly shellfish became associated with the poor and the shame of colonization.
Seafood remained an important part of the diet in coastal cities like Galway and Dublin. In Dublin the fish seller is celebrated in the traditional folk song “Molly Malone”, and in Galway the international Galway Oyster Festival is held every September.
Citizens, this is a delicious and traditional recipe guaranteed to bring a tear to the eye of any gastronome (Irish or otherwise) fortunate enough to be at your table when you serve this!
Battle on – The Generalissimo
PrintThe Hirshon Irish Dublin Lawyer
- Prep Time: 0 hours
- Cook Time: 0 hours
- Total Time: 0 hours
Ingredients
- 1 live female lobster, about 2 ¼ pounds
- 2 sticks of butter (15 tablespoons)
- 4 tablespoons Irish whiskey
- 5 ounces heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 6 button mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 3 shallots, minced
- A pinch of cayenne
- A pinch of paprika
- salt
- black pepper
- Minced fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Put the lobster into the freezer for several minutes to sedate it. Position a sharp knife at the top of the head and plunge downwards, cutting towards the eyes. This will immediately and painlessly kill the lobster. Cut the lobster in half down the center.
- Remove all the meat, including the claws, but retain the shell for serving.
- Cut the meat into chunks.
- Heat the butter until foaming and quickly sauté the lobster chunks in it, until just cooked but not colored.
- Warm the whiskey slightly, pour over the lobster and CAREFULLY set fire to it. Once the flames have died down, remove the lobster, add mushrooms and shallots and cook until tender.
- Add lobster back along with the cream, lemon juice, mustard and mix with the pan juices, and taste for seasoning, add cayenne, paprika, salt and black pepper to taste.
- Put all back into the half shells and place under a hot grill for 2-3 minutes until the sauce is bubbling.
- Garnish with minced parsley and serve hot with fresh lemon wedges, steamed baby potatoes and a fresh mixed salad.
- Category: Recipes
Nutrition
- Calories: 631.7 kcal
- Sugar: 5.11 g
- Sodium: 506.74 mg
- Fat: 59.43 g
- Saturated Fat: 37.29 g
- Trans Fat: 1.86 g
- Carbohydrates: 9.98 g
- Fiber: 1.93 g
- Protein: 9.47 g
- Cholesterol: 217.65 mg
