Adobo lobster roll

Adobo, where meat, seafood or vegetables are cooked with a punchy mix of vinegar, soy, garlic and pepper, is an unofficial national dish for Filipinos. Here, it uses juicy lobster tails for a simple but delicious roll.

Credit: Kitti Gould

• serves

  4

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• Squeeze of lemon juice
• Pinch of salt
• 2 lobster tails
• 100 g butter, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 10 ml soy sauce
• 50 ml coconut vinegar
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 mini long brioche rolls, split lengthways leaving one side still attached
• Butter, at room temperature, for spreading
• Chopped chives and fried shallots, to garnish

Cooling time: 5-10 minutes.

Instructions

1. Bring at least 1 litre of water to the boil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Squeeze in the lemon juice and season with the salt. Reduce heat.
2. Add lobster tail. Simmer for 8-10 minutes or until the tail turns bright red and the meat is just cooked through. Using tongs, remove tails and set aside to cool slightly. When cool enough to handle, remove meat from the tails and tear into small pieces.
3. Place butter and garlic in a medium saucepan over very low heat. Allow to slowly melt and infuse. Stir in soy sauce, vinegar and pepper. Remove from heat.
4. Stir lobster meat into the butter mixture. Set aside to infuse.
5. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Open the rolls slightly and spread the inside of each roll with butter. Place rolls, butter-side down, into the pan to toast. Then spoon lobster into each roll. Sprinkle with chives and shallots, to serve.

 

This recipe is from A Taste of the Philippines with Yasmin Newman. Photography by Kitti Gould.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.