Thai Seafood Parcels

By franny-2

Three supposed aphrodisiacs from the piscine world—lobster, scallops and shrimp—combine in this elegant dish that wraps the seafood in paper parcels. Once they’re opened, just dive in and use your fingers to peel the lobster and shrimp, then enjoy the seafood and noodles with the tasty broth, discarding the flavourings. If your lobster tails are a little larger than 3 oz (90 g), prepare them according to step 1, brush the meaty sides with a little olive oil and roast in a 450°F (230°C) oven for 5 minutes before proceeding with the recipe.

Ingredients

• 2 lobster tails, 3 oz (90 g) each
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) white wine
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) unsweetened coconut milk
• 4 large scallops, about 7 oz (210 g)
• 4 extra-large shrimp in their shells, about 6 oz (175 g)
• 2 stalks lemon grass (bottom 4 inches/10 cm only), trimmed and coarsely chopped
• 2 green onions, coarsely chopped
• 4 leafy sprigs fresh coriander
• 1 large clove garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/2 inch (1 cm) fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) toasted coriander seeds, coarsely crushed
• 1 small hot red chili, thinly sliced
• 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil

Details

Servings 2

Preparation

Step 1

1 Adjust oven rack to lowest position. Put a large rimmed baking sheet in oven and preheat it to 450°F (230°C). With sturdy scissors, cut shells from underside of lobster tails. Slide your thumb between the meat and the upper shell to separate them, leaving the meat in the shell.

2 In a small saucepan, bring wine to a boil over medium heat. Let wine bubble for about 3 minutes until reduced by half. Add coconut milk and bring to a boil. Keep warm.

3 Cut 2 pieces of parchment paper, each about 20 x 15 inches (50 x 38 cm). Push the centre of 1 piece of parchment into a fairly narrow deep bowl or saucepan (this makes the parcels easier to fi ll). Add 1 lobster tail, 2 scallops and 2 shrimp to parchment in bowl. Top with half of lemon grass, green onions and coriander. Sprinkle with half of garlic, ginger, coriander seeds, chili and salt. Drizzle with half of oil. Pour half of wine mixture overtop.

4 Gather up sides of parchment to enclose ingredients and twist the top to close it. Tie tightly with string. Repeat with remaining sheet of parchment and ingredients.

5 Put parcels on hot baking sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes until lobster tails are opaque and shrimp are pink and firm (snip string on 1 parcel to check, retying and returning it to the oven if necessary).

6 To serve, place parcels in wide shallow bowls. Open at the table, and serve with Ginger- Almond Noodles


Ginger Almond Noodles

1 clove garlic, unpeeled
½ cup (125 mL) coarsely chopped
Thai basil leaves
3 tbsp (45 mL) chopped toasted almonds
1 tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil
1 tbsp (15 mL) sesame oil
1 tsp (5 mL) minced fresh ginger
1 tsp (5 mL) white miso paste
1 tsp (5 mL) liquid honey
Pinch hot pepper flakes
1 pkg (400 g) udon noodles

1 In a small saucepan of boiling water, blanch garlic clove for 1 minute. Drain well then run under cold water to cool. Peel garlic and chop coarsely.

2 In a mini-chopper, process garlic, Thai basil, 1 tbsp (15 mL) almonds, vegetable and sesame oils, ginger, miso paste, honey and hot pepper flakes until fairly smooth, scraping down sides of processor 2 or 3 times.

3 Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain well.

4 In a warm serving bowl, toss noodles with Thai basil mixture until evenly coated. Sprinkle with remaining almonds and serve at once.