Recipe by Cary Wheaton, from “Saveur Cooks Authentic American,” by the editors of Saveur magazine. Serves 8.
Ingredients
Salt
Two 2-pound live lobsters
1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped
1 medium carrot, coarsely chopped
1 sprig fresh parsley
1 bay leaf
5 black peppercorns
1/4 pound salt pork, diced
3 medium yellow onions, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 1/2 pounds red potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from about 6 ears)
3 cups half-and-half
Cayenne
Freshly ground white pepper
Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add lobsters and cook for 8-10 minutes. Remove lobsters, then strain cooking liquid into a large bowl or another pot. Rinse lobsters in cold water, then remove the meat from shells, reserving the shells but discarding the tomalley and coral. Cut meat into small pieces and set aside. Return shells and 10 cups reserved cooking liquid to pot.
Add celery, carrots, parsley, bay leaf and peppercorns to cooking liquid. Cover and simmer over low heat for 1 1/2 hours. Strain stock through a fine sieve, then return stock to the same pot, discarding shells and remaining solids. Cook over medium-high heat until reduced to 6 cups, about 10 minutes.
Cook salt pork in a medium pan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 20 minutes. Remove salt pork, drain on paper towels and set aside to use as garnish. In the same pan, add onions and garlic to the rendered fat and cook over low heat until soft, about 20 minutes.
Add onion mixture, potatoes and corn to reduced stock, then increase heat to medium and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in half-and-half and a dash of cayenne and return to a simmer. Add lobster meat and simmer (do not boil) until heated through, 3-5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and top with reserved salt pork.
