A new initiative from Louth County Council aims to promote the county as a destination for fine food, scenery and experiences.
Sea Louth is a seafood trail that encompasses the entire 70 kilometre length of the coastline of Ireland’s smallest county and 50 restaurants from across Louth are involved in the initiative.
In the August issue of FOOD&WINE magazine, Jordan Mooney caught up with some of the Sea Louth participants to find out more. If you missed us in print, you can read the issue online by subscribing here.
And to give you a taste of what Louth has to offer, Tara Walker of East Coast Cookery School has shared this mouthwatering recipe for lobster with tomato and garlic butter.
Ingredients
1 whole lobster from Gyles Quay and Lobster
Lemon wedges, to serve
For the garlic and tomato butter
2 garlic cloves, crushed
Small bunch flat-leaf parsley
100g butter
Squeeze of lemon juice
1 tomato, skin and seeds removed, then diced into small pieces
Freshly ground salt and pepper
Method
1 To cook the lobster as humanely as possible, place it in the freezer for a couple of hours before cooking.
2 When you’re ready to get cooking, bring a large pot of water to the boil – you'll need enough water to cover the lobster - and add a tablespoon of salt. Place the lobster into the water head first and boil for 10-20 minutes, depending on the size of the lobster (see note below). Remove to drain.
3 While the lobster is cooking, place the ingredients for the garlic and tomato butter into a small pot to melt and very gently simmer for a moment or two. Make sure you don’t cook this for too long or the parsley will wilt.
4 When the lobster has drained, twist the claws and legs off, then place the body of the lobster on a large chopping board. Using a very sharp knife, cut the whole body in half from just under the head to the tail. Remove the intestines, stomach, brain, lungs and coral.
4 Gently break the claws, then place on a serving platter with the rest of the lobster. Drizzle over some of the tomato and garlic butter, then place the rest in a dipping bowl alongside the lobster. Serve with lemon wedges.
Lobster cooking times:
Up to 750g – 15 minutes
Up to 1.25kg – 20 minutes
Larger lobsters – 5 minutes extra boiling time for each additional 450g
Tip: Have a large chopping board ready to go with a damp tea towel underneath to prevent it from moving around. This will also help to catch any juices that appear as you are preparing the lobster - it is a bit of a messy job, but worth the effort.
Recipe and food styling by Tara Walker of East Coast Cookery School.
Photography by Terry McDonagh
