Lobster stew

King Juan Carlos of Spain goes on holidays to the beach every year. There, he finds his favourite dish: "Caldereta de langosta", a kind of lobster stew. Today, Spanish chef Antonia Herrero López will teach us how to prepare the king´s favourite dish.

Lobster stew Credit: Photodisc

• serves

  4

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  50 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 2 x 1 kg lobsters
• 10 tbsp olive oil
• 2 onions, cut into squares
• 2 large green capsicums, cut into slices
• 3 garlic cloves, cut into thin slices
• parsley, finely chopped
• 2 x 400 g tins of tomatoes
• salt, to taste
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 litre stock (water reserved from the lobsters)

Topping

• 3 garlic cloves
• parsley
• 10 almonds, toasted
• 4 saffron threads
• ½ lemon, juiced
• 100 ml brandy

Instructions

In a mortar and pestle, crush the garlic, parsley, almonds and saffron.

When mixed, add the lemon juice and brandy. This is reserved until the end.

Boil the lobsters in salted water for 10 minutes. Remove the lobsters and reserve the water. Separate the heads and cut the tails into slices. Cut the heads in half, lengthwise and clean the lobsters, getting rid of the intestines.

Heat the oil in a casserole dish (preferably earthenware). Saute the onions, capsicums, garlic and a little parsley. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and cook for 15 minutes, until the sauce thickens.

Pass the sauce through a sieve and place back in the dish.

Add the chopped lobster, bay leaf and the stock, reserved from the lobsters.

Cook for 10 minutes over a low heat.

Add the topping mixture and simmer for another 5 minutes.

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.