Wok-Tossed Lobster

Fu Xian-Style Crispy Salt-and-Pepper Lobster

Ingredients

2 live lobsters, each roughly 2 pounds in size
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 egg whites
1 cup corn starch
4 cups peanut oil
2 tablespoons oil (reserved from the 4 cups)
12 scallions, cut in 2 inch lengths
1 1/2 tablespoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 whole sliced shallots
5 dried red chiles (tsin-tsin or arbol work well)

Fu-Xian Dipping Sauce for Fried Seafood

1/2 cup thinly shaved shallots
1/4 cup thinly sliced red and green hot chiles (I like to use 2 red jalapeños, 4 serranos and a piece of a habanero to round out the heat. You can also use small red and green Thai chiles.)
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup chicken stock
3 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or sake
3 talespoons sugar, or more to taste
1 tablespoon minced ginger
3 thinly sliced garlic cloves

Instructions

Servings: 4 to 6

Cut lobster bodies in half lengthwise and tails once crosswise. Crack claws, remove knuckles from main claw. Remove and discard top shell carapace covering the small set of legs, reserve for another use. Trim and discard the fibrous lung tissue. You should have 4 claws, 4 knuckles, 8 tail meat pieces and 4 body/leg sections.

Do not lose any coral or tomalley that may come off any of the central body pieces.

Heat peanut oil to 375 degrees over high heat in a wok.

Dip lobster in egg whites, then dredge in corn starch.

Fry to crisp in several batches.

Tip off the oil, leaving 2 tablespoons behind, and increase the heat to high.

When wok is smoking hot, literally, add half the scallions, ginger, shallots, chiles and stir. Then add the lobster. Toss and add the remaining scallions.

Toss again, let the wok build some heat for 30 seconds and add the salt, pepper and sugar as you rotate the food across the wok surface.

Toss a few times and serve. The sauce below makes a nice partner for the lobster.