April Culinary Throwdown - Lobster

We were at a party
His ear lobe fell in the deep
Someone reached in and grabbed it
It was a MOCK lobster

We were at the beach
Everybody had matching towels
Somebody went under a dock
And there they saw a rock
It wasn't a rock
It was a MOCK lobster

Motion in the ocean
His air hose broke
Lots of trouble
Lots of bubble
He was in a jam
S'in a giant clam

Down, down


Donna and Heff over at Heff's Bar and Grill and current reigning throwdown champions are hosting this month's Throwdown with the theme ingredient of LOBSTER. Let me start by saying that I love lobster. It's a rare treat for the Mrs and me and has never been prepared in the Kill house. It's always a special dinner at a restaurant sans kids. And I'm going to keep it that way. The only way I can do throwdowns is if they are a family meal. I don't have the time (although I wish I did) to make special meals for the purposes of a cooking contest.

That being said, I took the Mock Lobster route. The kids could care less and it gives me a chance to try a new recipe that might become a regular staple in the Kill Family recipe arsenal. And I'm way late with it, so I'm just doing it - because.

A lot of faux lobster recipes use monk fish (what?) for taste and texture. This Mock Lobster Recipe is chicken based and barbecued. A lot of reviewers swear it tastes like lobster. I'm sceptical.

So here's what I started with:



Here it is cooking on the grill (with some onions and tomatoes):



Here's the finished dish with baked potato (microwaved), fresh green beans, grilled tomatoes and onions and a big glass of milk:





The verdict: The kids liked it but really had nothing to compare it to. The Mrs is out of town, so no criticism there. So what did I think? The first couple of bites tasted like barbecued chicken with a little of the soy and ginger flavor in the background. And it has the texture of - chicken. Then I tried dipping in melted butter. Maybe it was wishful thinking or chemical induced hypnosis, but it kind of tasted like - lobster. The butter (and I used real, unsalted butter) really made it taste a little like lobster. Now if I blind taste tested it, I could easily tell the difference, but it's interesting how you get the lobster taste with just the addition of butter. I'm looking forward to leftovers to see how that does. So there you have it, Mock Lobster in a hurry and economical so you can feed the masses.

Check out the other entries over at the HBAG.