Dining
Cambium Head Chef Dylan James Shares His Lobster Minestrone Seafood Recipe
Let Head Chef Dylan whisk you away this summer at Cambium, our flagship New Forest restaurant, with a stunning dish that celebrates the season: Lobster Minestrone, paired beautifully with delicate Prawn and Crab Agnolotti. It’s a taste of coastal luxury, crafted with care and inspired by the freshest local ingredients.
Lobster minestrone, prawn & crab agnolotti
Serves: 2
Prep time: 1 hour
INGREDIENTS
Pasta & Filling
- 200g pasta flour
- 2 whole eggs
- 300g raw prawns
- 1 egg yolk
- 100ml double cream
- 1 courgette
- 1 garlic clove
- 100g white crab meat
Lobster & Minestrone
- 1 live (800–1000g) or 1 chilled, de-shelled lobster
- 3 banana shallots
- 1 carrot
- ½ celeriac
- 1 courgette
- 1 garlic clove
- 500ml chicken stock
- 2 large tomatoes
- 500g cannellini beans
Tomato Fondu
- 625g cherry tomatoes
- 1 garlic clove
- 30g olive oil
- 5g salt
- 5g sugar
- Thyme
Salsa Verde
- ½ bunch parsley
- ½ bunch chervil
- 1 shallot
- 100g olive oil
- 50g capers
- Lemon juice, salt
METHOD:
Lobster
- Dispatch the lobster by cutting through the head along the natural line with a sharp knife.
- Place into boiling water and cook for 7 minutes, then transfer to iced water to stop the cooking process.
Tomato Fondu
- Halve the cherry tomatoes and place in a pan with grated garlic, olive oil, salt, sugar, and finely chopped thyme.
- Cook over medium heat for 25–30 minutes, until broken down and most of the moisture has evaporated.
Pasta Dough
- Weigh 200g of pasta flour into a bowl and make a well in the centre. Crack in two eggs and whisk gently with a fork, incorporating the flour gradually. Once the mixture becomes too stiff, knead by hand for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- Wrap in cling film and chill until needed.
Prawn & Crab Mousse
- In a food processor, blend prawns, egg yolk, and cream until smooth. Season with salt and transfer to a bowl.
- Finely dice the courgette and sauté with grated garlic in olive oil until soft. Let cool, then fold into the mousse along with the crab meat.
- Transfer to a piping bag and refrigerate.
Salsa Verde
- In a food processor, combine parsley, chervil, diced shallot, olive oil, and capers. Pulse until smooth. Season with salt and a splash of lemon juice to taste.
Minestrone
- Finely dice the shallots, carrot, courgette, and celeriac. Sauté gently with chopped garlic in olive oil until soft. Add chicken stock and reduce by half. Blanch the large tomatoes (30 seconds in boiling water, then iced water), peel, deseed, and dice.
- Set aside with finely chopped parsley and chervil.
Agnolotti
- Roll the pasta dough through a machine from the widest to the second-narrowest setting. Pipe a line of mousse down the centre.
- Fold the far edge over the filling, seal gently, and use your fingers to press between portions (about three fingers apart) to shape parcels.
- Cut into individual agnolotti.
Lobster Prep
- Split the tail to remove the meat. Crack the claws gently with a rolling pin and extract the meat carefully to preserve its shape.
- Warm gently in the minestrone.
Cooking & Plating
- Boil agnolotti in salted water for 2–3 minutes until they float. Add to the minestrone along with the lobster. Stir in diced tomato and herbs.
- Plate the agnolotti and lobster in a shallow bowl with a ladle of broth, finishing with a drizzle of salsa verde.
Like the look of this delicious summer recipe, but prefer to leave it to the professionals? Why not join us for a feast at New Forest restaurant Cambium at Careys Manor Hotel & SenSpa? Indulge in dinner at the hotel, plus an overnight stay with one of our New Forest hotel packages.
