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lobster banh mi.

lobster banh mi

i haven't graduated to baguettes yet in my breadmaking endeavours, but i have been making longer shaped rolls. these are perfect for little sandwiches, especially vietnamese-style banh mi, which use french-style bread. i love the flavours and textures in banh mi--the crusty, airy white bread, filled with sweetened vinegar-marinated julienned carrots and daikon radish, crunchy cucumbers, cellulosey cilantro sprigs, the tiniest bit of creamy butter or mayonnaise, and whatever filling you like. typically a strong paté or other pork product is used, but almost anything is permissable--tofu, pork skin, cold cuts, meatballs, fried eggs....

this particular one was inspired by one of chef mario batali's entrees in "iron chef america" mango battle: a homemade french roll was split in half, spread with a tiny bit of mayonnaise, and filled with sweet lobster meat, marinated julienned carrots and daikon, cucumber slices, cilantro, and a slice of grilled mango. chef batali also added thin slices of char siu pork, but i am currently abstaining from most meats, so i omitted it. the sweet, warm mango made a fine addition on its own. i don't really keep a house where leftover lobster might be found, but blow me down, there it is. shrimp or prawn meat are tasty and similar substitutes, but grilled chicken would work just as well.

lobster banh mi, up close


marinated veggies for banh mi

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vinegar of choice
1/4 cup sugar of choice
1 cup julienned carrots
1 cup julienned daikon radish
salt, to taste

combine the water, vinegar and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. leave to cool, then add the julienned vegetables and salt to taste. refrigerate for at least half an hour, but ideally overnight.



12 comments:

S,

Gosh that looks so good right now. Reminds me of a wonderful lobster roll I had many, many years ago while still living on the East Coast.

*sigh*

hey reid! just reading your blog :)

i was considering making a lobster roll, but i gotta make those crazy hot dog buns with the top split first. what's in your favourite lobster roll?

Oh yum! Look at that big piece of lobster...

And I see my favourite soda in the background!

Hi Santos - Lobster Banh Mi!!! That looks so delici-yoso....

Okay, I've been away from Guam too long...which retailer carries the blood orange soda, and how come I haven't seen that here in Hawaii?

Grazie di essere passato nel mio blog, bravissimo gourmet! (il panino ha l'aria deliziosa...) saluti!

shukumei, mine too! this lobster came from a neighbouring island, palau/belau. that's the whole tail! i think crawfish/crayfish/sea bugs would be a good alternative.

kirk, this is totally up your alley. a little char siu would really finish this off nicely. or just straight up bacon. mmmmm. bacon :)

fran, you can't even find it in california. i'm pretty sure the distributor of this is the same people who carry illy coffee. i think they're korean for some reason. anyway, california mart sells it. come baaaaaack :) jojo says you're a great person with whom to play poker, ha.

maje, benvenuta e grazie!

maje, come si dice/scrivo "lobster" in italiano?

S,

I like the lobster meat tossed with just a little mayo and sprinkled with some fresh cracked black pepper. Add a side of french fries and cole slaw and I'm set. :P

Wow, this sandwich and it's simplicity looks yummy!

I've had more banh mi than I can count, but never with lobster. I'd always assumed that the stronger flavored pate etc. were used because they had enough strength to hold their own against the marinated bits. Looks delicious though...

hi alan! actually the sweet, soft lobster meat was a nice complement to the sour, crunchy veggies. there could've been a little more fat in there (mayo or even a pork product--batali used prosciutto i think), but it was nice and light over all.