Local Lobster

Okay, maybe not. But with the exception of some lemon juice, all the ingredients that surrounded our East Coast crustacean were produced right here in the Midwest.

Needing to pick up some gift certificates for Purple Asparagus’ Corks & Crayons from Dirk of Dirk’s Fish, I knew that Sunday was going to be a fish night. Not until I saw the beautiful tangerine-colored chanterelles from River Valley, did I decide that my Piscean delight would come with claws and a tail.

Having grilled some delicious Black Earth bratwurst for lunch (paired with slaw made from Green Acres red cabbage and pickled Learning Shed’s green tomatoes), we used the last of the fire to give a smoky flavor to our chanterelles and 2 ears of Smit’s corn. We later steamed one lobster and browned the remaining chunk of my unlabeled Blue Marble Butter. While Mike pried apart our lobster, I sautéed a small shallot and 1 tablespoon of finely chopped green onion in a pan. As he sucked on the lobster legs, I chopped the meat and added it to the pan with the kernels of our smoky corn with about ¼ cup of the browned butter, the juice of one lemon and 1 tablespoon parsley.

So how was it? A revelation. Not because of the lobster, which was richly sweet and perfectly cooked. Nor because of the chanterelles, smoky and flavored with summer earth. But the corn. Oh the corn. The corn we wait a year for. This corn is a bare relation to the genetically engineered corn grown far and wide over the Midwest. The corn that reminds you why corn-fed is actually a compliment here in our Midwestern states. Paired with a rich, unoaked Russian River Valley chardonnay, it was the perfect way to end a weekend in mid August.

Photo Courtesy of Public Domains Pictures.net