Lobster Burger with San Pellegrino Charcoal Bun Recipe

Lobster Burger with San Pellegrino Charcoal Bun

Add a touch of class to the everyday burger with a succulent lobster tail and anchovy mayonnaise filling, sandwiched between a charcoal-infused bun!  The ultimate comfort food immediately transforms into the ultimate gourmet dish!  The vibrant contrast of colors – a bright orange lobster tail, set between a dark, black charcoal bun – will likely be a pleasant surprise for any gourmet willing to step out of their comfort zone.  

What sets this burger recipe apart from others is the unique bun, made with San Pellegrino sparkling water, that creates a fluffy, delicate texture, as well as the use of activated charcoal powder.  Charcoal has long been used for consumption purposes as a detox agent, amongst other health benefits. The bun is also very quick and easy to make, requiring less than 2 hours of preparation and rising / resting times.   

For pescatarians, for those trying to cut back on meat consumption, or simply anyone wishing to have a bit of variety, this is the perfect alternative to a classic beef patty.  The elements of the sea in this burger are sure to please even an avid carnivore!

CHARCOAL BUN:

(makes 5 buns)

250 g Strong flour (flour used: Nuvola – Caputo)

130 ml San Pellegrino mineral water

10 ml Fresh cream

20 ml Extra virgin olive oil

10 g Brown sugar

7 g Salt

3 g Dry yeast

3 g Activated charcoal powder (for culinary consumption)

Topping:

1 Egg (beaten)

10 g White sesame seeds

MAYONNAISE:

1 Egg (fresh – at room temperature)

120 ml Canola oil

1 tbsp Lemon juice

1 tbsp White wine vinegar

Salt to taste

1 Anchovy filet

BURGER FILLING (for 1 lobster tail):

1 lobster tail (per bun – I used small tails weighing 140 gms with shell but without head)

½ garlic clove (finely chopped)

25 g butter

1 tbsp Spring onion (finely chopped)

1 leaf of flower lettuce (per bun)

Salt to taste

Ban Ingredients

METHOD – CHARCOAL BUN:

  1. Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius.
  2. Pour water, fresh cream, sugar, salt and charcoal into a standing mixer, with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until well combined.
  3. Then add the flour and yeast and mix for 5 minutes on medium speed. Add the olive oil and continue to mix for another 2 minutes on medium, and then raise to highest speed mixing for another 3 minutes.
  4. Take the dough and form into a ball and put it back into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  If you have an oven that can proof dough (at 40 degrees Celsius), allow to rest and rise for 40 minutes. If you don’t, allow to rise for 1 to 1.5 hours depending on your room’s temperature. The dough should almost double in size.
  5. Then remove the dough and fold around 4 times to release some of the gas. Place it back into the bowl and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
  6. Cut rectangular pieces of parchment paper measuring 14 cm in width and around 33 cm in length.  With the long side of the paper facing you, fold the paper four times, equally into a long strip.  At one end of the strip, fold down one corner slightly, so as to make a slightly slimmer end.  Make a round circle with the strip, sliding the folded corner end into the other end, to keep the circle intact (insert the end around 5 cm into the other end of the paper).  The loose flap of the paper should face outwards – (on the outer side of the ring), so as not to create a mark on the bun while baking.  Diameter of the circle should be around 10 cm.  Alternatively, cookie cutter rounds of the same diameter can be used.  Just be sure to grease the sides of the cookie cutter to prevent the buns from sticking.
  7. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Place the parchment paper circles with a 2-3 cm distance between each one on top of the parchment paper-covered baking tray.
  8. Gently roll the dough into a log shape and cut into 5 equal pieces.  Gently roll each piece of the dough into a ball.  Place each ball into the parchment paper circle and press down very gently to fill the circles.
  9. Brush the tops of each bun with the egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
  10. Put in the oven and bake for around 20 minutes.  I use a fan forced convection oven (with steam).
  11. Once baked, take out the buns from the oven, immediately remove the parchment paper rings (otherwise, the heat blocked by the parchment paper will create humidity and causing the buns to become soggy around the sides) and allow to cool on a rack.

METHOD – MAYONNAISE:

  1. Beat the egg in a medium bowl, and first add 1 tsp of the lemon juice, mixing very well.
  2. Slowly add the canola oil (or any flavorless oil) in a thin stream while mixing with an electric mixer – on low speed (or by hand).  After adding the first 70 ml, add the 1 tbsp of vinegar and remainder of the lemon juice and continue to mix well. 
  3. Add the remaining canola oil, again in a thin stream.
  4. Chop the anchovy filet, and then mash the filet with the blade of the knife to create a paste, and add it to the mayonnaise, mixing well to combine.
  5. Add salt to taste.

METHOD – FILLING:

  1. Remove the shell of the lobster tail with scissors.
  • Remove the shell of the lobster tail with scissors.
    1. Make a shallow incision in the middle of the top side of the tail without cutting all the way through (see photo).  Remove the vein.
  • Make a shallow incision in the middle of the top side of the tail without cutting all the way through (see photo).  Remove the vein.
    1. Turn the tail upside down, with the long side facing you and make horizontal shallow incisions from the top of the tail to the lower end (with a few millimeter spaces in between each incision).  This will prevent the tail from curling when sautéing on the frying pan.
  • Turn the tail upside down, with the long side facing you and make horizontal shallow incisions from the top of the tail
    1. Heat butter and garlic over low heat in a frying pan for around 4 minutes.  Add lobster tail and chopped spring onion and continue to pan-fry over low heat for 3-4 minutes on each side (depending on the thickness of the tail).  Using a tablespoon, continue to drizzle tablespoons of melted butter over the tails while cooking.  If ever it becomes too dry while cooking, add one tablespoon of water, and spoon the water/butter mixture over the tails.
    1. Once the lobster is cooked through, place on a plate and top with around 2 tbsp of the butter remaining in the pan. 
  • Once the lobster is cooked through, place on a plate and
    1. Slice bun in half and place them cut-side down in the same frying pan used to sauté the lobster tails (over low heat), allowing the buns to soak up the remaining butter and flavors.
    1. Remove buns and place on a plate, spreading mayonnaise on the cut sides of the bun.  Top with lettuce followed by the lobster tail. Place top side of the bun on top of the lobster and serve with a side of fries or smashed potatoes, and a glass of San Pellegrino’s Aranciata Rossa.
    Lobster Burger

    Buon Appetito!!

    www.sanpellegrino.com

    San Pellegrino Japan Link

    Check Out Full Page Link: www.salvatorecuomo.net

    Published by Salvatore Cuomo

    Salvatore Cuomo was born in Naples, Italy, in 1972, son of an Italian father and Japanese mother. Cuomo was first inspired by his father who also was an Italian Chef in Naples. He began at the young age of 11, where he trained himself in the kitchen and traveled frequently between Italy and Japan. He gradually learned how to blend the traditional Italian art of cooking with the Japanese art of perfection. A few years later he traveled to Japan with his father who opened an Italian restaurant in Chiba in 1984. About those early years Salvatore told the press that it wasn't a good starting experience: "I didn’t like Japan at all, so after one year, I went back to Italy and spent 2–3 years studying at a culinary school. When I was 18, I returned to Japan after my father became terminally ill and I have been here ever since."[3] Cuomo said that Italian Cuisine was just starting to get popular in those days. He and his two brothers decided that in order to succeed in the restaurant business in Japan they would have to understand the Japanese food mentality. They spent a couple of years researching the market before opening a new restaurant in Tokyo with what Cuomo calls "Original Neapolitan pizza." Since that time, Cuomo has been credited with catapulting Neapolitan pizza to fame in Japan, and today in all Asia with over 100 restaurant.

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