LEMON-PEPPER-GARLIC SEAFOOD BUTTER SAUCE

Lemon-Pepper-Garlic Seafood Butter Sauce image

This sauce is made when you are steaming seafood (lobster, crab or shrimp) And it is so full of flavor! Read the directions carefully to get the most out of the shell oils to flavor the sauce.

Provided by Lauren Conforti

Number Of Ingredients 14

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Ingredients

1/2 c reserved seafood steam liquid (should include old bay seasoning)
seafood shells
1/4 lb butter
1/2 tsp garlic, minced (1clove)
1 bag(s) anchovy, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp lemon zest, grated
1/2 tsp dill
1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly cracked
1 egg yolk
2 Tbsp white wine
2 Tbsp olive oil
chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
fresh grated parmesan, for garnish

Steps:

1. Steam desired seafood with shells on (lobster, crab or shrimp are equally good). Reserve liquid and allow seafood to cool.
2. Remove meat from the shells. Break the shells if necessary.
3. Melt butter over a medium-low heat. Add the shells and briefly simmer to impart shell oils to the butter.
4. Pour mixture through a strainer. Pour 1/2 cup hot reserved liquid steaming liquid over the shells to rinse the shells of butter & oils.
5. Add garlic, anchovy, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, dill & pepper. Stir well & let sit for 5 minutes for the flavors to extract & meld.
6. Add some sauce to a bowl with an egg yolk & white wine. (Note: You must add the sauce to the egg incrementally to temper the egg; if you add the egg yolk to the sauce, the egg will cook & give you little bits of cooked egg throughout the sauce - ick!)
7. Whisk to enrich the sauce. When the bowl with the egg is warmed, you can add the mixture back into the saucepan.
8. Slowly whisk while drizzling olive oil until sauce takes on a velvety texture.
9. Serve warm over seafood (VERY good over lobster ravioli) with chopped fresh parsley and fresh grated Parmesan.
10. CHEF'S TIP: The key to the magnificent, intense flavor of this sauce is found in doing all you can to get the seafood oils out of the shells. Be sure to stir the shells well in the hot butter; press them in the strainer to extract every drop of oil you can, and make the rinsing liquid to boil before pouring through, which should be done in stages, pressing in between. The more you can do this, the more flavor your butter sauce will have.