Lobster Cantonese has gone out of favor since my younger days growing up in the Catskills, but it is really delicious and deserves a comeback!
Back in the day, when my father worked at Chinese American restaurants that served lobster on both the American and Chinese sides of the menu, the go-to way to cook a Chinese-style lobster dish was this Lobster Cantonese in lobster sauce.
If you’re familiar with shrimp with lobster sauce, you know what I’m talking about. The name of that sauce had to come from somewhere, you know!
What is Lobster Cantonese?
Lobster Cantonese is made with whole live Maine lobsters. You cut them into bite-size pieces and cook them in a silky white sauce made with ground pork, aromatics (ginger and scallion) and egg.
Serve it with white rice to soak up all that sauce, and a side of refreshing greens (like choy sum, stir fried bok choy, or Chinese Broccoli (gai lan). It’s simply heaven on a plate!
What about Cantonese-Style Ginger Scallion Lobster?
For those of you who only think of one dish when you hear, “Cantonese-style lobster,” let me explain how this dish differs! You may be thinking of our Ginger Scallion Cantonese Lobster, a dish that was popularized at banquet-style dinners in Chinatown restaurants.
In this dish, the lobster is shallow-fried and “wok-baked.” In Chinese, we would describe the flavor as fragrant, or xiāng (香), because of the intense wok hei flavor you get from the flash-frying and high-temperature searing the ginger and scallions in the wok with Shaoxing wine. It brings out a distinct wok hei flavor that has people (myself included) licking the shells!
In contrast, Lobster Cantonese brings out the essence of lobster flavor—or what we would describe in Chinese as xiān (鲜), which is a very common adjective used to describe fresh seafood. It’s like comparing the pure sweetness of steamed lobster to a baked lobster with breadcrumbs. Both good, but different!
What is Lobster Sauce?
This Lobster Cantonese recipe is what defined the term, “lobster sauce!”
Many years ago (okay, so I’m not sure when, but stick with me), a creative Cantonese chef decided to cook fresh lobster pieces in a savory sauce made up of ground pork and egg. The result is a luxurious, tasty sauce.
Over time, people loved the dish, but didn’t always have the luxury of dining on expensive lobster. Chinese chefs and restaurateurs recognized this and created shrimp with lobster sauce, which has a similar texture and flavor, for much less money. The rest is history!
Okay, let’s get to cooking this iconic Chinese American lobster dish.
Preparing Live Lobsters
There is a reason why lobsters are usually sold live. They spoil very quickly! You can buy flash frozen lobster tails, but cooking live lobster is always best. The meat is sweeter, more tender, and more flavorful, and the lobster sauce comes out amazing.
For detailed directions, photos, and a video on how to prepare a live lobster, see our recipe for banquet style ginger scallion lobster.
Here are some additional tips:
- Store the lobsters in the coldest part of your refrigerator overnight or for 1 or 2 days at most. You want them to be fresh. Just before you process them, place them in the freezer for 10 minutes which desensitizes them without freezing them.
- If you can’t break down the lobster quickly, point the tip of the knife in the center of the lobster head just behind the eyes, and plunge the knife down all the way through to dispatch the lobster immediately.
- If desired, you can use the head shells and the legs to make some stock for this dish, but it’s not necessary for good results. Personally, we like to include the legs in the dish for eating, but they can be a little messy to eat.
- If you don’t have access to live lobsters, you can use 2-3 pounds of flash frozen lobster tails instead.
Recipe Instructions
Prepare the live lobsters by cutting them into bite-sized pieces. Prepare the ginger, garlic, and scallions.
Next, prepare the sauce. Add the 2 cups of the chicken stock, sesame oil, salt, sugar, and white pepper to a bowl, and mix thoroughly.
Separately, mix 3 tablespoons of the cornstarch with ¼ cup of chicken stock. In a different bowl, make a reserve slurry for extra thickening if you need it. Mix the remaining tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water. Woks and stoves vary, so it’s good to have this on hand.
Lightly beat 2 eggs in a bowl. You want to break up the yolks but still see a separation between the yolk and white. This gives the dish a nice color contrast in the sauce.
Measure clear rice wine into a small bowl so it is handy. This dish comes together fast, and you don’t want your lobster overcooking while you fumble with the rice wine bottle.
Boil 2 cups of water in a large wok, and stir in the ground pork. Break up any clumps and cook for about 1 minute, until the pork is no longer pink. Drain the pork in a fine mesh strainer, give it a quick rinse, and set aside. This will give you a clear, clean sauce.
Wash your wok and place over medium heat. Add the oil, and stir in the minced ginger. Once it starts to sizzle, add the minced garlic, cooked ground pork, and lobster pieces. Stir-fry for 10-20 seconds. Add the clear rice wine around the perimeter of the wok and stir-fry for another 10 seconds.
Stir up your chicken stock mixture and pour it into the wok.
Push all of the lobster pieces into the middle of the wok, cover and turn up the heat to high.
Let the mixture cook for about 2 minutes, or until all of the lobster shells have turned red. If you see any dark pieces, turn them over so the dark shell pieces are submerged, and they will cook and turn red.
Once the lobster has turned mostly red (a few dark spots are okay, since you don’t want to overcook the lobster), gradually stir in half of the cornstarch slurry while stirring with your wok spatula. Let the mixture bubble and thicken. It should be able to coat a spoon, but it shouldn’t have a gloopy consistency. If it gets too thick, add a little more chicken stock. If it’s too thin, add some of your reserved slurry.
Lower the heat to a simmer. Spread the slightly beaten eggs across the mixture (don’t stir right away).
Toss in the chopped scallions, and simmer for a good 5 seconds.
Use your spatula to fold the egg into the sauce with a few strokes until the eggs are just cooked. Transfer to a large serving plate or shallow bowl, and serve!
Lobster Cantonese
Ingredients
- 2 live lobsters (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds or 560-680g each)
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger (minced)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 scallions (chopped)
- 2 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch (divided)
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 tablespoons clear rice wine (can substitute Shaoxing wine, though we recommend clear rice wine, since it has a milder and smoother taste that’s more suitable for making Lobster Cantonese)
- 4 ounces ground pork
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
Instructions
- Prepare the live lobsters by cutting them into bite-sized pieces. Prepare the ginger, garlic, and scallions.
- Next, prepare the sauce. Add the 2 cups of the chicken stock, sesame oil, salt, sugar, and white pepper to a bowl and mix thoroughly.
- Separately, mix 3 tablespoons of the cornstarch with ¼ cup of chicken stock. In a different bowl, make a reserve slurry by mixing the remaining tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water for extra thickening if you need it. Woks and stoves vary, so it’s good to have this on hand.
- Lightly beat 2 eggs in a bowl. You want to break up the yolks but still see a separation between the yolk and white. This gives the dish a nice color contrast in the sauce.
- Measure clear rice wine into a small bowl so it is handy. This dish comes together fast, and you don’t want your lobster overcooking while you fumble with the rice wine bottle.
- Boil 2 cups of water in a large wok, and stir in the ground pork. Break up any clumps and cook for about 1 minute, until the pork is no longer pink. Drain the pork in a fine mesh strainer, give it a quick rinse, and set aside. This will give you a clear, clean sauce.
- Wash your wok and place over medium heat. Add the oil, and stir in the minced ginger. Once it starts to sizzle, add the minced garlic, cooked ground pork, and lobster pieces. Stir-fry for 10-20 seconds. Add the clear rice wine around the perimeter of the wok and stir-fry for another 10 seconds.
- Stir up your chicken stock mixture and pour it into the wok. Push all of the lobster pieces into the middle of the wok, cover and turn up the heat to high.
- Let the mixture cook for about 2 minutes, or until all of the lobster shells have turned red. If you see any dark pieces, turn them over so the dark shell pieces are submerged, and they will cook and turn red.
- Once the lobster has turned mostly red (a few dark spots are okay, since you don’t want to overcook the lobster), gradually stir in half of the cornstarch slurry while stirring with your wok spatula. Let the mixture bubble and thicken. It should be able to coat a spoon, but it shouldn’t have a gloopy consistency. If it gets too thick, add a little more chicken stock. If it’s too thin, add some of your reserved slurry.
- Lower the heat to a simmer. Spread the slightly beaten eggs across the mixture (don’t stir right away), toss in the chopped scallions, and simmer for a good 5 seconds. Use your spatula to fold the egg into the sauce with a few strokes until the eggs are just cooked. Transfer to a large serving plate or shallow bowl, and serve!
