Lobster is one of the most elegant delicacies in the seafood realm, and any recipes that contain lobster in it do their best to make the meat of this giant crustacean the star of the show. These easy-to-make egg rolls are a great way to do something creative and incredibly delicious with lobster, and really have their flavor stand out. I recently saw whole cooked lobsters on sale at the grocery store, and my mind started wandering into creative directions. “Lobster Egg Rolls: that’s the ticket!” I thought to myself. So I came up with this fun recipe combining two of my favorite things: egg rolls and lobster. Then I came up with a vast choice of sauces to go with them. These great egg rolls can be made as appetizers, a side dish for a Chinese dinner, or they can even be the whole meal!
Ingredients:
The Lobster Filling:
—1 cup cooked and coarsely chopped Lobster Meat
—2 tablespoons chopped Garlic
—2 tablespoons chopped Ginger Root
—2 tablespoons chopped Green Onion
—2 1/2 cups chopped Cabbage
—1/2 cup thinly sliced Celery
—1/4 cup chopped Cilentro
—3 tablespoons Olive Oil
The Cooking Sauce:
—2 teaspoons Soy Sauce
—1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
—1 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice
—1 tablespoon Sugar
—1 tablespoon Water
The Shell:
—10 to 12 Egg Roll Skins
—1 whole Egg
To Fry:
—Enough Olive Oil or other Cooking Oil to fry with
Suggested Dipping Sauces:
—Soy Sauce with Hot Chili Oil
—Sweet & Sour Sauce
—Japanese Ponzu Sauce
—Hot Chinese Mustard
—Hoisin Sauce
Directions:
For these egg rolls I started out with two medium sized cooked lobsters. I removed the tails, claws and arms, cracked the shells, and extracted the meat from them. You could also pan fry two or three lobster tails to get that same amount of meat. However you do it, come up with one cup of fresh cooked lobster meat. Slice or chop the lobster meat, and set aside.
In a small bowl, add the soy sauce, water, sugar, black pepper, and Chinese Five spice. Stir together, and set aside.
In a wok or frying pan add the three tablespoons of olive oil, and the garlic and ginger. Over medium to medium high heat, stir fry them together until they are softened up. After cooking a few minutes, add the cabbage, cilantro, and celery. Stir them in the hot oil for a minute, then add the lobster, and the liquid soy sauce and spice mixture. Stir all of the ingredients together a minute or two, and then remove from the heat.
VERY IMPORTANT: When the filling is done cooking, put it all in a colander, and drain off all of the liquid. (Too much liquid will weaken the uncooked egg roll skin!)
If you are using the same wok or frying pan to fry the egg rolls in, wash and dry that pan, and get your cooking oil out and in the pan.
NOTE: To make these egg rolls, I used my trusty electric wok. That way I can have uniform heat, and a minimal amount oil of needed. I used about a cup of olive oil. This would also work in an electric frying pan, where you can also control the heat exactly. If you are using an electric wok or electric frying pan, set your heat control at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. The same temperature goes for a deep fryer.
Begin heating the oil at this point, as you are at about three minutes until you start frying the actual egg rolls. I strongly suggest you do these in batches of threes. Your cycle will be: 1) roll three, 2) fry them immediately, 3) remove them from the oil. If you are going to make a dozen of them, still do them in groups of three, each time putting the finished egg rolls in a baking pan and placing them into a 250 degree preheated oven so you can keep them warm while you do the next trio of egg rolls. (The reason you don’t roll more than three at a time is that the filling will start turning the egg roll skins to mush if they sit uncooked more than three minutes.)
OK…it’s time to get rolling! Crack and beat one whole egg in a small mixing bowl. On a clean surface (a cutting board, or a plate), set down one egg roll skin, with one of the four points facing you. With a pastry or basting brush, dip it in the beaten egg, and trace a one inch wide line of beaten egg along all four edges of the egg roll skin. This will serve as “the glue” that will seal the egg roll’s filling inside the second it hits the oil.
Carefully put two tablespoons of the lobster and vegetable filling in the center of the egg roll skin in a horizontal line, leaving an inch of clean egg roll on the left and right sides, and several inches at the top and the bottom of the egg roll skin. Try and arrange the contents so that every bite gets some lobster. Fold both the left and right side corners inward over the filling. Next, fold up the bottom corner of the egg roll skin to the level of the filling, and proceed to tightly roll upward over the last point of the egg roll skin, making sure that the beaten egg serves as glue to hold the egg roll together. If needs be, tuck inward the sides to make sure there is no part of the filling exposed.
NOTE: If you get any sort of a hole, rip or tear in any part of the egg roll skin while rolling, rescue the filling, ditch the damaged egg roll skin, and get a new one. You do not want the hot oil getting inside the egg roll skin while it fries!
Repeat the process on your next two egg rolls. As soon as you have three of them made, into the hot oil they go. Use kitchen tongs or a slotted spoon for this task, as you never want your fingers anywhere near the hot oil. Once all three egg rolls are in the oil, cover them with the lid of your cooking vessel (unless you are using a deep fryer).
If you are using a frying pan or wok, make sure you turn over the egg roll with the tongs after approximately one minute. Then take additional minutes turning the egg rolls so that all four sides of the egg roll are thoroughly brown as well.
When the egg rolls are golden brown on the outside, it is time to eat them, or to put them in a heatproof dish or pan which you place in a 250 degree oven as you start on the next batch of three.
NOTE: As you remove them from the hot oil, you might want to place them on a piece of paper towel on a plate for 15 seconds to absorb any excess oil.
Don’t be alarmed if there is a learning curve with these. The first batch is usually the most difficult. By the time you do the second batch of three, you should have the process down.
When serving these Lobster Egg Rolls, Chinese hot mustard and sweet & sour sauce are great for dipping. One of my favorite egg roll dipping sauces is soy sauce with hot chili oil floating on top of it. Any way that you dip these, I guarantee they will be a hit.
Ingredients:
The Lobster Filling:
—1 cup cooked and coarsely chopped Lobster Meat
—2 tablespoons chopped Garlic
—2 tablespoons chopped Ginger Root
—2 tablespoons chopped Green Onion
—2 1/2 cups chopped Cabbage
—1/2 cup thinly sliced Celery
—1/4 cup chopped Cilentro
—3 tablespoons Olive Oil
The Cooking Sauce:
—2 teaspoons Soy Sauce
—1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
—1 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice
—1 tablespoon Sugar
—1 tablespoon Water
The Shell:
—10 to 12 Egg Roll Skins
—1 whole Egg
To Fry:
—Enough Olive Oil or other Cooking Oil to fry with
Suggested Dipping Sauces:
—Soy Sauce with Hot Chili Oil
—Sweet & Sour Sauce
—Japanese Ponzu Sauce
—Hot Chinese Mustard
—Hoisin Sauce
Directions:
For these egg rolls I started out with two medium sized cooked lobsters. I removed the tails, claws and arms, cracked the shells, and extracted the meat from them. You could also pan fry two or three lobster tails to get that same amount of meat. However you do it, come up with one cup of fresh cooked lobster meat. Slice or chop the lobster meat, and set aside.
In a small bowl, add the soy sauce, water, sugar, black pepper, and Chinese Five spice. Stir together, and set aside.
In a wok or frying pan add the three tablespoons of olive oil, and the garlic and ginger. Over medium to medium high heat, stir fry them together until they are softened up. After cooking a few minutes, add the cabbage, cilantro, and celery. Stir them in the hot oil for a minute, then add the lobster, and the liquid soy sauce and spice mixture. Stir all of the ingredients together a minute or two, and then remove from the heat.
VERY IMPORTANT: When the filling is done cooking, put it all in a colander, and drain off all of the liquid. (Too much liquid will weaken the uncooked egg roll skin!)
If you are using the same wok or frying pan to fry the egg rolls in, wash and dry that pan, and get your cooking oil out and in the pan.
NOTE: To make these egg rolls, I used my trusty electric wok. That way I can have uniform heat, and a minimal amount oil of needed. I used about a cup of olive oil. This would also work in an electric frying pan, where you can also control the heat exactly. If you are using an electric wok or electric frying pan, set your heat control at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. The same temperature goes for a deep fryer.
Begin heating the oil at this point, as you are at about three minutes until you start frying the actual egg rolls. I strongly suggest you do these in batches of threes. Your cycle will be: 1) roll three, 2) fry them immediately, 3) remove them from the oil. If you are going to make a dozen of them, still do them in groups of three, each time putting the finished egg rolls in a baking pan and placing them into a 250 degree preheated oven so you can keep them warm while you do the next trio of egg rolls. (The reason you don’t roll more than three at a time is that the filling will start turning the egg roll skins to mush if they sit uncooked more than three minutes.)
OK…it’s time to get rolling! Crack and beat one whole egg in a small mixing bowl. On a clean surface (a cutting board, or a plate), set down one egg roll skin, with one of the four points facing you. With a pastry or basting brush, dip it in the beaten egg, and trace a one inch wide line of beaten egg along all four edges of the egg roll skin. This will serve as “the glue” that will seal the egg roll’s filling inside the second it hits the oil.
Carefully put two tablespoons of the lobster and vegetable filling in the center of the egg roll skin in a horizontal line, leaving an inch of clean egg roll on the left and right sides, and several inches at the top and the bottom of the egg roll skin. Try and arrange the contents so that every bite gets some lobster. Fold both the left and right side corners inward over the filling. Next, fold up the bottom corner of the egg roll skin to the level of the filling, and proceed to tightly roll upward over the last point of the egg roll skin, making sure that the beaten egg serves as glue to hold the egg roll together. If needs be, tuck inward the sides to make sure there is no part of the filling exposed.
NOTE: If you get any sort of a hole, rip or tear in any part of the egg roll skin while rolling, rescue the filling, ditch the damaged egg roll skin, and get a new one. You do not want the hot oil getting inside the egg roll skin while it fries!
Repeat the process on your next two egg rolls. As soon as you have three of them made, into the hot oil they go. Use kitchen tongs or a slotted spoon for this task, as you never want your fingers anywhere near the hot oil. Once all three egg rolls are in the oil, cover them with the lid of your cooking vessel (unless you are using a deep fryer).
If you are using a frying pan or wok, make sure you turn over the egg roll with the tongs after approximately one minute. Then take additional minutes turning the egg rolls so that all four sides of the egg roll are thoroughly brown as well.
When the egg rolls are golden brown on the outside, it is time to eat them, or to put them in a heatproof dish or pan which you place in a 250 degree oven as you start on the next batch of three.
NOTE: As you remove them from the hot oil, you might want to place them on a piece of paper towel on a plate for 15 seconds to absorb any excess oil.
Don’t be alarmed if there is a learning curve with these. The first batch is usually the most difficult. By the time you do the second batch of three, you should have the process down.
When serving these Lobster Egg Rolls, Chinese hot mustard and sweet & sour sauce are great for dipping. One of my favorite egg roll dipping sauces is soy sauce with hot chili oil floating on top of it. Any way that you dip these, I guarantee they will be a hit.