GW Fin’s Lobster Dumplings

MOUSSELINE for Dumplings (yield about 80)

- 1 pound lean fish filets (snapper, grouper, drum, sheephead) cut in strips and almost frozen
- 1 each egg
- 2 1/2 cups heavy cream very cold
- 3 Tablespoons dijon mustard
- 2 Tablespoons Minors Lobster base ( available in seafood specialty stores )
- 1/2 cup diced green onion, sweated soft in 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon cooked grated lobster roe ( Orange Tobiko can be substituted )
- 6 ounces diced cooked Maine lobster

For dumplings:
- Mousseline
- Gyoza skins ( 2 packages of 50 )
- Slurry of cornstarch and water - about 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch to 2 Tablespoons water
- Cornstarch to sprinkle on baking sheet

For Lobster Butter Sauce:
- Mixing wand (almost essential for emulsifying butter this way)
- 1 pound salted butter cut in 1/2 inch chunks at 40 degrees
- 1 cup very strong lobster or shrimp stock (or 1 Tablespoon Lobster base and 1 cup water)

INGREDIENTS
6 dumplings per person
2 Tablespoons butter sauce
1/4 teaspoon grated roe or Tobiko
1 teaspoon finely diced peeled tomato
1 Tablespoon blanched shaved fennel ( blanch in lobster stock and Pernod)
1 each fennel sprig

1) Chill all equipment - grinder, if used, food processor, bowls
2) Remove any skin or bones from the fish and place it in the freezer until almost frozen.
3) Either grind or dice very finely and place in a metal bowl resting in a bowl of ice
4) Place ground fish into the chilled processor bowl, turn on , add the egg and slowly pour in the cream in a thin stream, pausing to allow the mixture to gather if needed. ( the incorporation of the cream shouldn't take over a minute or two) The finished mousseline should look a little stiffer than soft ice cream.
5) Place mousseline into an iced bowl and fold in the mustard, lobster base, cooled sweated green onion, roe or Tobiko and lobster meat
6) Reserve very cold.

For Lobster Butter Sauce:
1) Place the cold cut up butter in a small sauce pan or other metal container (the operative word is small - so the liquid and butter mixture cover the blades on the blending wand)
2) Bring the stock to a rolling boil, pour over the butter and immediately blend. Reserve at about 125 degrees in a water bath. The mixture should be creamy.


Service recipe for Dumplings

For Dumplings:
1) Place a few dumpling skins on a work surface and moisten the edges with the cornstarch and water mixture.
2) Using a pastry bag or two spoons, place about a Tablespoon of the mousseline in the center of each of the skins. Fold them together and crimp the edges in a way I can't begin to describe without showing you.

The important thing, aesthetics aside, is that they are completely sealed. Place on a baking sheet sprinkled with cornstarch. Continue until you run out of skins or mousseline. Cover with plastic wrap and reserve in the coldest part of your refrigerator. Do not freeze. Shelf life -- MAXIMUM 48 HOURS

1) Cook the wontons in briskly boiling water for 2-3 minutes
2) Ladle 2 Tablespoons lobster butter in a large preheated bowl
3) Arrange the cooked dumplings in a star shape and place the fennel in the center
4) Top with the tomato concasse and fennel sprig. Sprinkle with roe.