Lobster wonton nachos…. bet that grabbed your attention. I recently tasted these mouthfuls of deliciousness at the 727 Ocean Sunset Bar in the completely renovated Smuggler’s Cove Oceanfront Inn in East Boothbay. More about the inn in a future post. For now, we’re talking what might be Maine’s best fusion dish: lobster wonton nachos, a taste of pure Maine with an Asian accent and served Mexican style. One bite, and I was hooked.
While I highly recommend driving, boating, or biking over to East Boothbay to enjoy these irresistible nachos, you can also make them at home.
Smuggler’s Cove Oceanfront Inn partner Dana Moos, author of two Maine cookbooks, The Art of Breakfast and the LOBSTER: 75 Recipes Celebrating America’s Favorite Seafood, created this recipe and kindly shared it with me. Enjoy!
Lobster Wonton Nachos
Lobster Wontons
Makes 32
black and white sesame seeds
vegetable oil for frying
16 wonton wrappers, cut in half on a diagonal
1 pound fresh picked lobster meat, portioned into 32 half-ounce portions
minced chives, for garnish
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Toast the sesame seeds on a parchment-lined sheet pan in a 300-degree oven until the white sesames have a light golden hue, about 10–12 minutes. Let cool.
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Add an inch or so of vegetable oil to a deep fry or sauté pan. Alternatively, if you have a deep fryer, you can use it. When the oil is 375 degrees, add 4–5 wontons at a time and cook for about a minute, until golden brown on each side. Set aside on a towel and season with kosher salt. Let cool and store in airtight container.
Smoked Truffle Aioli
Makes about 2 cups
1 bunch of scallions (about 6–8), bottoms trimmed
1 tablespoon olive oil, for grilling scallions
1 1⁄2 cups Japanese “Kewpie” mayonnaise (This is made from egg yolks, not whole eggs like traditional American mayonnaise, so it’s creamier. You can find it online or in Asian markets.)
1⁄2 stick butter
1⁄2 teaspoon salt plus 1⁄4 teaspoon for tossing on scallions
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon white truffle oil
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Drizzle the scallions with the olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and grill over medium heat until really well charred, about 10 minutes. Roughly chop and set aside.
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For the smoking you can use either an outdoor smoker or a stovetop smoker. I used a Cameron stovetop smoker, but I used it on the grill since I had to grill my scallions and the grill was already hot.
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Place 1 cup of the mayonnaise and butter in an ovenproof dish and place in smoker (following manufacturer instructions). Smoke for about 30 minutes. If it has been adequately smoked, you’ll see browned bits along the edge of the baking dish and a light brown tint to the mayo and butter. Let cool. Add to blender with the remaining mayonnaise, salt, black pepper, and truffle oil. Add the scallions and blend until scallions are in small bits but still very visible. Store in squeeze bottle.
Soy Glaze
Makes 1 cup
1⁄4 cup dark brown sugar
1⁄4 cup sweet soy sauce (which is thicker, similar to molasses, and can be found in Asian markets)
1⁄4 cup regular soy sauce
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
2 tablespoons rice cooking wine (Shaoxing)
2 tablespoons medium sherry
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon mirin
1 teaspoon fish sauce
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Add the brown sugar, soy sauces, garlic, ginger, rice wine, sherry, and rice wine vinegar to a small saucepan and heat until brown sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.
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Stir in mirin and fish sauce. Let cool and store in squeeze bottle.
(Dana’s tip: for a quality shortcut try Kikkoman Sweet Soy and thin with just a bit of rice wine or water)
To assemble the dish
Squeeze the aioli onto the wonton, from end to end. Top with 1⁄2 ounce of lobster chunks, a drizzle of soy glaze, a sprinkling of chives, and toasted sesames. Don’t be shy on the sauces—they are key to the flavor explosion!
