Seafood Wellington
Submitted by okibiker
Elegant seafood Wellington with lobster, prawns, and scallops flamed in cognac, draped in a silky Nantua sauce, and served in golden puff pastry vol-au-vents.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
30 minREADY
50 minThis is restaurant-caliber cooking brought home to your own kitchen.
Lobster tail, giant prawns, and plump scallops get seared in clarified butter, flamed with cognac, and finished in a velvety Nantua sauce built on lobster stock, heavy cream, and a whisper of tomato paste.
The whole luxurious filling gets spooned into crisp, golden puff pastry vol-au-vents for a presentation that belongs on a white tablecloth.
Don’t let the fancy name intimidate you. The active cooking is under 30 minutes, and the results will make your guests think you trained in Paris.
Chef Tips
- Sear the lobster and prawns quickly over high heat. You want color on the outside while keeping the center just barely cooked, since they’ll finish in the sauce.
- Flame the cognac carefully: tilt the pan away from you and let it ignite. The alcohol burns off fast and leaves behind a rich, caramelized depth.
- Blend the Nantua sauce until completely smooth. A silky sauce is what separates this from ordinary seafood dishes.
- Bake the vol-au-vents just before serving so the pastry stays shatteringly crisp against the warm, saucy filling.
Ingredients
Directions
Bake four vol au vents (puff pastry shells).
Either use homemade mille feuille or commercial puff pastry dough and follow instructions.
Vol au vent should be oval shaped and about 12 x 8 cm (5 x 3 inches) in size.
Sauce preparation: Sauté finely-chopped onion in 4 ounces clarified butter, add tomato paste, flour, and paprika.
Mix well, add stock, stirring until smooth.
Simmer on low heat for 15 minutes.
Add heavy cream, seasoning to taste.
Add a dash of cayenne, tabasco and the lemon wedge (easy on the spices; Nantua sauce should not be spicy hot).
Let simmer for five more minutes.
Retrieve lemon.
Blend sauce in high-speed blender until smooth and creamy.
Heat sauté pan on medium to high heat.
Drop in butter, then add in quick succession: first lobster meat, then prawns, sautéeing each until rare, then add mushrooms.
Flame with cognac, add the scallops and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.
Pour in the Nantua sauce, adding the bay shrimp, and bring to a short bowl.
Fill in preheated vol au vents and serve with steamed vegetables.
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