The lobster burger

From Washingtonian.com

How To Build a Better Burger, part 1

We asked ten chefs to create recipes that go beyond ground chuck. And did they ever.

When it comes to burgers these days, anything goes. In restaurants, you’ll find patties both minuscule and supersize, fashioned from ingredients as unlikely as mushrooms and salmon and topped with everything from house-made ketchup to foie gras.

This winter, Citronelle chef Michel Richard will launch his new, more casual restaurant, Central, in DC’s Penn Quarter. It’ll offer not one but five kinds of burgers, including his crab, veggie, and tuna varieties and a classic Wagyu-beef rendition. Our favorite is one crafted from lobster and held together with a smooth scallop puree. It’s one of the most addictive burgers we’ve ever tasted.

We challenged nine other local chefs to come up with unconventional burger recipes—creations that reflect their cultures and sensibilities.

Some, such as the Vietnamese-style beef version from Minh’s in Clarendon, a Greek spin with lamb and tzatziki, and a summer savory-flecked chicken patty, are easy to pull off. A few others—like a marvelous Middle East–inspired veggieburger and an aromatic Indian-accented rendition—take a bit more time and energy.

And one, from Maestro chef Fabio Trabocchi, is pure luxury on a bun. It takes a full day—plus a few hundred dollars’ worth of Osetra caviar—to prepare.

Of course, we still love a good old cheeseburger, which is why we asked Charlie Palmer Steak chef Bryan Voltaggio to come up with one. He couldn’t resist toying with the standard, stuffing a manly portion of ground Angus with a sharp bleu cheese.

Fire up the grill, the sautee pan, or the oven and start flipping. All recipes serve four.

The Lobster Burger

By Michel Richard of Citronelle

4 lobsters (1 pound each)
1 large tomato, cut into 4 slices
1 clove garlic, sliced
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 pound scallops
2 tablespoons milk
4 teaspoons mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon peeled and grated ginger
Salt and pepper to taste
4 brioche buns

Fill a large stockpot with water and bring to a boil.

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Set the tomato slices on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with garlic and sugar, season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes and cool.

When the water is boiling, cook the lobsters for 5 minutes. Transfer to cold water. When the lobsters are cool, remove meat from the claws, legs, knuckles, and tail. Cut the meat into large pieces. Set aside in a bowl.

In a food processor, puree the scallops for a few seconds until smooth. Stir in 2 tablespoons of milk. Fold the scallop mixture into the lobster meat. Season with salt and pepper. Mold into 4 lightly packed patties and keep cold.

In a bowl, combine the mayonnaise, soy sauce, and ginger.

In a pan over medium heat, sautee the patties in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until golden, about 5 minutes on each side.

Split the buns and sprinkle with the remaining olive oil. Lightly toast. Serve the burgers with a slice of tomato and the ginger mayonnaise.