Lobster And Mussells At Le Cordon Bleu

Chef Alain Bossé, The Kilted Chef, and Chef Jose Duarté of Taranta.

I was recently invited by the Canadian Consulate General in Boston to attend an evening of sustainable seafood presented at Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School in Cambridge. Students helped the Chefs prepare a variety of mussell and lobster dishes for guests and gave us lots of cooking tips and interesting information. For instance, did you know that our friends in Canada grow over 50 million pounds of mussells a year? I sat with a contingent from South America as we enjoyed a great evening of dining and conversation.


Our first dish was mussells and salad. Prince Edward Island mussels are farmed mussels that never touch the ocean floor and are remarkably free of grit.


Steamed Mussells in a rich broth. This broth was absolutely fantastic. Mussels should always be steamed, never boiled and these PEI mussels are sweeter than most I have had. Since they are farmed so close to us, a fresh shipment (packed in an ice slurry) will reach Boston in under ten hours. The difference in taste is amazing.


Canadian Lobster and Mussell Bruschetta. It was every bit as delicious as it looks.


Chef Jose demonstrating the difference between a female and male lobster. The female, on the left, will always have a slightly wider tail.


In a lighthearted moment, and one the audience totally enjoyed, the Chefs demonstrated how lobsters mate. I actually always wondered how this happened myself.


The Lobster Cakes included yellow and red pepper, red onion and fresh dill.


The buttery rich bread crumbs made this my favorite taste of the night.


The Chefs then demonstrated the easiest way to break down a cooked lobster, breaking it in half, finding the vein and discarding the stomach. Although all parts are edible, lobsters are scavengers who will devour anything so it's best to skip the stomach.


Lobster Fresh Roll With Maple Ginger Sauce. This Asian inspired recipe is easy to make and was a nice twist. Easy to make, it was also a beautifully colorful, mouth-watering presentation. All of the recipes are available. Just email us and we'll be happy to provide any of them.


Chefs and students of Le Cordon Bleu receiving a round of applause for their service.


We also caught up with Le Cordon Bleu student Sean, who also attended the recent lobster judging competition at the International Boston Seafood Show and was munching on one of those incredible lobster rolls after the demonstration. Drop us an email, Sean! We got some lobstah for ya!

Thank you to the Canadian Consulate for the invitation. Of course, I missed the rare opportunity to wear my NATO medal to this event since it was an official consulate affair! Oh well, maybe next time. Great job by everyone, including the flawless prep and service by Le Cordon Bleu.