Pair the brilliant flavors of venison and lobster in this special dish. (Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley photo)
January 03, 2019
By Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley
Print Recipe
An easy-to-make compound butter of shallot and chive will put your venison steaks over the top , while a half lobster tail basted in a lime, garlic, and sun-dried tomato butter sauce adds a luxurious complement.
If you'd rather grill the venison and lobster, that would work, too. Serve this dish with pinot noir, a light-bodied red wine that is delicate enough for lobster but will also hold up to the taste of venison.
I served this dish with baked asparagus and couscous. To prepare asparagus, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut or snap off woody ends, and lay on a rimmed cookie sheet lined with foil. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until tender but still green and slightly crisp. Follow package directions to prepare couscous. Mashed potatoes will work, too.
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Serves: 2 Prep time: 1 hour Cook time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
1 pound venison loin, silver skin removed 1 (½-pound) lobster tail, split in half, lengthwise 1 tablespoon olive oil Kosher salt Coarsely ground black pepper Lime wedges Compound Butter:
6 tablespoons softened salted butter (room temperature) 1 tablespoon chopped chives 2 tablespoons shallot, minced 1 clove garlic, minced Garlic and Lime Sauce:
3 cloves garlic, minced 1 piece sun-dried tomato packed in oil, finely chopped 2 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon olive oil ¼ teaspoon chili powder 2 tablespoon chicken broth 1 teaspoon lime juice 2 teaspoons fresh cilantro, chopped Directions:
One hour prior to cooking, take venison loin out of the refrigerator to allow it to come to room temperature. This will help the meat cook more evenly. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. To make compound butter, combine softened butter, chives, shallot and garlic. Place compound butter on a sheet of plastic wrap and roll into a log. Twist the ends to seal and place in the refrigerator to firm up. Put the garlic and chive compound butter in the refrigerator to firm up until you're ready to use it. (Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley photo) To make garlic and lime butter sauce for lobster, combine garlic, sundried tomato, butter and olive oil in a saucepan. Heat over medium-low to allow butter and oil to warm and garlic to become aromatic, but do not brown. Next, mix in the chili powder, chicken broth, lime juice and cilantro. Keep warm over low heat – do not burn. Garlic and lime butter sauce for the lobster tail. (Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley photo) Pat dry venison loin with paper towel. Sprinkle with kosher salt and coarsely cracked pepper to taste. Preheat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a fry pan or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Salt and pepper venison loin before sauteing. (Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley photo) Once pan is hot, sear venison for 2 minutes on each side, or until a crust forms. Transfer venison loin to a cookie sheet, and finish cooking it for 8 minutes in a 375 degrees oven for medium rare. Cooking time will vary depending on thickness of meat. Use the cooked venison loin as the "turf" in this surf-and-turf recipe. (Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley photo) Meanwhile, clean out pan and add more oil if necessary. Cook lobster tail halves meat-side down for 2-3 minutes over medium-high heat, or until browned. Flip and cook lobster an additional 4 minutes, or until meat is opaque and cooked through. Once done, baste the lobster meat with the garlic and lime butter sauce. Lobster tail basted in the garlic and lime butter sauce. (Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley photo) Once cooked to your liking, allow venison loin to rest for 5 minutes tented with foil. Next, slice loin into medallions and serve with a pat of the compound butter on top. Serve lobster with lime wedges and leftover sauce on the side. Finished Venison Loin and Lobster Recipe served with a side of couscous and asparagus. (Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley photo) Advertisement
