Seafood Sausage
10 servings (20 to 25 5-inch sausages)
This sausage is a delicately emulsified mousseline, encased in plastic wrap for poaching. Do not overpoach or you will create a broken-mousse mess.
Read more about this recipe at the Washington Post.
8 ounces scallops, patted dry
8 ounces peeled and deveined (uncooked) shrimp
2 large egg whites
2 cups heavy cream
1 pound cooked lobster meat, preferably from the tail and claws, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 teaspoons snipped chives
1 tablespoon tarragon leaves
prep: 40 minutes
total: 40 minutes
food processor
large pastry bag
12-inch wide, heat-safe plastic wrap
flexible spatula
large pan
instant-read thermometer
1. Have ready a large pastry bag with a tip/opening of no more than 3/4 inch and some 12-inch-wide heat-safe plastic wrap.
2. Combine the scallops and shrimp in the bowl of a food processor; puree for 2 to 3 minutes, until fairly smooth. Use a flexible spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3. Add the egg whites and puree for 1 minute to mix well, then add the cream in 3 increments, mixing each for 15 to 20 seconds. After each addition, use the spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl so all ingredients are blended thoroughly. Be careful not to overblend the mixture, which will break the mousse.
4. With the final addition of cream, season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the mousse mixture to a large mixing bowl and carefully fold in the lobster, chives and tarragon to form the seafood sausage mixture. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.
5. Fill the pastry bag with the seafood sausage mixture. Pull out about 15 inches of plastic wrap toward you on the countertop, leaving about a 2-inch margin of plastic wrap hanging over the edge of the counter.
6. Starting 1 inch from the edge of the counter, squeeze out a parallel, horizontal line of mousse, leaving a 1 1/2-inch margin of plastic wrap on the left and right.
7. Pull the 2 inches of plastic wrap over the line of sausage mixture. Form the seafood sausage using the plastic wrap to press it back into a compact roll, pressing in from the ends as you work to keep the sausage tight and free of air pockets. Fold the outer edges and finish rolling with the remaining plastic wrap.
8. After the sausage is completely rolled up, pinch the middle and twist, creating two 5-inch links. (At this point, the sausages can be refrigerated for 1 to 2 days or poached immediately.)
9. Bring a large pan of water to 180F (measure on an instant-read thermometer). Add 4 to 6 seafood sausages and poach for 10 to 12 minutes, until barely firm. (At this point, the sausage can be cooled slightly, then refrigerated in its plastic wrap for about 5 days. To reheat, place in the same temperature water until warmed through.)
10. When ready to serve, pinch one end of the sausage and cut the plastic; the sausage will ease out of its plastic wrap. Serve immediately.
