Does This Cantonese-Style Dish Have Boston Roots?

Mom and I are taking a detour from our usual Jiangnan recipes today to share our most beloved Chinese-American dish: Ginger Scallion Lobster.

If you’ve never heard of ginger scallion lobster (cōng jiāng chǎo lóngxiā, 葱姜炒龙虾), maybe you’ve heard of Cantonese-style lobster—they are the same thing. Yes, some version of this dish probably originated in the banquet halls of Guangdong or Hong Kong (the techniques involved are classically Cantonese), but I’d argue that the version most of us know and love was probably invented in Boston, Massachusetts.

Culinary history is often speculative, so I don’t have definitive proof to back up my theory, but consider this evidence: 

1. The lobster species of vermilion-shelled fame, Homarus americanus, is endemic to Northeast North America, ranging from Labrador to New Jersey. It’s also widely considered the most delicious lobster species on earth (it’s that cold water!). In China, the native lobsters belong to the Panulirus genus and inhabit tropical and subtropical waters. I’ve had many Panulirus lobsters in China, and they’re just not as flavorful (and that’s not just my Bostonian pride talking). 
2. Boston’s Chinatown was established in the 1870s (when workers from Guangdong were first brought over from San Francisco, in order to break up labor strikes), so the city easily has the largest Cantonese population living in an area where Homarus americanus are fished—and abundant. 
3. I remember the days when all the seafood restaurants on Tyler Street in Boston’s Chinatown advertised “3 for $10 Ginger Scallion Lobster” in their windows, and that seems like real “we invented this” energy. 

I rest my case.

Anyways, even though neither of my parents grew up with this dish, it very quickly became the centerpiece for all family birthdays when we moved to Boston. And we didn’t get it at the Chinatown restaurants—we discovered it was even cheaper to drive up to Maine, buy “bugs” directly from the lobstermen and make it ourselves.

We also ate lobster “the American way” a few times on those trips to Maine. Verdict: A lobster roll makes a nice snack when one is outside, between a bike and a beach, and a steamed lobster with drawn butter is an enjoyable novelty (but keep that ridiculous bib away from me). Later on, I tried grilled lobster and lobster sashimi, both of which sound better than they are. I’m now a weary prodigal daughter ready to come home to Boston: ginger scallion lobster beats them all.

Yes, to make this dish, you will have to butcher live lobsters. If it’s your first time, I can promise an empowering learning experience. Your reward is the best goddamn seafood dish in the world. After the easy spoils of claws and tail, you’ll want to suck the knuckles and lick the crevasses. You’ll even want to drain the juice from the frilly gills, treating the carcass as if it were a messy marine mango pit. 

Shopping For and Butchering Lobsters

New Englanders know that “shedders”—the soft-shelled lobsters of summer—have sweeter and more tender meat than the lobsters harvested in other seasons. I think their shells are also much easier to butcher. The bigger the lobster, the fewer lobsters you’ll have to butcher, so look for “quarters “(1.25 lb) or “halves” (1.5 lb). At these sizes, you can budget one lobster per person.

Live lobsters should be stored in the crisper, where they can survive 3–4 days. Remove all the packaging the lobsters came with, including bags and ice. (Perhaps obviously, also remove everything else in the crisper!) Don’t take them out of the fridge until you’re ready to take up the knife; they are sluggish when cold and easier to handle. 

Prep for butchering by making sure your knife—I recommend a Western-style chef’s knife—is sharp. Then, place a dish towel under and around your cutting board to help stabilize the board and sop up liquid, since lobsters release a lot of saltwater. I also recommend wearing work gloves so you can better grapple the lobster without hurting yourself on its spiky bits.

• Place your drowsy lobster onto the cutting board and kill it swiftly by plunging the tip of your knife into its head, an inch behind its eyes. If the slippery shell makes you nervous, you can flip it over and stab it in the same spot from below instead (my preferred method). It’s normal for them to continue twitching after this initial cut, so try not to be alarmed. 
• Twist off the lobster’s claws from where they connect to the carapace.
• Twist off the lobster’s tail from its carapace. 
• Split the carapace in half lengthwise. (Even though the carapaces don’t have much meat, I like to include them in my stir fry because they add a ton of flavor. If you don’t want to use them, or not all of them will fit in the wok, I recommend reserving them for lobster stock—they can be frozen for months). 
• Lay the tail flat on the cutting board, and slice it in half crosswise. 
• Cut each piece of the tail in half again, lengthwise. 
• Twist off the claws from the knuckles.
• Remove the rubber bands from the claws and use the flat of your knife, a mallet or a meat tenderizer to crack the claws and knuckle pieces.

Cooking Tips for Ginger Scallion Lobster

Once the lobsters are butchered, they’re fried in a little breading, then stir-fried in an aromatic mixture of ginger, scallions, ground white pepper and vadouvan curry powder.

You may be tempted to skip the flouring and frying steps—don’t. The little fried floury bits are essential for drawing the sauce into the lobster meat, and they make two lobsters feel like four.

This recipe is a family one, and it emulates what is served in restaurants in Boston’s Chinatown with the addition of vadouvan curry—my own twist on the dish. Vadouvan is a mild, sweet curry blend from French India, and its hybrid heritage makes it super versatile (as many, many Top Chef contestants have demonstrated). I’m not trying to be some Jean-Georges Vongerichten copycat, but I really think vadouvan’s toasty alliums, warm spices and slight smokiness marry perfectly with this dish. Give it a try.

For more restaurant-style seafood dishes, try Taylor’s Sichuan-style Dry-Braised Shrimp ft. Crispy Pork (Ganshaoxia,干烧虾) and Water-Boiled Fish With Tofu (Shuizhuyu, 水煮鱼) or Kathy’s Stovetop Chongqing Kaoyu (烤鱼).