PALMETTO, Fla. — A new restaurant in Palmetto is part of the latest hotel in Manatee County.
Executive Chef Anthony Castro at Social shared the recipe for lobster and crab bites, pan-fried, bite-sized pieces of lobster and crabmeat, served with chopped fresh chives, Japanese remoulade dipping sauce and lemon zest.
Batter ingredients
- ¼ tablespoon dashi powder
- 10 ounces warm water, 100 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit
- 2 large eggs
- 1⁄2 ounce soy sauce
- ½ cup flour (half wheat flour, half rice flour)
Filling ingredients
- Enough vegetable oil to grease the pan
- ¾ pound lobster meat cut into chunks
- ¾ pound crab meat lump
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- ⅔ tablespoon pickled ginger, minced
- 2 green onion stalks, sliced thinly
- 1¾ tbsp tonkatsu
Toppings ingredients
- Takoyaki sauce
- Aonori, dried seaweed powder
- Lobster and crab salad
- Japanese mayonnaise, preferably Kewpie brand
- Kizami, nori shreds
- Bonito flakes
Preparation
- Heat the water to at least 100 degrees F and no more than 110 degrees F, then add the dashi powder, and stir until it’s completely dissolved.
- Add the eggs and soy sauce into the dashi, and whisk until it’s combined.
- In a bowl, combine the flour.
- Sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, and whisk until there are no more lumps.
- Preheat the takoyaki pan over the stove on medium heat. Brush on some oil on each curve in the pan.
- Pour the batter into each dip at about 80% of the way up. Do not add too much because it will expand.
- Cook for about 1 or 2 minutes, or until the batter begins to slightly bubble. This will ensure the fillings stay in the center and don’t sink to the bottom.
- Add a little bit of each of the fillings into each takoyaki, making sure to overfill.
- After each ball has been filled, go to the first takoyaki, and use the takoyaki stick to release it from the sides to turn the ball in three-quarters of the way around. Leave a little opening (about one-eighth inch) in the takoyaki so it is not completely covered. This is the opening where more crispy, cooked batter can be filled in.
- Pour more batter over the entire pan and into the opened spaces, and continue to cook until the batter bubbles. Carefully watch the takoyaki at this time, adjusting the heat if it’s burning too hot or too low. Give enough time for the batter to cook all the way through without burning.
- Use the takoyaki stick to begin to turn the takoyaki around when the batter bubbles. Use the stick to move the batter around the edges of each semi-circle and fold them into each takoyaki ball as it is turned.
- Cook the balls until each is golden brown and crispy on the edges. All the takoyaki should measure at 200 degrees F internally.
- Remove the balls with the stick, and top them with takoyaki sauce.
- Add lobster crab topping. Sprinkle aonori, squeeze some mayonnaise, add some seaweed strips and bonito flakes on top.