Chilled Sweet Pea Soup With Lobster

Serves 6

Sweet peas are also called English or garden peas. Shell them right before making the soup to keep the peas from drying out. Remove any strings from the pods, slit the pods open, and then push out the little round peas with your thumb. If you must shell them ahead of time, wrap them in a damp towel and refrigerate for no more than a few hours.

ingredients

One 2-pound lobster
4 cups shelled fresh sweet peas, 6 pea pods reserved
1 1/2 cups water, plus more as needed
Salt and freshly ground white pepper

directions

1
Plunge the lobster head first into a large pot of rapidly boiling salted water. Cover and boil for 8 to 12 minutes or until bright red and cooked through. Using a pair of long tongs, remove the lobster from the pot and immediately submerge in cold water. Drain the lobster and allow to cool.
2
When cool enough to handle, crack the lobster and remove the meat from the tail, claws, and knuckles. Put them eat into a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. You should have about 6 ounces of lobster meat.
3
In a large pot of boiling water, blanch the peas for 2 to 5 minutes or until tender when bitten into. Drain and immediately submerge in cold water. Drain again.
4
Transfer half of the peas and 1 cup of the water to a blender. Puree until smooth. Strain through a chino is or fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl. Puree the remaining peas and water and strain into the bowl. If needed, gently stir in more water until the soup reaches the consistency you prefer. Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Cover and chill.
5
Cut the lobster meat into 6 equal portions. Stuff each portion of meat into a reserved pea pod.
6
To serve, pour G cup of the chilled soup into a small glass and straddle a filled pea pod on the rim of the glass. Repeat to make 5 more servings.