CRISPY GINGER, SCALLION CHINESE LOBSTER

[foodbyrdie]

I am visiting downtown Boston and would like to find a restaurant serving chinese ginger scallion lobster where the sauce forms a crispy coating on the lobster shell. We get it this way at Hua Sang in Toronto, ON and it is scrumptious. It should be so much better using the fresher lobster available in Boston!!

[Mike5966]

I've had this multiple times each at both Victoria's and Dumpling Cafe. I thought both were equally good, with a slight edge going to Dumpling Cafe for the crispiness of the coating. Twin lobsters for about 18 bucks at both places.

[Prav]

Stupid question, but what is the best way to eat this dish? I know it generally comes chopped up into pieces - do you just pluck out meat from the shell with chopsticks?

[gourmaniac]

Not stupid at all. It's difficult to get the meat out in public but very piece dependent. Tail pieces are the easiest and veterans grab these first (or share them with the less able). Claws are tougher and sometimes lobster picks are provided. If not, a gentle cracking with your teeth as you hold onto the claw with chopsticks will let you remove enough shell to get it with your chopsticks. The main body pieces that have the swimmerets are very tricky and I tend to just gnaw on them. If alone, think Darryl Hannah from Splash.

RE Barleywino's comment on spicy salt combined, my understanding of the dish is that the raw lobster pieces are simply drenched in corn starch, other ingredients cooked in a very hot wok with oil and finished with adding the lobster pieces til just done. The very hot and flavored oil will crisp up the coating on the shell and meat.

[barleywino]

hmm, you may be right. I know if you request Peach Farm's softshell crab (when in season) as ginger-scallion, they seem to do them spicy-salt first to get them crispy, then toss them in the ginger scallion in the wok at the end. Guess it depends how crispy you want them.

[Spike]

I tend to use one chopstick to skewer the meat and pry it out. Some people use their hands, but I hate getting that messy :-)

The pieces w/ the inner skeleton are just chew, suck, and spit out....

[Science Chick]

Jo Jo Taipei does a great version, but call first to be sure they have it that night.

[StriperGuy]

Ya, Jo Jo does the best version of this I have ever had...

[Science Chick]

Victoria Seafood does a great version too.....but I just can't sit in there without feeling all skeevie.

[Allstonian]

A lot of people recommend the ginger scallion lobster at Victoria Seafood, but the one time I tried it there was more shell than meat, and it wasn't particularly enjoyable. (For the record, I don't recall the sauce forming a crispy coating on the plentiful shell, either.)

There's also the fact that I can't sit in there without feeling completely unwelcome.

[barleywino]

Try Best Little restaurant (on Hudson st between Beach and Kneeland). You would have to specify spicy-salt AND ginger-scallion to get the crispy coating I think. While you're there, get the crispy fried tofu w/ conch (you can substitute jumbo shrimp if you prefer). Peach farm restaurant (on Tyler st) is another option. For a variation with similar flavors/textures, try the tiny fried fish w/ flowering chives at New Golden Gate (on Beach st near the gate.)

[Jolyon Helterman]

I had a great version at Dumpling Cafe a couple of days ago. I also think East Ocean City does a nice job.