Green Curry Lobster Stew with Sweet Potato and Mushrooms

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"Lobster stew is one of the pillars of Maine cooking," according to chefs Mike Wiley and Andrew Taylor, of Eventide Oyster Co. in Portland. For this green curry–laced version, they took cues from tom kha, a coconut milk–based Thai soup, and enriched it with umami-heavy Golden Mountain sauce and hen-of-the-woods mushroom confit to create a richly aromatic lobster stew. Sweet potato, curry paste, heavy cream, and coconut milk come together in a well-balanced broth that highlights the sweetness of lobster. Chefs Taylor and Wiley use sweet potato peels to thicken the broth; they lend a creamy, pleasantly thick body to the stew. While the chefs always use fresh lobster, look for pre-cooked lobster and store-bought lobster stock (such as Better than Bouillon Lobster Base) to make this dish weeknight-friendly.

By Andrew Taylor

and Mike Wiley

Updated on January 17, 2024

Tested by

Food & Wine Test Kitchen

Green Curry Lobster Stew — Photo: Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell

Active Time:

25 mins

Total Time:

1 hr 10 mins

Servings:

Yield:

4 to 6 servings

Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

8 cups boiling water
2 ½ tablespoons lobster stock base (such as Better Than Bouillon)
¼ cup neutral oil (such as canola or grapeseed), divided
¼ cup green curry paste (such as Maesri)
2 ounces palm sugar, roughly chopped (about 1/4 cup)
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon fermented soybean seasoning sauce (such as Golden Mountain)
1 large (about 1 1/4-pound) sweet potato, washed, peeled (skins reserved), and flesh cut into 3/4-inch cubes (about 3 3/4 cups), divided
Kosher salt, to taste
1 pound hen-of-the-woods mushrooms, trimmed and separated into small clusters (about 5 cups)
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup well-shaken and stirred unsweetened coconut milk
8 ounces cooked and picked lobster meat (such as Luke's Lobster), roughly chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
Chile oil (such as La-Yu), for garnish

Directions

Stir together 8 cups boiling water and lobster stock base in a 2-quart measuring cup until fully dissolved; set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a medium Dutch oven over medium. Add curry paste; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add stock mixture, palm sugar, fish sauce, seasoning sauce, and sweet potato skins. Bring to a boil over medium-high. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until sweet potato skins are tender, about 15 minutes.
Transfer curry mixture to a blender (in batches, if needed). Secure lid on blender, and remove center piece of blender lid. Cover opening with a kitchen towel, and process until smooth, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir in salt to taste. Set aside.
Wipe Dutch oven clean. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium. Add mushrooms, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in curry mixture, heavy cream, coconut milk, and cubed sweet potato. Bring to a boil over medium-high. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until sweet potato is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in lobster meat. Let stand until warmed through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt to taste. Garnish with chile oil. —Andrew Taylor and Mike Wiley, Eventide Oyster Co., Portland, Maine