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THE LOCAL RECIPES

LOBSTER

How to make Sweden’s luxurious lobster soup

Described as the "king of soups" by Swedish food writer John Duxbury, traditional lobster soup is not only a handy way of using up left over lobster shells, it also tastes incredible. Here's chef Johan Sköld’s own recipe for the indulgent favourite.

How to make Sweden's luxurious lobster soup
Lobster soup with dill toast. Photo: John Duxbury/Swedish Food

Summary

Serves: 4

Level: Easy

Preparation: 20 minutes

Cooking: 90 minutes (plus 60 minutes for flavours to infuse)

Total: 110 minutes

Tips

– This makes a wonderfully rich soup, but if you are concerned about the amount of cream you can either serve very small portions or replace all the cream with a good quality fish stock and then add four tablespoons of cream in step 10. (For health reasons this is how I normally make it.)

– Serve the soup with dill toast as shown above or cut into heart shapes as shown below.

– You can freeze lobster shells until you want to make this soup, but do this as soon as possible after cooking the lobsters and use them within two weeks. To use them, defrost them for 30 minutes and then, whilst they are still in the freezer bag, break them up into really small pieces using a mallet.

– Try cooking lobster yourself. It really is quite easy! For our recipe click here.

Ingredients

Shells from two medium sized lobsters

1 tbsp butter

2 tbsp brandy or cognac

½ small fennel, finely chopped

250g (8 oz) mixed root vegetables such as carrots, celeriac and parsnip, finely chopped

½ small onion, peeled and finely chopped 2 cm (1″) white end of a leek, finely chopped

1 tbsp tomato purée

1 tsp mixed seeds such as dill, aniseed, fennel or cumin

2-3 dill flowers, if in season

180 ml (¾ cup) white wine

900 ml (3½ cups) double (heavy) or whipping cream

1 tbsp dry sherry

Salt and white pepper to taste

Lemon juice to taste

4 small dill sprigs

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F, gas 6, fan 180°C).

2. Bake the lobster shells for 5 minutes to dry them thoroughly.

3. When the shells are cold enough to handle, break them up as much as possible with a mallet. The smaller the pieces the better the flavour.

4. Heat a tablespoon of butter in a large pan. When melted, add the crushed lobster shells. Sauté for a few minutes until it begins to smell quite lobsterish, then remove from the heat, add 2 tablespoons of brandy and flambé the shells.

5. When the flames subside, add the chopped fennel, roots vegetables, onion, leek, seeds, tomato purée and dill heads (if available). Sauté the mixture for 5 minutes or so until the vegetables have softened a bit.

6. Add the wine and boil for 5 minutes.

7. Add the cream and bring to a gentle simmer. Put a lid on the mixture and leave it to simmer gently for an hour, stirring occasionally and turning down the heat if it looks as if it might burn.

8. After an hour turn off the heat and leave the flavours to infuse for an hour in the pan with the lid on.

9. Sieve the mixture.

10. Return the mixture to a cleaned-out saucepan and bring back to a gentle simmer. Add a tablespoon of sherry plus salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste.

11. Just before serving, whisk the soup with an electric hand blender and then carefully pour into warm soup bowls.

Luxury version

Roughly chop the tail meat from two lobsters and add four claws to an oven proof dish. Cover with foil and place in a warm oven for a few minutes to warm through. The meat only needs to be gently warmed through and not cooked because otherwise it will become rubbery. Divide the meat between four dishes and carefully pour the soup around the meat. Garnish with dill if desired. 

Dill toast (optional)

Dill toast makes an attractive garnish and for a special occasion it looks really nice when cut into heart-shapes. It is also easy to make!

8 slices of white sourdough bread

2 garlic cloves, peeled

40g (⅓ stick) butter, softened

4 tbsp finely chopped fresh dill

Method

1. Preheat the over to 220°C (425°F, gas 7, fan 190°C).

2. Cut the bread into heart shapes.

3. Halve the garlic cloves and then use the cut faces to wipe one side of each slice of bread.

4. Mix the butter and chopped dill together. Spread the mixture over each piece of bread.

5. Bake for 3-5 minutes until golden brown at the edges.

Recipe by Johan Sköld and published courtesy of John Duxbury, founder and editor of Swedish Food.

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FOOD AND DRINK

Five budget-friendly bars for a night out in Malmö

For Eurovision visitors, students or anyone else looking to have a good evening without breaking the bank, Malmö has plenty of pubs – which is good news for beer drinkers, as alcohol is famously expensive in Sweden.

Five budget-friendly bars for a night out in Malmö

Most of these are around the Möllan neighbourhood, which is more or less the centre of the city’s nightlife.

A general tip if you’re buying a beer anywhere in Sweden and aren’t too bothered about the exact one you get is to order a stor stark, literally a “big strong one”. These are usually half a litre of beer at around 5.5 percent ABV, so bear that in mind if that’s more than what you’re used to.

Nobes

Technically known as Gamle Nobes Bodega, everyone in Malmö calls it Nobes. Originally opened in 1937, Nobes is the closest you’re going to get to a British-style pub or German Bierhalle, with its tiled floor and rustic dark wooden décor.

As far as food is concerned, Nobes has some of the best traditional Swedish food in Malmö, with its kålpudding cabbage casserole, served with gravy, potatoes, pickled cucumber and lingonberry jam a must (it’s better than it sounds, we promise).

They have a dart board and sometimes have live music, and you can choose from a range of draft or bottled beers, ciders and wines.

Expect to pay a minimum of 60 kronor for a beer and around 160 kronor for food.

Address: Kristianstadsgatan 36

Opening hours: Mon-Thurs 2pm-midnight, Fri 2pm-1am, Sat noon-1am and Sun noon-midnight

Ölkaféet

This is one of the most popular pubs in the Möllan neighbourhood, and that’s not just because it’s the unofficial supporters bar of the local football team, Malmö FF.

They’re cheap and cheerful, with reasonably priced pub grub, a heated outdoor seating area with views over the Möllan square and football matches on the TV, if that’s your kind of thing.

They even have a small library, a gallery wall with works by local artists, and board games like backgammon, checkers and chess, which you can borrow.

If there are no seats (it can get busy on the weekend), Vegan Bar next door is a good alternative, even for non-vegans.

A standard 50cl beer (veckans öl or “beer of the week”, despite the fact it hasn’t changed in years) costs around 65 kronor, with a burger costing around 140 kronor.

Address: Södra Skolgatan 43 – or just walk to the Möllevångstorget square and look for the bright blue awnings.

Opening hours: All days 10am-1am

Rex Pizzeria

Rex, on Nobelvägen, is probably the best example of a classic Swedish pizzeria that you can find in Malmö.

A warning: leave any expectation of Italian-style pizzas at the door, as Rex is firmly in the Swedish-style fulpizza category.

Their pizzas, such as the Tropicana, with cheese, tomato, ham, banana and curry powder, almost make a Hawaiian pizza look tame – although you can get more normal pizza toppings too if banana and curry is a bit too wild for you. They also have vegetarian and vegan options, for groups with allergies or other dietary restrictions.

Pizzas aside, Rex is also a popular pub with cheap drinks, shuffleboard and pool tables, and a nice outdoor serving area in summer. They often host quizzes, standup or other entertainment in their event room in the basement.

Beers cost around 60 kronor and pizzas range from 70 to 140 kronor.

Address: Nobelvägen 107

Opening hours: Tues-Sat 11am-1am, Sun-Mon 11am-11pm

Azalee

If you’re looking for a cheap bar which also provides the evening’s entertainment, Azalee’s your best bet.

This bar is a bizarre mix of casino, karaoke bar and pub, and an evening of karaoke here is equally as entertaining whether you’re getting up on stage yourself or just listening to the other guests get progressively worse at singing as the night goes on.

They offer classic pub fare at around 150-200 kronor and reasonably priced drinks.

Address: Claesgatan 8

Opening hours: Weds-Tors 4pm-1am, Fre-Sat 4pm-3am

Karaoke: Weds and Thurs, 8pm-1am, Friday and Saturday 8pm-3am

Blackjack Weds-Sat 6pm-close

Entry fee: 50kr after 11pm on weekends

Lion Bar

The picturesque Lilla Torg area of Malmö is not known for being cheap, but Lion Bar (a national chain) is an exception, offering a 40cl beer for under 40kr.

Food wise, they offer standard pub grub – nachos, buffalo wings, mozzarella sticks, burgers and so on – with deals on some food items.

Unsurprisingly, the prices rise if you stray from the special offers, particularly if ordering cocktails or wine.

Address: Landbygatan 4

Opening hours: Mon-Thurs 3pm-midnight, Fri-Sat 3pm-1am

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