Lobster, corn and basil quiche recipe

Last Saturday -- an average day, no special occasion -- I awoke with the urge to make a luxurious breakfast for my husband Ted and me. No explanation of why I felt drawn to cook on a Saturday morning (believe me, this never happens), but I recognized it right away as a splendid idea. My pantry offered the basic components for quiche: pie crust, eggs, cheese. Basil in the garden, and cooked lobster tail and roasted corn in the freezer from a recent Trader Joe's shopping trip, came together in this lobster, corn and basil quiche. Fresh lobster and corn cut off the cob would make it that much better, but it was so good that I want you to make this recipe even if you rely on frozen and pantry ingredients. You can substitute shrimp, langoustines or chunks of salmon for the lobster. Serve this quiche with a green salad and glass of white wine for lunch or supper, or make it for breakfast on an ordinary Saturday morning, and turn the day into a special occasion.

Lobster, corn and basil quiche

From the pantry, you'll need: pie crust, olive oil, eggs, sour cream, grated cheese, kosher salt, fresh black pepper.

Serves 6.

Ingredients

1 refrigerated store-bought pie crust
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 leek, washed and trimmed, diced
3/4 cup roasted corn kernels, or fresh kernels from 1 ear of corn
8 oz cooked lobster meat or shelled, cooked langoustines, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh basil leaves
5 large eggs
1/2 cup nonfat (skim) milk
2 Tbsp sour cream
8 oz grated mild cheese (I use Italian 6-cheese blend, store-bought; you can use a mix of any cheese you prefer)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp fresh black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Fit the pie crust into a 9-inch pie dish, and set aside.

In a small nonstick frying pan, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the leeks and corn, and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the pieces of lobster, and cook for 1 minute. Turn the heat off, toss in the chopped basil, and remove the pan from heat.

In a large glass measuring cup (8-cup size) or mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and sour cream. Then, with a rubber spatula, stir in the cheese, salt and pepper. Add the cooked vegetables and lobster to the eggs, and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into the prepared pie crust.

Bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes, until the top is slightly browned and the quiche is firm to the touch. Remove the pan from the oven and set it on a wire rack to cool for at least 15 minutes, or until room temperature.

Slice and serve, or let the quiche cool completely, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More recipes in The Perfect Pantry:
Leek and mushroom quiche
Red pepper, asparagus and spinach quiche
Asparagus, mushroom and sausage quiche
Zucchini, goat cheese and basil frittata
One-bite vegetable quiche

Other recipes that use these pantry ingredients:
Crab, scallion and tomato quiche, from Cooking On the Side
Quiche Lorraine, from Simply Recipes
Spinach mushroom quiche, from $5 Dinners
Summer corn and green chile quiche, from Chaos in the Kitchen
Tomato and zucchini quiche, from Barbara Bakes

Lobster, corn and basil quiche

From the pantry, you'll need: pie crust, olive oil, eggs, sour cream, grated cheese, kosher salt, fresh black pepper.

Serves 6.

Ingredients

1 refrigerated store-bought pie crust
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 leek, washed and trimmed, diced
3/4 cup roasted corn kernels, or fresh kernels from 1 ear of corn
8 oz cooked lobster meat or shelled, cooked langoustines, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh basil leaves
5 large eggs
1/2 cup nonfat (skim) milk
2 Tbsp sour cream
8 oz grated mild cheese (I use Italian 6-cheese blend, store-bought; you can use a mix of any cheese you prefer)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp fresh black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Fit the pie crust into a 9-inch pie dish, and set aside.

In a small nonstick frying pan, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the leeks and corn, and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the pieces of lobster, and cook for 1 minute. Turn the heat off, toss in the chopped basil, and remove the pan from heat.

In a large glass measuring cup (8-cup size) or mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and sour cream. Then, with a rubber spatula, stir in the cheese, salt and pepper. Add the cooked vegetables and lobster to the eggs, and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into the prepared pie crust.

Bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes, until the top is slightly browned and the quiche is firm to the touch. Remove the pan from the oven and set it on a wire rack to cool for at least 15 minutes, or until room temperature.

Slice and serve, or let the quiche cool completely, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More recipes in The Perfect Pantry:
Leek and mushroom quiche
Red pepper, asparagus and spinach quiche
Asparagus, mushroom and sausage quiche
Zucchini, goat cheese and basil frittata
One-bite vegetable quiche

Other recipes that use these pantry ingredients:
Crab, scallion and tomato quiche, from Cooking On the Side
Quiche Lorraine, from Simply Recipes
Spinach mushroom quiche, from $5 Dinners
Summer corn and green chile quiche, from Chaos in the Kitchen
Tomato and zucchini quiche, from Barbara Bakes

Comments

You had me at lobster. On my coast that translates to Dungeness crab which I happen to have in my freezer. Come Saturday morning ...

Christine, now I have Dungeness crab envy. It's almost impossible to get here in the East (and never fresh, of course), but it would make a wonderful substitute in this quiche.

Okay I am drooling. And I live in a place where both lobster and crab are always uber-expensive so I'm jealous of both you and Christine!

Kalyn, you could use frozen shrimp, or chunks of fresh salmon. Or leave out the seafood, and add more corn and basil. Or just get on a plane and come visit!

Now that is one gorgeous quiche! I love that you came up with that one on the spur of the moment as a special treat for you all. :-)

Shirley

Fresh lobster is rare in Wisconsin, too, but I will find a way. This surely tastes of summer, Lydia. Nice! Maybe I will try with salmon, but probably not until Labor Day Weekend.

Wow does this look better than any quiche I have ever made! And lobster and fresh corn made it a sumptuous meal. I need to try this recipe!

Shirley, sometimes I'm really proud of my well-stocked pantry!

Mimi, substitute with something you can find locally, or use good quality frozen lobster tail. It will make a nice treat when you celebrate your retirement in a few days.

Jamie, this quiche has the flavors of a New England summer, and that's what I love about it. Yes, it was indeed a sumptuous quiche for a weekend breakfast, but when I made it again for dinner last night, it seemed just right.

Wow, now that is a treat for breakfast. I had no idea Trader Joe's carried lobster.

Jeanette, I use TJs frozen langoustine tails when I don't have lobster from the fish market. Makes a great (and equally indulgent) substitute.

three of my favorite things!! Just add sliced tomatoes from the garden and it is perfect!!
When I do lobster in recipes, I get it already steamed at the local market basket - easy and very inexpensive these days ($3.99lb!!) but sometimes my husband I have been known to sit down and eat a steamed lobster as soon as we get home - while the groceries sit waiting to be put away!

I made this for Thanksgiving dinner (we are non traditional). I used your filling concept with the Cooks Illustrated deep dish quiche crust, added two eggs and an addl cup of milk and a cup of heavy cream to fill the deep dish. Substituted canned corn for fresh, and a medium onion for the leek, and frozen lobster tail and some large shrimp, and 2 cups of gruyere, and a little fresh nutmeg.

My wife told me it's the best thing she's eaten in years. She is not prone to hyperbole, so thank you for the inspiration!