{{Short description|Various stews involving lobster}} {{Infobox food | name = Menorcan lobster stew | image = Caldereta.jpg | image_size = 250px | caption = | alternate_name = | country = Spain, United States | region = Menorca, Maine | creator = | course = | type = Soup | served = | main_ingredient = Lobster | variations = | calories = | other = }}
'''Lobster stew''' is found in a variety of cuisines. Two famous versions are Menorcan ''caldera de llagosta'' (with European spiny lobster),<ref name="Ambit-Pep-Pelfort">{{cite journal|last1=Pelfort|first1=Pep|title=Caldera o caldereta?|journal=Àmbit, revista de cultura|date=2019|volume=|issue=53|pages=10–13|url=http://www.cime.es/WebEditor/Pagines/file/Ambit/WEBCIM_Ambit_revistacultura_num53.pdf}}<!--|access-date=12 May 2024-->; (in Catalan)</ref> and Maine lobster stew (with American lobster).
==Spain== [[File:Caldereta llagosta.jpg|thumb|''Caldera de llagosta'' (European spiny lobster as main ingredient)]] [[File:Caldereta.jpg|thumb|''Caldera de llamàntol'' (European lobster as main ingredient)]] Perhaps the most famous lobster stew recipes are those from the isle of Menorca. The term ''caldereta'' has become popular in use and most locals use it more often than the term ''caldera'', even if that latter is the originally correct term for designating this variety of lobster dishes.<ref name="Ambit-Pep-Pelfort"/> The most symbolic recipe in the island is the ''caldera de llagosta''.<ref name="Ambit-Pep-Pelfort"/> It is made out of local European spiny lobsters (''Palinurus elephas'', ''llagosta'' in Balearic). Menorcan equally, yet far less emblematic, is the ''caldera de llamàntol'', which uses European lobsters (''llamàntol'' in Balearic) instead of spiny lobsters.
Lobster is added to a sofrito, onions, tomatoes, garlic and parsley and boiled, and is eaten with thin slices of bread. It is a signature dish of Menorca, and even the monarchy of Spain has been known to travel to Menorca to enjoy it. <ref>[http://sobreespana.com/2009/12/03/curiosidades-turisticas-en-menorca/ Curiosidades Turísticas de Menorca] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101225194156/http://sobreespana.com/2009/12/03/curiosidades-turisticas-en-menorca/ |date=2010-12-25 }} (in Spanish)</ref>
This dish is only available during spring and summer, because the local lobsters are protected and can only be captured between March and August.
A very similar recipe which also includes saffron, green peppers, wine and brandy can be called ''langosta a la catalana'' (Spanish for 'Catalan-fashioned spiny lobster'). Another recipe involves a sauce of lobster blood and chocolate.<ref name="davidson">Alan Davidson, ''Mediterranean Seafood'', 1972, p. 280</ref>
==New England== Lobster stew, along with the lobster roll, is one of the most popular lobster dishes in Maine. The ingredient species is the local American lobster (''Homarus americanus''). It is similar to New England clam chowder in that it is based on milk.<ref>Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker, "Lobster Stew", ''The Joy of Cooking'', 1985, {{isbn|0026045702}}, p. 188</ref> Unlike most Maine lobster dishes, it uses shelled lobster meat.<ref>Jasper White, "Traditional Lobster Stew", ''Lobster at Home'', 1998, {{isbn|0684800772}}, p. 52</ref>
==See also== {{portal|Food}} * List of fish and seafood soups * List of seafood dishes
==References== {{reflist}}
Category:Spanish soups and stews Category:Culture of Menorca Category:Catalan cuisine Category:Cuisine of New England Category:Lobster dishes
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