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Makes
2 cups of lobster salad
Author Notes
As a native New Englander I normally don’t like to bastardize my lobster. But adding lemon juice and thyme to this crustacean’s true partner – drawn butter – gives it an interesting twist that perhaps even purists can abide. - cheese1227 —cheese1227
Test Kitchen Notes
This recipe makes a light summer lunch for two or a very tasty and decadent salad for one. The clarified butter dressing is just enough to moisten and enhance the lobster and avocado flavors with lemon and thyme, without drowning them out (be sure to save any leftover butter for sauteing summer vegetables). The grilled lemon slices are pretty, and nice for dragging forkfuls of salad across for little hits of acid -- or you might consider lemon wedges for easier squeezing. - Kristen —The Editors
Ingredients
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A 2-pound lobster
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Your favorite chili oil
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4 ounces
butter
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1 tablespoon
fresh thyme leaves, minced
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1 1/2 teaspoons
fresh lemon juice
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Salt
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Your favorite hot sauce
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4
¼ -inch thick slices of lemon
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1/2
avocado, medium dice
Directions
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You need to par cook your lobster the old fashioned way, in a pot of boiling water, for about 10 minutes. Take it out of the water and let it cool until you can handle it easily. At that point, turn it on its back and using a really sharp knife, slice it right down the middle, lengthwise. (The tomalley will run all over, and since you don’t grill that bit, if you like it, take a spoon to it at this juncture.) Take a meat mallet and give each claw a good whack so they crack slightly. Brush the exposed flesh with some chili oil and rub some more on the shell. Also brush the lemon slices with some chili oil. Set lobsters and lemons aside.
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Heat grill up to a high temperature.
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In a small pan, melt the butter, let it sit for a bit (still keeping it warm, though) and remove the clarified butter from the milk solids. You should have about 2-3 tablespoon of clarified butter. Into the butter put the lemon juice, minced thyme and salt and a squirt of hot sauce to taste. Set this aside as well, but keep it warm.
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When the grill is hot, place the lobster halves on it, exposed flesh down. Also put the lemon slices on the grill. The lobsters will only need 6-7 minutes on the grill and don’t need to be turned. The lemon slices only need a couple of minutes one each side to get marked.
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When the lobster is done, work quickly to remove the tail, claw and leg meat and cut it all into bit sized pieces. Mix the meat with two tablespoons of the seasoned clarified butter mixture. You can mix in a bit more butter if you like, but remember that you just the meat dressed, not drowning. Gingerly mix in the avocado pieces. Serve the salad warm, with the grilled lemon slices and an extra sprig of thyme as garnish.
I am an excellent eater (I have been all my life). I’m a pretty good cook (Ask my kids!). And my passable writing improves with alcohol (whether it's the writer or the reader that needs to drink varies by sentence.). I just published my first cookbook, Green Plate Special, which focuses on delicious recipes that help every day cooks eat more sustainably.
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