I love the smokiness of ribs and chicken on the grill but you rarely see smoked lobster. I have devised a way to gently add a little smoke to the lobster so that it won’t overwhelm but adds a nuance and a new flavor dimension.
Herb Smoked Lobster With Red & Yellow Watermelon Salad (Serves Two)
For the Lobster:
* 2- 1 ½ lb Lobster
* 2 sprigs each fresh herbs
* Rosemary
* Thyme
* Tarragon
* Chive
* Sage
* Oregano
* Salt & Pepper
* Extra Virgin Olive Oil
For the Salad:
*Yellow Watermelon - Seedless
* Red Watermelon - Seedless
* 1 oz Goat Cheese, crumbled
* 1 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds, toasted
* 1 Tablespoon Chives, snipped to 1-inch
*1 pinch Brittany Salt
*Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Prepare the Salad:
• Remove the rind from the watermelons.
• Cut the watermelon into 3 inch logs.
• Stack the logs alternating colors to form a box on one side of the serving plate (leaving room for the lobster),
• Sprinkle the watermelon with the toasted cumin seeds, then the goat cheese, then the extra virgin olive oil, then the salt and then the snipped chives.
Prepare the Lobster:
• Fill a pot large enough to hold the lobsters with water, bring to a boil.
• Plunge lobsters into boiling water and cook for three minutes.
• Remove lobsters from the water and twist off claws.
• Return claws to boiling water and cook claws only an additional four minutes.
• Cool lobsters under cold running water.
• Split each lobster in half lengthwise and crack each claw to expose the meat.
• In a pan or pot with a tight fitting lid large enough to hold the lobsters, sprinkle all the herbs in a pile on the bottom of the pan.
• Season the lobsters with salt & pepper
• Drizzle lobsters with extra virgin olive oil.
• Place the pan with the herbs over medium-high heat. When the herbs start to smoke, place the lobster in the pan, meat side up, over the smoking herbs.
• Place the lid tightly on the pan and allow the lobsters to smoke for three to four minutes, until heated through.
• Remove the lobsters from the pan and arrange them on serving plates with the watermelon salad.
• Drizzle the lobster meat lightly with extra virgin olive oil and season with fresh cracked pepper and Brittany salt.
• Serve immediately.
This column is a continuing series by Chef Peter X. Kelly of Xaviars Restaurant Group which runs every Thursday.
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