SWEET PEACHES, JUICY TOMATOES, AND TARRAGON MAYO ELEVATE TENDER LOBSTER INTO A REFRESHING SUMMER SALAD.
SERVINGS: 2
PREP TIME: 15 minutes
COOK TIME: 8-10 minutes
INGREDIENTS
- 1 whole live lobster (~2 lb)
- 1 ripe peach, sliced into wedges
- Small handful Boston or butter lettuce leaves
- 8–10 small cherry or cocktail tomatoes
- Coarse sea salt, for boiling lobster
- Ice water, for shocking lobster and tomatoes
TARRAGON MAYO
- 1 whole egg (room temp)
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- Small handful fresh tarragon leaves
- Neutral oil (sunflower or grapeseed), enough to emulsify (~200 ml)
- Pinch of salt
STEPS
1. Make the tarragon mayo
- In a tall container, combine the egg, Dijon, fresh tarragon, and a pinch of salt.
- Blend with a hand mixer while slowly streaming in neutral oil until you get a thick, green, fragrant mayo.
- Transfer to a squeeze bottle and refrigerate until plating.
2. Prepare the lobster
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil.
- Add lobster, cover, and cook 8–9 minutes.
- Transfer immediately to an ice bath.
- Once cooled, crack the shell, remove the meat from claws, knuckles, and tail, and cut into bite-sized pieces.
3. Prep the tomatoes
- Score a small “X” on the bottom of each tomato.
- Blanch in boiling water for 10–15 seconds, then shock in ice water.
- Peel skins, cut in halves or quarters.
4. Plate the salad
- On a chilled plate, spread a base layer of tarragon mayo with a spoon or offset spatula.
- Arrange Boston/butter lettuce leaves loosely over the mayo.
- Garnish with peach wedges and peeled tomato pieces.
- Add lobster meat evenly across the salad.
- Finish with small dollops of tarragon mayo from the squeeze bottle for texture and color.
By Laurent Dagenais