Grilled Lobster with Corn & Tomato Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients

Citrus Vinaigrette

  • ½ tsp orange zest
  • ½ tsp lemon zest
  • 3 tbsp orange juice (about ½ orange)
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp tarragon leaves, chopped
  • kosher salt
  • freshly-ground pepper
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

For Salad

  • 1 cup (about 1 ear) corn
  • 1 scallion, thinly-sliced
  • 2 tbsp basil, torn
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1½ tsp grated ginger
  • ¼ tsp grated garlic
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
  • kosher salt

To Plate

  • 2 live lobsters (1½ lbs each)
  • 8 leaves bibb lettuce, washed & dried
  • 1 ripe avocado, peeled & cut into ¼” slices
  • microgreens or herbs (optional)

How-to

Grill Corn

  1. Submerge ears of corn (still in husks) in a tub/bowl of salted water. Soak at least 4 hours to overnight
  2. Preheat grill to high. Place soaked cornhusks on grill and cook about 20 minutes, rotating every 5 minutes or so. Remove from grill and rest until cool to the touch

Make Vinaigrette

  1. Combine all the vinaigrette ingredients together in a small bowl, except the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper
  2. Add the ingredients to blender and purée, slowly drizzling in olive oil until smooth and emulsified

Prep Lobster

  1. Start a large pot of salted water to boil. Add live lobsters and boil 4 minutes. Remove and let cool to the touch, about 5 minutes
  2. Place the lobsters on the counter, belly-side-down. Using a large sharp chef’s knife and a kitchen towel for grip, plunge the knife tip into the lobster where the head meets the tail. Slice down the center of the tail until it is split in half. Remove the knife, turn it using the same method, cut the head in half. Remove the claws and crack in a few places. Remove the digestive tract and discard (if desired)
  3. Preheat a grill to high
  4. Brush the meat of the lobster and outsides of the cracked claws with some of the vinaigrette
  5. Place shell-side-down on the grill, and grill about 5 minutes. Grill claws 5 minutes total, flipping at 3 minutes and basting with more vinaigrette. Flip bodies and grill, meat-side-down, about 30 seconds. Remove and set aside while assembling salad

Assemble & Plate

  1. Cut the tomatoes in half and transfer to a bowl. Add the ginger, garlic, paprika, honey and lemon juice, season with salt and pepper and toss well
  2. Combine the corn, scallions and basil in a large bowl. Add citrus vinaigrette and toss well. Add the tomatoes and toss again
  3. Arrange 2 lettuce leaves on each of 4 plates and top with ¼ of the avocado slices
  4. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with citrus vinaigrette
  5. Place a half a lobster in the center of each plate. Spoon the corn salad on top, and dress with microgreens, if desired