Warm salad of lobster with black truffle oil

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William Drabble's warm lobster salad recipe revels in the ingredients of early summer, from Jersey Royal potatoes to asparagus. For more information on humanely killing lobsters, visit the RSPCA website.

First published in 2015

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Lobster

Lobster stock

Salad

Equipment

  • Fine chinois

Method

1
Place the lobsters in the freezer for half an hour to render them insensate. Meanwhile, bring a large pan of water to the boil and prepare a large bowl of ice water, ready to submerge the lobsters in after cooking
2
Place a separate pan over a low-medium heat and add a dash of oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onions, carrots, garlic, celery and leek. Sweat until soft, then add the tomato purée stir through and cook out for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside
3
Once the water is boiling, place the lobsters on a chopping board and, using a very sharp, large knife, cut lengthways down the centre of each lobster, killing them instantly
4
Remove the tail and claws and drop them into the boiling water for approximately 20–30 seconds, until the shell starts to turn red and the tail turns up
5
Remove the lobster tail from the boiling water and plunge straight into iced water. Once the tail is cool, remove the tail meat from the shell and place in the fridge. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to allow the claws to cool in the cooking water
6
For the lobster stock, use a mallet to crush the lobster heads and shells and set aside. Place the pan with the sweated vegetables back on the stove and heat up. Once hot, add the lobster shells to the pan and cook until the protein (white albumen) has started to set in around the heads and shells
7
Add a little brandy to the pan and reduce until almost dry. Add just enough water to cover the shells, add the thyme and bring to the boil. Cook for 10 minutes, then add the tarragon and cook for a further 3 minutes
8
Remove the pan from the heat and leave to stand for a couple of minutes, then pass through fine chinois into a small pan. Bring back to the boil then set aside
9
Take the claws out of water and remove the meat from the shell. Reserve the claw meat in the fridge for other dishes
10
Cook the Jersey Royal potatoes in some lobster stock for 25 minutes, or until soft. Remove the potatoes from the stock and bring the stock to the boil. Once boiling, plunge the lobster tails into the stock
11
Remove the pan from the heat and leave to stand for 3 minutes, then remove the lobster tails and leave to stand in a warm place for another 3 minutes
12
Meanwhile, sauté the baby artichokes lightly in a little olive oil, then add the asparagus. Sauté until warm, then place all of the vegetables in a bowl
13
Dress the vegetables with a little black truffle oil, salt and pepper. Arrange neatly onto plates, then slice the lobster tails in half lengthways, season and place on top of the salad
14
Dress and season the salad leaves with the truffle oil and arrange around the lobster. Drizzle a little bit of the oil from the top of the lobster stock around each plate and serve immediately
  • salad leaves, red mustard frill, pourpier, bull's blood
  • truffle oil, black
  • salt
  • pepper

Beginning his career as an unpaid kitchen worker at the age of fourteen, William Drabble has steadily worked his way up to the position of Executive Chef at one of London's most prestigious hotels.

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