Lobster Salad With Corn Sugar Snap Peas And Basil Mint Oil Recipes

LOBSTER SALAD WITH CORN, SUGAR SNAP PEAS, AND BASIL-MINT OIL

Steps:

• In a 10- to 12-quart kettle bring 8 quarts water to a boil with bay leaves and coarse salt. Plunge 1 lobster into water headfirst and simmer, covered, 12 minutes. With tongs immediately transfer lobster to a bowl to cool. Return water to a boil and cook remaining lobster in same manner.
• When lobsters are cool enough to handle, break off claws at body of each lobster. Crack claws and remove meat. Reserve some claw meat, covered and chilled, for garnish if desired and cut remainder into bite-size pieces. Twist tails off lobster bodies and discard bodies. With kitchen shears remove thin hard membrane from underside of each tail by cutting just inside outer edge of shell. Remove meat from each tail and cut into bite-size pieces. Transfer claw and tail meat to a large bowl and chill, covered.
• Shuck corn and cut kernels from cobs. Trim sugar snap peas and diagonally cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Cut bell peppers into 1- by 1/4-inch-thick strips. Finely chop enough shallots to measure 1/3 cup.
• In a large non-stick skillet heat 1 tablespoon oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and sauté peas and bell peppers with salt and pepper to taste, stirring, until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer sautéed vegetables to a plate and cool completely. Add remaining tablespoon oil to skillet and sauté corn and shallots with salt and pepper to taste, stirring, until just tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer corn mixture to another plate and cool completely. Add all vegetables with salt and pepper to taste to lobster, tossing to combine. Chill salad, covered, until cold and up to 1 day.
• Toss salad with lemon juice and serve with basil-mint oil and lemon wedges.

LOBSTER AND PINEAPPLE SALAD WITH BASIL AND MINT

Steps:

• Plunge lobsters headfirst into an 8-quart pot of boiling salted water . Loosely cover pot and cook lobsters over moderately high heat 9 minutes from the time they enter water, then transfer with tongs to sink to cool.
• Remove meat from claws, joints, and tails. Discard (or save for another use) tomalley, any roe, and shells. Cut meat into 1/2-inch pieces and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• While lobsters are cooling, cut pulp in 1 or 2 large pieces out of each pineapple half with grapefruit knife, then discard core and cut pulp into 1/2-inch pieces. Scrape juice and any remaining pulp from pineapple shells with a spoon (to form 1/4-inch-thick shells) into a fine sieve set over a bowl and drain until you have 2 to 3 tablespoons juice, about 2 minutes. Discard solids.
• Cook oil and garlic in a small saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring, until garlic is golden, 2 to 3 minutes, then discard garlic. Add garlic oil to pineapple juice along with lime juice, fish sauce, and sugar, whisking until sugar is dissolved. Add shallot, bell pepper, pineapple pieces, chile, and herbs. Toss lobster with pineapple mixture and serve mounded in pineapple shells.