This unusual salad, perfect for passing at a barbeque or dinner party, combines marinated lobster meat with a colorful corn and bell pepper salad. The final addition of tomatoes and thinly sliced avocado make it a filling and healthy salad that could be a served as a light meal. Serve with fresh French bread and all at the table will be asking for the recipe!
Our favorite part of this recipe is that two of the three steps can be completed a day before, leaving a small amount of final serving preparation for the day of and maximizing the time you spend with your dinner guests.
Serves 8
Marinated Lobster with Chives
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp chopped fresh chives
Add salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
½ cup olive oil
1 lb fresh-cooked lobster meat
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the mustard, lemon juice and chives. Add the oil in a thin stream, whisking constantly until mixture is emulsified.
Add the lobster meat to dressing and toss to coat well. Cover and chill for 1 to 24 hours, stir occasionally.
Consider substituting the fresh-cooked lobster with fresh shrimp. To do so, shell and devein, then cook shrimp in a large saucepan of boiling water for 1 minute, or till pink, and drain.
Corn and Bell Pepper Salad
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups fresh corn cut from the cob (or 2 cups canned/frozen corn)
½ cup diced green bell pepper
1 large clove garlic, minced
¼ tsp ground cumin
Add salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 tsp fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
In a large skillet, heat oil and add corn, bell pepper, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes. Stir in green onions and cook for 1 minute, then stir in lemon juice and remove from heat.
Transfer salad to bowl and cool to room temperature. May be refrigerated for 1 day. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Finally Assembly
1 lb tomatoes, seeded and chopped
¼ tsp sugar
1 tbsp olive oil
Add salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 avocados
2 tbsp lemon juice
Springs of parsley, for garnish
In a bowl, toss tomatoes with sugar, olive oil, salt and pepper; set aside for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, peel avocados and halve lengthwise. Thinly slice each half crosswise and fan them attractively on a service platter. Sprinkle with lemon juice to keep from browning.
Remove the lobster from the dressing with a slotted spoon and arrange in the center of the platter. Reserve chive dressing.
Arrange corn-pepper salad and tomato mixture decoratively on the platter; garnish with parsley sprigs and pass chive dressing separately.
