Maine lobster with pickled meyer lemons and macerated tomato salad

Oppskrift

To make the pickled Meyer lemons and pickled shallots, gently heat 60g water in a pan along with the vinegar and sugar. Remove from the heat once the sugar has dissolved and set aside to cool. Once cooled, add the lemons (discarding all pips) and the shallots. Cover and place in the fridge overnight.

For the garlic mayonnaise, crush the sliced garlic to a puree using a pestle and mortar and mix well with the mayonnaise. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and set aside.

To make the herb oil, bring a pan of water to the boil and prepare a bowl of ice water to have on hand. Blanch the herbs for 30 seconds and refresh immediately in the ice bath. Drain the herbs and squeeze well to eliminate all excess water. Pat dry with kitchen paper and chop finely. Add the herbs to a blender and blitz with the oil until smooth. Strain the oil through a double layer of muslin. Set aside.

For the macerated tomatoes, roughly chop the tomatoes and combine with the remaining ingredients. Allow to stand at room temperature for at least an hour before using.

To prepare the lobster, bring a large pan of water to a simmer. Prepare a large bowl of iced water to have on hand. Lay the lobster onto a chopping board and use a large, heavy knife to cut through the lobster head from the natural crease through the centre of the eyes. Twist off the claws and body and discard the head. Pinch the tail of the lobster at the centre part of the tail fan and twist. Pull the piece away carefully and the digestive tract should come away with it, discarding the digestive tract. Skewer the lobster top to tail to which will ensure they cook as straight as possible. Blanch the lobster tail in the boiling water for 2 minutes, and the claws for 7 minutes and transfer immediately into ice water. Once cooled, drain the lobster and pat dry using kitchen paper. To remove the tail, cut two lines in the bottom of the shell with scissors and gently remove the tail and cut in half lengthways. To remove the claws, twist each claw into 3 pieces at the joints. Crush the smaller pieces with the flat side of a knife and carefully remove the flesh. Using the back of a knife, hit the claw just behind the pincer to crack the shell in two. Remove the bottom half of the shell. Dislocate the pincer ensuring the small feather shaped cartilage comes away with it. Carefully remove the flesh from the remaining shell ensuring the large feather shaped cartilage is removed. Check that all shell is removed from the lobster pieces and pat dry using kitchen paper.

Season the lobster with salt and drizzle with grapeseed oil. Grill the lobster pieces on a hot Hub BBQ (2-3 minutes on each side for the claws; 6 minutes for the tail), turning regularly. Remove from the grill once the temperature reaches 51C on a thermometer probe. Season with a squeeze of Meyer lemon, sea salt flakes and a drizzle of the herb oil.

Serve with the macerated tomatoes and additional herb oil.