STEAMED LOBSTER TAILS
with truffle and honey butter sauce and a
radicchio and tarragon salad
This is rich but light, celebratory yet simple. It comes together quickly,
so be sure to have everything prepped, table set, champagne or
chardonnay to hand. If you would like to go all
out and share a whole fresh lobster, that’d work very well (big pot, 2in
boiling water, 8-12 minutes). But lobster
tails are perhaps less daunting and typically available in frozen form
at most supermarket counters or through your
fishmonger. Make sure you seek butter flecked with real truffle, not
truffle oil.
INGREDIENTS
2 x lobster tails, thawed if
bought frozen
15g salted butter
25g truffle butter (10-15 per
cent real truffle content)
2 tsp honey
For the salad
1 tsp mayonnaise
1 tsp honey
2 tsp moscatel vinegar
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp lilliput capers
Leaves picked from 3 sprigs
tarragon
1 small radicchio, separated (frisee or chicory will
also go nicely)
Serve with
Fresh baguette or other
crusty bread
METHOD
➤ To allow for easy removal of the lobster meat once cooked, use sturdy scissors to cut down the middle of the shell of the longer, harder side of the tail, stopping at the fin. Use a finger or the handle of a teaspoon to separate the meat from shell and membrane, although don’t pull it out. Place both tails in a steaming basket, ready to steam, or refrigerate until required.
➤ In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, honey, vinegar and oil until emulsified. Add the capers and tarragon, then toss the leaves thoroughly in the dressing. Put a few of the leaves on plates as a garnish, leaving the rest to enjoy once the lobster is devoured.
➤ Set up a pan of boiling water. Steam the tails for 4 minutes.
➤ Meanwhile, measure the two butters and honey into a small pan and place over a very low heat, so that the butter melts rather than froths. Shake the pan or whisk occasionally to mix everything together.
➤ After 4 minutes, remove the lobster from the steamer and pull the meat out. Chop into 4-5 pieces, transfer to plates and pour a few spoons of warm butter over the meat, and the rest into a small dish for additional lobster and bread dipping. Eat immediately.