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Warm Lobster Salad


When my mom and I were discussing the menu for my dad's 65th birthday dinner, she was thinking lamb. I was thinking lobster. "Well, can we have both?" she wondered. It's your party. So, that's what we decided to do. I told her that I could roast the lobster and place it on a bed of wilted greens as the salad course. 

1 lobster tail per person
olive oil
freshly ground sea salt
freshly ground pepper
1 leek, trimmed and sliced into thin coins
1-2 handfuls of greens per person
balsamic vinegar for drizzling

First...to roast the lobster...

Preheat the oven to 350F. Using kitchen shears, cut each lobster tail down the back, stopping at the last segment before the tail piece. Bend back the tail until you hear a loud crack. Slip a knife between the meat and the bottom membrane, freeing tail meat from the shell. Pull the meat up and over the shell, closing the shell shut beneath it. The tail meat, then, piggybacks on top of the shell. 


Coat the lobster meat with a generous coating of oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 1-2 minutes per ounce of weight, if fresh. It might take longer if the tail is frozen.

For the warm greens...

Soften leeks in a splash of olive oil. Add baby kale - or greens of your choice - and cook till just wilted. Season with freshly ground sea salt and freshly ground pepper.


Plate the greens and place the lobster on top. Add a drizzle of your favorite balsamic vinegar. Tonight I used a tangerine-fig balsamic. Sprinkle with more salt and pepper, if desired.

Happy birthday, Dad! Hope you enjoyed these.

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