Celebrity chef Daniel Boulud shared his tips to make a great lobster salad on Monday on CTV’s Canada AM.

Lobster Salad with Coconut Chutney, Jicama and Romaine Lettuce (Serves 6)

Ingredients:

For lobster

  • 3 live lobsters (700g each)
  • 1/2 lime, finely grated zest and juice
  • 5 sprigs cilantro, leaves chopped
  • 1 g (0.2 teaspoons) ground coriander
  • 1 g (0.2 teaspoons) alleppo pepper
  • 30 mL (1 ounce) olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Coconut Chutney

  • 1 coconut
  • 1/2 lime, juice
  • 5 g (1 teaspoon) mustard seeds, soaked in water overnight
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Romaine and Jicama Salad

  • 1/2 fresh  jicama, peeled
  • Olive oil, as needed
  • 3   small heads romaine lettuce
  • 1/2 lime, finely grated zest and juice
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 30 g (6 teaspoons) fresh cilantro leaves

Samosa

  • 20 g (4 teaspoons) mayonnaise
  • 15 g (3 teaspoons) Greek yogurt
  • 1/2 lime, freshly grated zest and juice
  • 1 pinch alleppo pepper
  • 1 g (0.2 teaspoons) ground coriander
  • 10 sprigs cilantro, leaves chopped
  • 1 pinch dried mint
  • Salt and pepper
  • 6 (5x18cm) strips of Japanese spring roll dough
  • 1 egg yolk, beaten
  •  Olive oil
  • Canola oil for frying

To finish

  • 250 g (8.5 ounces) Greek yogurt
  • 1 lime, finely grated zest and juice
  • 2 g (0.4 teaspoons) alleppo pepper
  • 1 g  (0.2 teaspoons)  sweet paprika

Directions for the lobster:

In a large stockpot, bring two litres of heavily-salted water to a boil and place a bowl of ice water on the side. Twist off the lobster arms and tails and discard the bodies. Grasp the middle fin of the tails, twist and pull out the veins.  Boil the tails for six minutes; chill in the ice water.  Boil arms six-and-a-half minutes; chill in the ice water. Crack open tails, claws and knuckles and extract the meat.  Pick and discard any cartilage from the claws and knuckles. Slice the tails in half lengthwise.

Place claws and tails in a bowl, add lime juice, cilantro, coriander, alleppo pepper and olive oil. Toss with salt and pepper to taste and reserve chilled. Reserve knuckles for samosa.

For coconut chutney:

To open the coconut, use a screw driver to puncture one of the eyes on the top of the coconut (of the three, one will always be soft enough to puncture).  Pour out the water from the inside into a strainer set over a medium saucepan. Wrap the coconut in a towel, and use a hammer to crack the shell into large pieces. Using a butter knife, pry the meat from the shell. With a mandoline, thinly shave one large piece into ribbons  for salad. Grate the rest through a cowbell grater. Set aside 30 g (six teaspoons)  grated coconut for samosas and transfer the rest to the saucepan with coconut water. Bring to a simmer for 30 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced by half. Transfer contents to a blender and puree until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the mustard seeds, salt and pepper to taste.

For the romaine and jicama salad:

Preheat a grill pan on high heat. Cut 12 (10x3cm) planks from the jicama, rub with olive oil and grill on both sides until well marked, about 20 seconds each. Grate 30 grams (6 teaspoons) jicama for samosa and with a mandoline, thinly shave the rest into ribbons for salad. Discard any damaged outer leaves from the heads of lettuce and rinse them well in cold water. Cut each head in half lengthwise. In a small bowl, combine lime zest and juice with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste; reserve for dressing the lettuce. 

For the lobster samosa:

Preheat a deep fryer filled with oil to 350 F (176 C). Chop the lobster claws into a fine dice and toss in a large bowl with the mayonnaise, yogurt, lime zest, lime juice, allepo pepper, coriander, cilantro, mint, and reserved grated coconut and jicama. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Lay the spring roll strips vertically on a cutting board and brush lightly with the yolk.  Equally distribute knuckle mix in mounds on the end of each strip.  Fold the bottom right corner up to the left side to form a triangle shape then fold the triangle forward.  Continue folding in this manner to form triangular packets.

Fry samosas until golden brown, and transfer to a paper towel lined plate and sprinkle with salt. Keep warm.

To finish:

Combine yogurt, lime zest and juice, alleppo pepper and smoked paprika in a small bowl. Lay a piece of romaine on a large plate and drizzle with the lime dressing. Top with 1 lobster tail and 1 claw. Spoon the yogurt mix onto the lobster. Arrange one samosa, coconut ribbons, jicama ribbons and a few cilantro leaves on top. Garnish the plate with coconut chutney.