Our local fishmonger, Buy the Sea, is selling a hilariously titled shellfish cookbook — How to Make Love to a Lobster — by Canadian writers Marjorie Harris and Peter Taylor, which we thought was quite apt for Valentine’s. They note that devotees will tell you that eating these wonderful crustaceans is not only healthy, but also very sexy. They insist there has to be some truth to the many myths that expound their aphrodisiac qualities and more than one reason why so many of them have been immortalized in numerous stories, poems and songs. The book features shellfish recipes from renowned chefs and restaurants from across North America.
We thought a lobster recipe from our very own winemaker, Mary McDermott and her chef partner would be just the ticket as you’re planning your Valentine’s weekend. This scrumptious salad is inspired by fresh Atlantic and southwestern ingredients. The creamy avocado and sweet shellfish easily complements Township 7’s Reserve Chardonnay, an elegant wine, with beautifully integrated crisp yet lush fruit flavours. A perfect meal with cupid in mind, or perhaps for an early spring brunch!
Lobster Avocado Salad
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients:
1 to 1½-lb live Atlantic lobster
1 ripe avocado (preferably Haas), thinly sliced
1 bunch of the most perfect watercress you can find
2 tbsp walnut oil
1 tbsp butter, softened
½ lemon
Sea salt to taste
Directions:
Boil lobster in stockpot for 5-6 min. Remove and cool. Remove tail from the head. Split tail lengthwise, with shell attached. Crack and clean claw meat. Dice claw meat in small pieces and reserve for the avocado salad. Just before serving, toss sliced avocados, diced claw meat, and salt to taste with 1 tbsp walnut oil. Also just prior to serving, slightly coat tail meat with butter, lemon, and salt. Broil tail until lightly browned in a pan. Divide avocado salad into 2 portions and place in center of each plate. (Keep salad tight to insure some height.) Lay broiled tail sections over salad. Garnish with watercress sprigs. Drizzle remaining walnut oil over and around the plate.
